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International Volunteer Day: ACTAsia’s Summer Camp Volunteers
Celebrating the Volunteers Who Brought ACTAsia’s ‘Caring for Life’ Summer Camp to Life
This August, ACTAsia launched its inaugural Caring for Life (CFL) Summer Camp at Haiyuan County No. 2 Primary School in rural Ningxia. The four-day programme brought together over 100 children for hands-on learning, collaborative activities and moments of reflection.
This International Volunteer Day, ACTAsia is proud to spotlight the extraordinary volunteers whose commitment, creativity and compassion made the CFL Summer Camp such a great success. These volunteers – many of them university students and aspiring educators – stepped into classrooms, playgrounds and community spaces to create meaningful, experiential learning for children. Their reflections reveal not only the impact they had on the students but also the profound personal growth they experienced along the way.
Creating Confidence Through Encouragement
Volunteer Ma Huiping shared how encouragement became one of the most transformative tools in her teaching practice. She watched a quiet boy, elected as team leader by his peers, slowly come into his own:
“I learned the importance of encourage-based education,” says volunteer Ma Huiping.
By asking gentle questions, celebrating small successes and inviting participation, she saw students who were initially hesitant, begin to speak up, take initiative and engage more fully. For Ma, this confirmed the power of positive reinforcement in helping children feel seen, valued and capable.
Learning the Interconnectedness of Life
The Web of Life game stood out as one of the most influential activities for both children and volunteers. It offered a hands-on lesson in ecology and the fragility of our shared world.
Ma described one moment vividly: “When the twine in front of the student was cut, I caught everyone’s emotions. This helped everyone understand the interconnected nature of our ecosystem. The course design is excellent.”
Volunteer Chen Jiayue was equally moved when a child chose “bacteria” as his life form. This unexpected choice was rooted in the child’s experience at home: “He said he was particularly sensitive to bacteria. This made me realise how precious life is and how important it is to be aware of it.”
These reflections highlight the depth of children’s insight when given the opportunity to explore life from different perspectives.
Shaping Future Educators
For many volunteers, the CFL Summer Camp affirmed their commitment to humane, student-centred education.
Wang Bofei, preparing for a career as a science teacher, found clarity in how he hopes to teach: “It was very inspiring for my future career plans. I want to turn my science classes into activities like the CFL summer camp, rather than traditional lecture-based classes.”
His experience echoes ACTAsia’s emphasis on active, experiential learning, where children construct their own understanding through curiosity and play.
Growing Responsibility Through Care
Beyond teaching skills, volunteers found themselves growing in character and compassion.
As Luo Cunmei shared, “My own sense of responsibility has grown.”
Caring for a group of children each day – walking them home, supporting their emotions, observing their needs – expanded volunteers’ awareness of what it means to guide and protect young learners.
Understanding the Power of Experiential Education
Many volunteers spoke about how CFL’s approach reshaped their understanding of what education can be.
Volunteer Buy Xiaohua described this shift:
“All of our activities were conducted through process, using games to allow students to experience and then summarise… Students are actively learning and constructing knowledge on their own. In my future teaching, I will strive to create these meaningful teaching activities.”
Her reflection encapsulates the heart of Caring for Life: empowering children to connect emotionally and intellectually with the world around them.
Why the Volunteers are Integral to the Success of the Summer Camp
The CFL Summer Camp thrived because volunteers bring patience, empathy and a willingness to learn alongside the children they teach. Their observations, questions and daily interactions create a safe environment for children to explore ideas, express themselves and build confidence.
On this International Volunteer Day, ACTAsia celebrates every volunteer who contributed their time, talent and heart. Your work expands humane education into communities where it can have lasting, life-changing impact.
You can read more about the Teaching, Students and School as well as see several more videos about the Summer Camp.
Join Us in Growing Caring for Life
ACTAsia’s ability to reach more children depends on people like you: volunteers, supporters and donors who believe in a kinder, more compassionate world.
Get involved with ACTAsia. Donate to help Caring for Life reach more classrooms and support humane education for children. Your involvement helps build a future where empathy, responsibility and care for all life can flourish.
