Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, also Chinese President and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivered an important speech during his talk with the new leadership of the ACWF, in October 2023. To study and implement the guiding principles of that speech, and to implement the guiding principles of the 13th National Women's Congress of China, the Human Resources Development Department and the Social Liaison, Exchanges and Cooperation Center, both under the ACWF, recently released the list of 50 projects, with characteristic features, organized by women's social organizations across the country, and the list of 10 cases, with characteristic features, of women's federations connecting with and guiding social organizations. Here is one of the projects.
Project: Dream Catchers — Community-based Children's Home Service Project
Organizer: Beijing Social Work Development Center for Facilitators
"I like the activities and my friends here." "Dream Catchers (Children's Home) is our second home." Such comments are commonly heard from children in communities where Dream Catchers — Community-based Children's Home Service Project has been implemented.
The project builds Children's Home activity centers — in a simple and tasteful style — in communities, and the centers provide educational programs to migrant children, children in difficulties, and children whose parents work elsewhere.
Supported by the Office of Beijing Municipal Working Committee on Children and Women, the Beijing Social Work Development Center for Facilitators (Beijing Facilitators) launched the Dream Catchers Project in May 2016. The project organizes children-centered courses and extracurricular activities. Its goal is to support children's self-realization, including helping them grow into adults who perform their roles well in the family, neighborhood and society.
So far, 10 "homes" have been established, in Beijing, Nanjing (in East China's Jiangsu Province), Zhuhai (in South China's Guangdong Province), and Qingdao (in East China's Shandong Province). Combined, the homes have served 18,712 children to date.
Power of Social Work
Beijing Facilitators, established in 2003, is one of the first social-work service organizations in China. Since its inception, it has been dedicated to promoting the integration of new urban residents in communities' development.
In 2003, when Beijing Facilitators' staff provided assistance to migrant workers during the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) outbreak, they noticed the workers' children had no place to play after school, and their parents did not have time to accompany them.
"We visited many communities with large migrant populations, and we realized communities are important places for children to learn about society, and to participate in social activities. If we could provide high-quality services to children in communities, they would have a better chance of developing sound personalities," says Li Tao, director of Beijing Facilitators, and an organizer of the Dream Catchers Project.
Li and his team put a lot of time into researching how to build Children's Home, and how to provide good services to children in communities.
In 2015, a Dream Catchers Children's Home was established in Sijiqing, a town in Beijing's Haidian District. Given its successful operation, the home became a demonstration site (of a children's activity center) in Beijing. Its operational mode has been promoted in other districts of Beijing, and in other cities across China, including Nanjing and Zhuhai.
Helping Others, Helping Self
Under the Dream Catchers Project, social workers often serve as facilitators, rather than administrators, who support children's self-development.
Xiaoxue was among the first group of children trained as volunteers by Beijing Facilitators. She received services under the project from the time she was 10. Then she became a volunteer, who conducted surveys and designed activities for the children's growth groups. "Being a volunteer brought a lot of beautiful memories to my childhood," Xiaoxue says.
Since 2017, an initiative, to train teenagers to be public-welfare volunteers, has been conducted in communities where the Dream Catchers Project has been implemented. The trainers teach teenagers how to make plans for public-welfare services and organize volunteer activities in communities. More than 20 teenagers have been trained so far this year.
In July, during a public-welfare-themed activity, in the Sijiqing Dream Catchers Children's Home, Li told the children, "We take part in public welfare because public welfare is part of life, and it helps us improve and realize ourselves while serving other people."
The Dream Catchers Project's teams in different places have been invited by local civil affairs departments to train workers with children's activity centers and village/community cadres responsible for children's affairs.
"This project intends to build natural and safe Children's Homes in communities. Parents 'grow up' and young social workers practice their professional skills at the 'homes'," says Lu Jinyan, manager of Dream Catchers Project, and deputy director of Beijing Facilitators. "Actually, we should thank children. To showcase the power of love to them, we have pooled resources of all sectors, and we have enabled participants to realize themselves while helping others."
Photos from Interviewees
(Women of China English Monthly September 2024)
Editor: Wang Shasha
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