Volunteers key to advancing modernization

Upon graduating from Shanxi Agricultural University in 2023, Wang Yizhi, 24, signed up for the "Go West" program to volunteer in China's less-developed western region.

"What is the true value of life? I believed I might find the answer in the country's western region," she recalled.

That August, Wang began her role as a Chinese-language teacher at a border primary school in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region. Despite challenges and doubts, Wang found the experience rewarding, especially when she witnessed her students' progress and gained the trust of their parents.

This school, the entire teaching team of which has been made up of volunteers since 2022, saw a remarkable turnaround in students' performance thanks to the dedication of 54 college graduates across China. Currently, there are 23 volunteers in the school teaching over 300 students.

The most exciting moment in the school came on May 2, when President Xi Jinping replied to a letter from young volunteer teachers, praising their efforts in advancing local education, promoting ethnic unity, and contributing to prosperity and stability in the border region.

Last week, Wang and her peers got a new boost as they read about a congratulatory message sent by the Chinese president to the third congress of the China Volunteer Service Federation.

Describing volunteer service as a "key hallmark of social progress", Xi, in the message, expressed the hope that volunteers, volunteer organizations and service professionals will play an active role in advancing Chinese modernization, promote the value of truth, kindness and beauty, and spread positive energy while serving the national strategy, people's livelihood and social governance.

Wang said through her volunteer service at the border school, she gradually understood the true meaning of life and is determined to continue her work as a volunteer teacher, and to contribute her youthful energy to the development of volunteer service endeavors.

Xi has long championed the volunteer spirit of dedication, friendship, mutual help and progress, extending his care, support and encouragement to participants across diverse fields of service.

Between December 2013 and July 2014, Xi wrote three reply letters to volunteer groups within a span of less than eight months, demonstrating his clear emphasis on promoting volunteer services. In addition, during his numerous inspection tours across China, Xi has frequently visited villages and communities where he interacted with local volunteers. He took the opportunity to learn about their work and offered encouragement.

Commending young volunteers' dedication during the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and Paralympics, Xi pointed out at a grand gathering that "the volunteers offered warm services with their youthful vigor and dedication, showing the vibrant and energetic image of the Chinese youth to the world".

He called for efforts to promote throughout society the spirit of volunteers and to better leverage the active role of volunteers in order to facilitate social progress.

Meanwhile, Chinese volunteers have become ambassadors of international cooperation, from providing technical and sports education assistance in Laos to supporting wildlife conservation in South Africa.

When Xi visited the Republic of Korea in 2014, he told the story of Zhang Bao, a Chinese marrow donor who helped a patient in the ROK, in his speech at Seoul National University.

To better promote volunteer services, China launched the "Four 100" initiative in 2015. Each year, the event honors outstanding volunteer service individuals, organizations, programs and communities.

Among the 100 exemplary organizations honored this June was the "Little Water Drops" Volunteer Service League from Danjiangkou in Central China's Hubei province.

Members of the league are primarily volunteers dedicated to protecting the ecosystem of the Danjiangkou Reservoir, the source for the middle route of China's South-to-North Water Diversion Project.

The organization, which was established in 2021, now includes 162,000 registered members actively participating in activities such as shoreline cleanups, river patrols and public awareness campaigns.

In recognition of their efforts, Xi applauded this endeavor in 2024, encouraging the volunteers to motivate more people to consciously conserve water resources and work together to build a beautiful China.

Yuan Hui, deputy head of the league, expressed her hope that these individual "small drops" of effort by the environmental volunteers in Danjiangkou will converge into a "mighty force" in safeguarding the pristine waters of the reservoir.

As volunteers have contributed in various ways to serving both national strategies and public well-being, volunteer service is no longer seen as an activity only for the young. A growing number of senior citizens are now joining the cause.

The Silver Age Action national voluntary initiative, for instance, has seen participation exceeding 7 million person-times, with many elderly volunteers using their expertise to aid the development of underdeveloped areas.

In response to expanding participation in volunteer services, China's central authorities issued systematic guidelines in 2024 — the first comprehensive framework of its kind in the new era — to further improve the voluntary service system.

Building on this momentum, the China Volunteer Service Federation released three practical guides in June this year, covering volunteer service project management, volunteer recruitment and training, and community-based volunteer initiatives.

"Over the years, volunteer service in China has made significant progress in institutional development, organizational growth, service innovation and public participation," said Ding Yuanzhu, director of the theoretical research committee of the China Volunteer Service Federation. "It has become an indispensable force in social governance and the public service system."

Lyu Shiming, vice-president of the federation, noted that the Party leadership has made it clear in the recommendations for the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) for national economic and social development that it is imperative to "continue to develop volunteer services and better manage organizations operating in this field".

Lyu said, "We will leverage our role in leading, uniting, serving and facilitating progress in volunteer service."

jihaisheng@chinadaily.com.cn