More than 80 million young people have provided volunteer services of over 4.1 billion hours since 1993 when the Central Communist Youth League initiated the China Youth Volunteers Association, Cui said. He gave a brief description of some of the major projects supported by the group, the first nationwide public organization engaged wholly in volunteer services in China.

Youth Volunteer Poverty-Relief Relay Project

Since 1996, volunteers have been going to poor areas to provide six months to two-year service in basic education, health care, the extension of agriculture technology and others fields. The young volunteers are recruited among the general public and they relay the process so as to sustain this effort. Over the past five years, about 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities in China have participated in this plan. In addition, nearly one million college students have volunteered during their school breaks for variety of short-term projects in the poor rural areas.

Youth Volunteer Community Development Project

This project involves three aspects: First, "One-helps-one" which gives each volunteer a chance to identify one poor family to provide regular help; second, services for community development which are staffed by college and middle school students volunteers; and third, Young Volunteers’ Community Service Stations which since 1995 have grown to include 24,000 stations throughout the whole country.

Youth Volunteers Green Work Camp Project

With “work, exchange and study" as its theme, this project initiated in June 1999 organizes young volunteers to carry out environmental protection services, such as planting trees, decontaminating polluted water, and removing rubbish.

Volunteer Services for Major Events

In recent years, millions of Chinese youth volunteers have been providing service of for events like the Universiade, the fourth World Women Conference, Shanghai Fortune Forum annual meeting, Kunming World Horticulture Fair, and APEC meetings. Preparations are already under way for volunteer services for the Olympic Games in 2008.

Develop extensively public service.

Young volunteers often visit homes for the elderly, welfare homes, residences for homeless children, recovery centers, etc. They go to these communities to repair household electrical appliances, educate about law and government policies, give training courses and provide entertainment. Many young volunteer serve as guides at museums, exhibition centers and science and technology centers. In addition, young volunteers have played an important role in helping during great disasters such as floods and earthquakes.

Service to International Exchanges

Over the past years, China Youth Volunteers Association has developed good relationship with international and regional volunteer organizations like the Coordinating Commission of International Volunteer Services and the European Volunteers Union, etc. Thousands of people have been sent to Europe and to South- East Asian countries for study tours and participation in volunteer service events. At the same time, volunteers from more than 10 countries like Japan, Singapore and Korea have been mobilized to come to China to participate in activities such as environmental control, poverty alleviation and community development. International exchanges of volunteer services have become an important channel for international cooperation.

(www.china.org.cn 08/23/2001)