2011 rural China Summer Volunteer Program online application is open!

Colorful Library 五彩斑斓的世界

Huju Middle School Library, Hunan 湖南株洲茶陵县虎踞镇中学图书室

CALL FOR APPLICATION: 2011 Summer Volunteer Program




Let Reading Inspire


PROGRAM
Dream Corps is recruiting about 65 international volunteers to participate in its 2011 Summer Volunteer Program in rural schools (township elementary or middle schools) and villages of China. Volunteers will take part in activities that include:

Establishing and developing libraries: decorations, cataloging books, electronic cataloging system set-ups, and library policy making.

Reading programs: "Library Month", "Reading Aloud", "Science and Reading", English Reading, and crafts.

Understanding and learning from locals: communicating with the local teachers, home visits, community research, and promoting reading in the community.

The program consists of 4 days of training in Beijing, 3 weeks of volunteer work on assigned volunteer sites, and 3 days concluding forum in Beijing. Check out the summer program schedule.

QUALIFICATION FOR VOLUNTEERS

Volunteers must read, understand and agree to abide by the regulations outlined in theVolunteer Ethical Guidelines.

Interested in international development, rural education, and the non-profit sector in China.

Respectful of local rural customs, habits and culture and to humbly listen to the views of local teachers, leaders and parents.

Participate positively in all activities, and immerse in the local environment.

Is able to adapt to rural accommodations, environment and eating conditions.

Is able to communicate and work effectively and respectfully with people from different cultural backgrounds. Team-oriented and tolerant of diversity.

Responsible, well-organized and creative.

Willing to promote the importance of reading to the locals through various activities.

Experience as a volunteer and with community service.

Ability to speak mandarin Chinese is mandatory.

Please read the summer program schedule and make sure you are able to participate in the entire program. Attendance in the entire program is absolutely required.

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATION FOR TEAM LEADERS

Strong ability to manage, organize, plan, and access resources.

Very responsible.

Experience leading teams and promoting teamwork. Ability to identify talents of team members and to resolve conflicts. Must be able to lead a team to accomplish a goal.

Experience communicating with people from different cultures, backgrounds, and ages.

Can represent Dreams Corps and the team to negotiate with local community leaders.

APPLICATION PROCESS

STEP 1: Complete online application. 

There is no application fee.
• Application form
• Personal Statement (see guidelines for details)
• Resume or CV

STEP 2: Interview 

Qualified applicants will be interviewed over the phone or in person, depending on location, availability and preference. The length of the interview is about one hour.
• Phone interview via Skype
• In person. Six locations: Beijing; New York City; Philadelphia; Charlottesville, Virginia; Toronto; Montreal. Space is limited in each location. Additional candidates will be interviewed by Skype.

STEP 3: Notification of Decision

• February 14-February 25: Those selected for an interview will be notified.
• February 20-March 20: Interviews will be scheduled by email by the interviewers and interviews will be held.
• March 21: First group of accepted volunteers notified.
• March 25: Deadline for first group to confirm participation.
• March 26: Second group of accepted volunteers notified.
• March 30: Deadline for second group to confirm participation.

IMPORTANT DATES

Jan 23: Online application opens

February 20: Online application officially closes

April 9 - June 23: Summer Volunteer Program

• April 9-30: Online training (4 sessions, about 2 hours per session)
• May 19: Volunteer registration in Beijing, program begins; Team leader training in Beijing
• May 20-23: Volunteer and librarian training in Beijing
• May 24: Volunteers departing for sites
• May 25-June 17: Working at sites
• June 20: Return to Beijing
• June 21: Team reports in Beijing
• June 22-23: Concluding forum in Beijing

PERSONAL STATEMENT GUIDELINES
Please keep your statement between 500 words in Chinese or English. As a general guideline, please cover the following:

1. Why do you want to volunteer with Dream Corps and what do you want to accomplish through your volunteer work?
2. List your previous social work or volunteer experience. Please include dates, locations, activities, and your roles.
3. Have you traveled or lived in rural China? for how long? If not, have you traveled or lived internationally? for how long? If so, please describe briefly (locations, dates and activities).
4. Have you had any experience working with children or teachers? If so, please describe briefly (subjects, target audience and formats)
5. What do you believe are the value of books and reading to the lives of rural children in China?
6. For Team leaders: Have you had experience working as a team leader? Share your experience, what you learned, and challenges that you faced.
7. Do you hope to conduct a personal or academic research project during your possible stay in China with Dream Corps? If so, please describe briefly.

