As famous film star Audrey Hepburn once said, “As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands—one for helping yourself, the other for helping others”.
Driven by a commitment to help society, students Henry (Grade 7), Amy (G9), and Wendy (G11), co-founded the HIS International Volunteer Club this year, recruiting Mandarin Teacher Ms Lily Zhou, who has 17 years of volunteer experience, to serve as supervisor.
In the first semester, they have met with many experienced individuals in the city. Just recently, they invited a volunteer from the Hangzhou Red Cross Hospital who provided comprehensive first aid training and organized practical exercises for the students.
This initiative not only enhanced the student’s knowledge about volunteering but also instilled a profound understanding of the responsibilities required.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go”, as children’s book author Dr Seuss once said.
To gain more knowledge for the preparation of future volunteering trips, they students invited a famous local volunteer, leaders of the ‘West Lake Cultural Envoy Program’, and two survival experts who have worked with noted British explorer Bear Grylls in the past.
Zhang Nengqing was one of the 2022 Asian Game torchbearers. He taught the club members what it means to be a volunteer and shared some of his experiences during his many years of volunteering.
The most memorable was when he told the students about how he has been cutting disadvantaged people’s hair for free for the last 20 years. His volunteer work is centered around helping the poor, and the environment.
Meanwhile, Duan Xinyi is a leader from the West Lake Cultural Envoy Program, who assisted with the successful application to have West Lake designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During the session, her team provided the members with historical information about West Lake, such as the story about Emperor Qianlong, who journeyed to West Lake six times in his life, and always commissioned paintings of the beautiful views.
The two survivalists, who had worked with Bear Grylls, are part of the local Red Cross rescue team. They introduced ways to protect yourself while in the wild, and listed important, possibly lifesaving items you should always take with you when heading out into the great outdoors.
During the lecture, they told the students how to identify different types of snakes, and what to do during various types of natural disasters. They emphasized the importance of safety equipment by recalling dangerous experiences they had overcome through being prepared.
The International Volunteering Club is an exciting new addition to Hangzhou International School’s list of meaningful extracurricular options, which now consist of 80 activities for all ages. The hope is for club members, and the HIS community at large, to realise there’s so much they can do for society and will feel inspired to make the difference.
