Youths Learn to Serve in Charity and Build a Sustainable Community
The Tzu Chi Collegiate Youth Association (a.k.a. Tzu Ching) in Singapore held its first Volunteer Experiential Day, which drew some 51 like-minded youths. Apart from learning the spirit of volunteerism from Tzu Chi’s Mission of Charity, the participants also visited SASCO Senior Citizens' Home to bring care to the elderly, and went to the Tzu Chi Eco Awareness Centre to learn how to promote environmental protection. While experiencing the joy of giving, they were inspired to pass the love forward.
This lively ice-breaking game involves 115 youths at the Humanistic Youth Centre. They are attending the Tzu Ching Volunteer Experiential Day event, where they learn the spirit of volunteerism.
One cannot experience volunteer work in class, so the participants are taken to the SASCO Senior Citizens' Home, where they interact with the seniors and realise the meaning of doing good.
Chua Shu Fen, Participant: It’s very interesting how this concept actually came about. It’s like bridging people together in order to actually bring the real idea of volunteering to them. It’s not just about helping. It’s about using whatever that we have received, passing it on and carrying it forward.
The youths have come to the Tzu Chi Eco Awareness Centre. Besides doing charity work, they also learn to protect Mother Earth. Here, they not only listen to talks, but also learn to promote environmental protection as volunteers.
Participant, Michelle Wijaya: I think the practice of being eco-friendly—this underlying issue of climate change—it’s a fight that all of us are in. So I feel that we should all try to be (more involved as) players in this collective fight against climate change.
The spirit of volunteerism is about having the goal of serving others. This Volunteer Experiential Day is just a beginning. We hope that these youths have been inspired on this day (to actively give of themselves in future, and create a cycle of goodness in society).