EXPENSE
Volunteers pay their own airfare to Beijing. All volunteers pay a 2000 RMB (300 USD) fee at the beginning of the volunteer training in Beijing. The fee covers the cost of accommodations and lunch during training and the concluding forum, transportation to and from the program sites, lodging at the sites, travel health insurance, training handouts and a T-shirt. Volunteers should also bring some money for other meals during training and forum and for other personal expenses.

2011 SITES INFORMATION

The following communities and schools are the sites for 2011. Some changes are possible. Applicants can indicate preferences, but preferences cannot always be honored. During the online training more information about the sites will be provided.

Established sites:

Laochangying Village, Peiying Township, Dengzhou, Henan

Tenglou Experimental Elementary School (only 6th grade students), Tenglou Village, Peiying Township, Dengzhou, Henan

Nanguang Middle School, Nanguang Township, Yibin, Sichuan

Huju Elementary School, Huju Township, Chaling, Zhuzhou, Hunan

Huju Middle School, Huju Township, Chaling, Zhuzhou, Hunan

New sites:

Liumangang Elementary School, Liumangang Village, Xinghuaying Township, Jinming District, Kaifeng, Henan

Jiudian Elementary School, Jinan Township, Jingzhou District, Jingzhou, Hubei

Yutai Middle School, Jinan Township, Jingzhou District, Jingzhou, Hubei

Yuanyi Elementary School, Peicheng District, Mianyang, Sichuan

Hengfeng Central Elementary School, Hengfeng Township, Gongxian, Yibin, Sichuan

Shilipu Hui Elementary School, Liuhu Township, Kongdong District, Pingliang, Gansu

If you have any more questions regarding our program, please visit Dream Corps 2011 Summer Volunteer Program FAQ. If you have any questions regarding the application and volunteer selection process, please contact us

> download this document in PDF

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Dream Corps Summer Volunteer Program 2010 - 湖南日志系列（1）

枣市日志  二零一零年5月29日。By 向超群

昨晚是在枣市中心小学度过的第一个晚上，纪念意义深重。


其一，述良，泰安和我三人第一次同床，不共枕（没有枕头）。人有三只，床有两张。一张是很现代的席梦思，超英赶美不在话下；另一张是很古典的木头架子铺稻草垫子，透气环保清爽怡人。 买了超大床单一个：其大，足以睡老婆一位及孩子若干。故出自本人私囊，思量作长久之用，为未来积蓄前进的动力。床单虽大，铺于并排的两张床上，还是有点捉襟见肘。稻草床垫，半隐半现，倒也韵味十足！日后若要隐居，能有此景象，足矣！

其二，这里有难得的静谧。鸡声鸟声猪叫声声声入耳，实乃以有声写无声的范例；家事国事天下事，事事不关心，也不枉我等抛弃凡尘俗事，忘却高楼霓虹，静心做一点实事。

其三，这里的生态平衡令人叫绝。无论飞禽，抑或走兽，或者蚁蛾，皆处于食物链的一环，人也不例外。半夜被咬醒，穿长裤以抵御外族入侵，不过还是被见缝插针。一夜下来，清点战场，伤痕二十余处也。所幸元气未伤，青山尚在，不怕无柴。翰琳和译心之营房，防御措施较为完备，有蚊帐环卫八方。但也并非固若金汤，二人半夜挑灯看剑，对闯入禁地者格杀勿论，颇有斩获。今早，兵分两路：三千人马留守大本营治理府库；另发精锐两千，入县城，会友军，购弹药辎重，万众一心，众志成城，为来日血战厉兵秣马。



闲话少叙，进入正题。

今天的主要任务是图书分类。在昨天划分的大类的基础上，我们对各类的内部进行了排序。其实这个工作昨天晚上就开始了。翰琳和述良因为今天要去县城，提前把今天的任务完成了一部分。这种积极的工作态度，是什么样的态度？是共产主义的态度！是我们每个人都需要学习的态度！特别是某些其他队的队员们，你们要好好学习！（哈哈！）同时，我们也向甘愿留守战场，加班加点的同志们致以亲切的慰问和衷心的感谢！你们的辛勤劳动，是会永垂史册的！同时，我们也要感谢其他的同志们，你们任劳任怨，百里迢迢地跑到县城，为我们采购，来回奔波，也是相当辛苦的！革命分工不同，没有高低贵贱之分！（要是有些人在前面对号入座产生误解，看到这儿请笑一笑！）

另外，我们把学校后勤主任谢老师捐献出来的电脑安装好了，并下载了软件，目前已经成功的运行了。在此，我们需要感谢我们谭校长和谢主任的大力支持和配合，没有这台电脑，巧妇也难为无米之炊！还要感谢远在千里之外的James同学，虽然上次考的软件是不完整的，但是在他的耐心指导和帮助下我们成功地摆平了这件事情！好事多磨，重点还是“好事”嘛！呵呵

最值得一提的是，今天有好几个孩子来到我们图书室看书，他们看到书很高兴，很兴奋！有几个还看得很专心，特别是看漫画书的。不过我们在图书室的开放程度上还要下功夫，因为这几个同学跟我们说他们以前没有来过图书室。我们需要让更多的孩子能看到这些好书！

工作期间，有两位老师来访，一位是参加了我们在北京的交流的，恕我忘记了名字。另一位是我们学校的方老师。长沙人，放假没有回家。跟两位的聊天中，我们发现了农村教育中的一些问题，一个是形式上的问题。有些书是应付检查用的，孩子们翻都不会翻，但是还是要放在图书室。不过我们成功地游说了罗老师，在她的帮助下，谭校长同意了我们把那些“农业技术”的书挪到另外的书架，把DC的书放到进门的显眼的书架上的建议。在此对谭校长和罗老师表示感谢！另外一个问题是农村学校教师人才的流失问题。从和方老师的聊天中我能感受到，像她这样的从大城市来的老师不会在农村学校待很久。她说每个人都是为了更好的未来，这当然也没错。

晚上和刘燕（音）姐通了电话，一是索要DC今年弄过来的书籍的电子表格。二是商议建设“书香校园”图书角的可能性。详情暂时不表，待日后详谈。

就此收笔。明天继续。

P.S. 晚上开灯，有无数飞蛾扑灯。

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袁老师和裴阿姨

作者：郭海涛，2008河南老常营、2010河南滕楼志愿者


前两天收到袁云汉老师的邮件，托我帮他在美国买把电吉他。我很愿意帮这个忙，收到邮件后就找音乐家房东打听买电吉他的信息，心理一直想着要给袁老师回复，结果还是因为期末忙给忘了。今天想起心里颇觉不安。

    袁老师是这个暑假在河南做志愿者时认识的一 位小学老师。在学校里面，袁老师分管学校后勤，爱人裴阿姨经营学校学生食堂，夫妇俩很自然的接过了我们食宿的任务。到学校当天，天下大雨，女生被安排在一 个大教室里，我和柯岩被分配在一个小办公室里。夏天乡下蚊子颇多，两张木板床都没法挂蚊帐。袁老师说：我出去看看。过了一些时候，袁老师湿淋淋的抱了一 大堆竹竿回来，估计是刚出去砍的，然后一直帮我们把蚊帐架好，才心满意足的离开。非常实在而又热心的一个人。

滕楼队5名志愿者和袁老师、裴阿姨全家，2010年6月

为了让我们吃好，裴阿姨和袁老师绞尽脑汁，每天都变着花样。虽然我们一再要求一切从简，但每次吃饭的时候，总发现有一些惊喜，以致让某些同学暗爽到内伤。

    学生们7点钟吃早餐，裴阿姨和袁老师每天5点钟就得起来准备食物。从周一到周五，一日三餐，裴阿姨每天的生活都禁锢在食堂里面。夫妇俩总是把最好的食物留给我们，然后自己坐在一边吃些最简单的东西。这让我们觉得非常不安，但是怎么劝说都没有用。慢慢的混的熟了，裴阿姨和袁老师也会和我们讲一些故事，开一些玩 笑。女生们难免花痴，每每吃饭的时候讲到自己的梦中牛郎，就两眼闪光，一幅即惆怅又幸福的模样，并伴随着嘴里，鼻子里发出的怪异声响。裴阿姨和袁老师开始的时候常常不明所以。时间长了也就习惯了。后来，裴阿姨也开始加入到女生的行列，说些打趣的话，被戏称给“带坏了”。

裴阿姨初中辍学到南方打工，虽然境况很苦，但是心里颇有文青情节，喜欢读些小说，曾经有段时间沉浸在琼瑶亦舒，三毛席慕容中间。后来从南方回来，嫁人生子，每天在田间灶头劳碌，年复一年，岁月流逝，那些曾经的少女情怀被忙碌的俗世生活掩埋，但是偶尔被小女生们勾起，让人觉得异常值得玩味。有时候听她讲在南方的往事，常常被她脸上不经意的神往表情或者蹙眉低头打动。

滕楼队女生和裴阿姨，2010年6月

    谁没有年少爱追梦的时候？

    袁老师说话声音极其洪亮，一听就知道受过特别的发声训练，像个唱歌剧的。果不其然，学校的老师说：以前袁老师经常在食堂里面吊嗓子。我脑子里面常常浮现这样的画面：袁老师开着三轮摩托，嗵嗵嗵嗵的拉一车大白菜到食堂，裴阿姨忙着剁猪肉白菜，袁老师隔着打饭的窗口对着裴阿姨深情吟唱“在那遥远的地方，有个好姑 娘。。。。。” 非常草根的中国达人形象。

    音乐是袁老师最大的嗜好。在念师范的时候，袁老师遇到过一个很好的代课老师，给了袁老师最初的音乐启蒙。可惜时间不长，老师走了以后，袁老师就一直苦于没有一个好老师可以求教，基本所有的东西都靠自学。我们去的时候，袁老师正在自学吉他和电子琴，常常听到他的房间里面琴声悦耳。他的热爱音乐，不是为了有一技之长可以炫耀，因为在那个地方，机会没有多少人会去欣赏；也不是为了谋生，只是单纯的喜欢，所以显得格外纯粹。我们和老师们办过一次联谊，袁老师非常羞怯，再三推阻，不愿意出来表演。后来被拱上台后，才技惊四座的展示了自己的歌喉。袁老师歌唱的很动情，我们都爱听。我们听到的是一个怀揣梦想的人在与大环境格格不入的背景下的不懈努力。

    和袁老师裴阿姨接触的时间越多，感情越深。袁老师并不爱喝酒。但是我们要走的前一个星期的某个晚上，袁老师却一定要我陪他喝点酒。那天他喝了不少酒，说了不少话，反反复复跟我讲：“不知道什么时候才能见到你们，我很想知道五年以后，十年以后你们在哪里啊，海涛在干什么啊，林楠在干什么啊！思静在干什么啊，张芃在干什么啊，柯岩在干什么啊！有时候我也很想到美国去看看啊，知道美国是怎么样的啊！”

    第二天裴阿姨对我说：袁老师舍不得你们啊！

    这句话袁老师讲了一晚上都没有讲出来，但是我已经听懂了。

走的当天，我们把所有的伙食费包在一个信封里给袁老师和裴阿姨。我倒是预期到了他们会推托，所以悄悄交给他们的儿子小飞昂，没有告诉他是什么，让他悄悄放在家里抽屉里。

    坐车离开的时候，裴阿姨握着女生的手，流了很多泪。袁老师一定坚持要到城里买东西让我们带上，我以为是给志愿者带上火车的食物什么的，想想这是他一定要表达的一个心意，就没有太阻拦。结果到了火车站，他匆匆的跑过来，给每个人塞了一样极贵重的礼物。接受，非常不好，不接受又不免伤了一个好心人的心。我想最好的方式就是明年找个机会偿还回去。

    离开的时候我们在老常营文化广场办了一场晚会，袁老师吉他弹唱东方之珠。他的吉他还有些生涩，常常中途停下来不好意思的给观众说抱歉，但我觉得那是最美妙的音乐，因为这是一个有梦想的人用心吟唱的歌。

    袁老师说：如果你们明年再来的话，我吉他应该比较会了。

    我一定要去听一听。

河南邓州裴营乡滕楼村实验小学

 

 

海涛哥哥讲故事

 

 

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Best Birthday Gift Ever/我最想要的生日礼物

Donna Peng, 2009 Beijing Team Volunteer, has decided to give her birthday presents to Dream Corps. Find out how and why you can help. 2009年北京队志愿者彭丹决定把自己的生日礼物送给梦想行动。这到底是怎么一回事儿呢？

Dear friend,

In the past two years, you might have received a lot of messages from me, inviting you to attend this or that Dream Corps event. You might have wondered, what is this Dream Corps? I know I own you an explanation. 

Dream Corps is an NGO working to build libraries in rural China, founded in 2004 by oversea Chinese students like me. Since its beginning, Dream Corps has sent over 100 volunteers to rural communities of China, bring books and funds to build a local library. We share our love of reading with children there. Yes, we. Because, last summer, I became one of those volunteers. The New Century Library in Zhufang Village, just outside of Beijing, became one of my homes. A year has passed, but I still remember the days that I spent reading with the kids. I still remember their names.

Su Le. Wang Guoqing. Wang Shufan. Li Jingwen. Chai Shubin. Chai Mengyuan. Liu Weiyuan. Huang Jiacheng. Fu Bin. Ceng Kun. Wang Ye. Wang Yang. Wang Shuai. Wang Xinglong.　And there's Zhang Doudou. Doudou, the five years old boy who beamed and frowned widely, showing his missing teeth.

August 12th, this coming Thursday, is my birthday. A lot of you have given me books as gifts in the past. But, today, I would like you to give gifts of books to these children. The children in Zhufang Village, but also the children in Chaling County, Hunan, the children in Nanguang Sichuan, and the children in Laochangying, Henan... There are many of them. They might be voracious readers, but they don't know that yet, and Dream Corps' mission is to provide the reading environment that they need.

I hope that you would donate to Dream Corps, and if you share our cause, I invide you to join us, to become part of Dream Corps.

Thursday will be my 22nd birthday. $22 is enough to buy 10 books in China. 10 GREAT books, selected closely by my colleagues in Dream Corps' Book Committee.

All my love and thanks,

Donna

You can donate via Facebook cause:

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/birthdays/420136?bws=sl

or at the official website: 

http://www.dreamcorps.org/donate.html

============================

你好，我的老友、损友，很久没见或是素未谋面的朋友，

也许你并不在Montreal，但是在过去的两年间，你也许收到了很多这样的邀请：
Donna希望你能参加梦想行动的XXX活动。你也许纳闷过：梦想行动？那是什么东西？

梦想行动是一个为中国乡村学校建设图书室的公益组织，今年已经六岁了。六年来，上百名来自全球各地的志愿者在每个夏天前往中国农村，带去书和修缮图书室的经费，与孩子们分享阅读的喜悦。去年夏天，我也成为了他们中的一员。于是，北京清河朱房村新世纪图书室成为了我生命中的一个点。一年过去了，不能忘记的是孩子们读书的脸。

苏乐。汪国庆。汪舒凡。李静文。柴书斌。柴萌园。刘蔚圆。黄嘉诚。付彬。岑坤。王也。汪洋，汪帅。王兴龙。还有张豆豆。豆豆，五岁，讲故事喜欢扭来扭去，写作业也磨磨蹭蹭，他最喜欢说，你真是个厉害的妖怪。

即将到来的8月12号是我的生日，以往大家送我的总是书。但是今天，我希望你们能送书给这些孩子们。他们在北京五环外的城中村里，他们也在湖南茶陵、四川南广、河南老常营。。。他们也许很喜欢看书，但是自己还不知道，而梦想行动的任务，就是为他们创造阅读的环境。

我希望你们能把替我买书的钱捐给梦想行动。如果，你有同样的愿望，我还希望你以后能来参加我们的志愿活动，加入梦想行动。

今年我22岁。$22，在国内可以买十本书，十本由梦想行动图书小组的同学们精挑细选过的好书。

谢谢大家。

彭丹

捐款通道：
http://apps.facebook.com/causes/birthdays/420136?bws=sl
也可以去官方网站：http://www.dreamcorps.org/donate.html

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长沙晚报：北美留学生茶陵支教五年 美国街头表演募集捐款

——2010年6月22日，长沙晚报报道了“梦想行动”2010年暑期志愿者项目中的五队志愿者在湖南株洲市茶陵县的经历。24名志愿者们来自不同的国家与背景，但都在中国农村教育的艰辛和孩子们对知识的渴求中得到了激励。作为自2004年来第六批来到茶陵的“梦想行动”志愿者，他们分别在5个中小学校建设与完善“梦想图书室”，为学生开设课外阅读和英语教学活动。他们同时带来的，还有如何在北美为图书室募捐的故事。

        今天，来自大洋彼岸的20多名“梦想行动”志愿者就要离开株洲茶陵。“这些乡村的孩子太可爱了，我们简直舍不得离开。”昨日，来自美国宾夕法尼亚大学沃顿商学院的MBA张卉在电话里告诉记者。作为“梦想行动”志愿者，今天她和其他23位伙伴，就要告别相处了20多天的茶陵乡村学校的师生，不舍之情溢于言表。

　　据了解，“梦想行动”是2004年初由留学生和旅居海外的华人发起创建的非营利性组织，由留美学生以及外籍华人作为志愿者，其宗旨是通过深入乡村小学了解当地办学情况，帮助完善农村小学图书室建设，参与当地教学等活动来提高农村地区的教育水平，所有的活动经费都系自筹。“梦想行动”第一次与茶陵结缘是在2005年5月，当时在美国杜克大学就读的蒋洪生是茶陵人，经他牵线，志愿者到茶陵舲舫乡中心小学进行了为期20天的义教帮教活动，当时带队的是在杜克大学就读的陈怀远。五年来，“梦想行动”与地处偏远的茶陵贫困乡村中小学结下深厚情谊，每年都有一批志愿者不计任何报酬地来到这里进行一个月左右的志愿行动，为乡村的孩子们带来知识和欢乐。

　　这次是“梦想行动”第六次来茶陵开展活动，共有24位志愿者参加，其中有十位女生。他们分别来自美国和加拿大。志愿者分为5个组，在5个中小学校就图书室建设与完善、学生课外阅读和英语教学等工作进行服务活动。上月27日抵达茶陵后，志愿者们就马不停蹄地开展工作。志愿者们为每所学校送去了数百本科普、人文等方面的图书，“这些都是留学生们在美国加拿大等地募捐来的。”张卉告诉记者，有的美国同学得知情况后还主动上街进行文艺表演，为活动募捐，场面非常感人。然后，他们将美元寄回国内兑换成人民币，再根据乡村孩子们的需要购买书籍。

　　在枣市小学服务的向超群毕业于美国伊利诺伊州一所大学，他是今年三月在网上看到“梦想行动”招募志愿者的启事后，主动报名参加的，“要经过面试、培训，才能正式加入组织。”为方便小学的图书管理，他和同伴们安装了一套图书电子管理系统。

　　和张卉一道在虎踞中学进行志愿行动的同伴，有三位是在美国和加拿大出生的华裔，以前从没到过中国。这次来茶陵，一切都令他们感到新鲜，也让他们看到了中国农村教育的艰辛。他们每天早上七点起床后就开始工作，直到晚上11点才休息。虽然很忙碌，但孩子们渴求知识的眼神，让他们忘却了疲惫。

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The Meaning of Participation: Part III

(continued)

Challenges Today

We also face many challenges today.

In training volunteers, for example, we try our best to shock them out of the “Let me help; I can help” sort of mindset. We warn them from the start that they will be disappointed by how hard they had to work but how little they could achieve. We even ask every volunteer to read Ivan Illichʼs “To Hell with Good Intentions”. But we were rarely able to avoid post-volunteering disappointment. This is going to be a constant challenge. For now, we could only settle for letting the reality on the ground educate our volunteers.

But don't get me wrong. Our volunteers are great—fantastic in themselves. And in spite of their disappointment, which they typically come to understand much better afterwards, they are not disillusioned, and many of them continue to work with Dream Corps. Personally, some of the best times I have spent in the past few years were with Dream Corps volunteers.

The second area of challenge is expertise in library management and reading program. We are now being asked by several schools to help them set up electronic library management system so as to reduce the workload of the librarian and promote circulation. Related is training of librarians, about which we are becoming more proactive. On top of that, we have been increasingly putting our efforts on running effective reading programs that goes with open libraries. Trust me, getting ourselves to the point where we directly face these challenges have not been easy. We are happy enough about our slow but real progress.

Another challenge, central to our program, is how to regulate the lifecycle of our sites: how to assess the state of a site in the process of going from the initial opening, to collaborative operation, to locally-sustained opening and our phasing out; how to identify the site’s readiness at each stage and appropriately facilitate the transitions. By the way, the happiest moment we have enjoyed in all of our work is when the school tells us truthfully: “Thanks for your initiation and collaboration. We know how to make it work now. We don’t need you anymore.” This did happen a couple of times. And we would love to hear this more often. And so on and so forth.

All of these challenges, honestly, imply that we have to seriously grow our roots in China. While our heart and mind have always been with China, with the children of China. —We do not needing so much of a re-growth there. Organizationally, however, we do need to grow roots. Luckily, more and more of our organizers are returning to China permanently. But we still need to get ourselves registered as a non-profit in China, which is difficult, but about which we are optimistic.

Internally, to meet the challenges above, we also need employees, after all. We feel that we have figured out enough about how to achieving the goal of locally sustained open libraries that are part of everyday school life. We now need full-time staff so that we may meet the challenges, and deepen and possibly broaden our programs.

The need for employees directly translates into the challenge of fundraising. In the past, we have focused our efforts on the quality of our programs and the quality our organization; on a small scale and at a limited depth, this effort could be and had been sustained by pure volunteer work. We did not feel compelled to get much more financial resource. But now that we have shaped ourselves in a way such that we can face up to the challenges at the crux of the problem we are trying to address, we are ready to accept more funding and to use it effectively.

At the edge of “social gold rush”

Here’s how we may summarize the journey of Dream Corps:

Dream Corps 0.0 - passion-powered initiation - the spring and summer of 2004.

Dream Corps 1.0 - self-imposed apprenticeship in compassionate participation through committed action and open-mindedness - fall of 2004 - 2010

Dream Corps 2.0 - substantive partner in compassionate participation for empowering dreams - 2011.

In the past 6 years, we have educated ourselves. While we still do not have the answer, we have come to know better what the challenges are and how to address them. As an organization, we are well-poised to become Dream Corps 2.0, to play a substantive role in the unfolding “social gold rush”—or, one may call it, “social good rush”—in China today. This year, the 2010, is going to be the critical year that determines whether we can become Dream Corps 2.0.

Metaphor for Participation

Let me close with a couple of metaphors. It is often said that the United States is a melting pot wherein people from all over the world equally become American. In Canada, the preferred metaphor is tapestry, where every part retains their identity, but bound into a new unity.

Dream Corps’s way, it seems to me, is rather stir-fry, Chinese style, where every part takes part in the transformation of all parts towards something fantastic, spiced with unwavering idealism, grounded in honest realism, and anchored in an ultimate respect for the potential in every child.

If you like, or think you could like Chinese cuisine, join us, donate to us, or support us in any other way, but most importantly, participate in your own way towards ushering in the day when all children in China will enjoy quality education.

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Talking with Kids: Postcard from Hunan Sicong

Hunan Sicong Central Elementary School Library 

2010 Summer Volunteer Yuchen Wu shares anecdotes from interaction with the children:

"In my imagination, it should be really simple to communicate with kids. But, I've since found out that I have become a grown-up who doesn't know how to approach them. A boy in particular always seems to be able to throw me off. When I mentioned that I am still in university, he asked for my age. I suggested that he should take a guess. "Twenty-five!”He blurted after reflecting. At that moment, I felt like collapsing. Even though he made me much older, but hey, children tell that they think, so I corrected him, "Actually, I am only twenty years old".  After that I noticed that they are really honest. For example, when I asked them, one by one, whether they would like to volunteer as librarian assistants, some girls refused me bluntly, "No!" Their face and voice showed no hints of hesitation. Of course, there were also moments during which the children were not as honest. When I first got here, I once asked them, "Have you ever been to the library?" They thought about the question, their round eyes turning, looking here and there, then answered me in a quiet voice, "yes", and that they went there "quite often". At such times, I often wished that they talked to me with a more absolute tone, the one that they used when they declared that I was twenty five, "The teacher never opened the library!” There were other times that they seem to linger between telling the truth and bluffing, because it was really hard to tell one from the other.  For instance, I have asked many children, “what kind of book do you prefer?" About 90% of them chose fairy tales. Even now I wonder whether they really enjoyed fairy tales, or if the only books that they've read were fairy tales."

Only part of the whole passage is translated. Please refer to the complete Chinese version below.

Postcard from Sicong:  
Full of hope, a child can take the responsibility of an adult.

成长源自于希望。     ---小图书管理员活动

湖南思聪中心小学图书室

2010夏季志愿者吴宇晨分享与孩子们交流的轶事：

想象中，和孩子们交流特别简单。但是我发现我已经老到一种地步了。因为我不知道和他们聊什么。其中，一个小男孩儿更是让我手足无措。当我说到我还在上大学时，他问我多少岁。我说请你猜一下，然后他使劲的想了一下，说“25岁！”。我当时有点想晕倒在地的冲动。毕竟童言无忌，我只好说，其实我20。事后发现小孩子真诚实。他们诚实的地方还有很多，比如我单独问他们愿不愿意当小图书管理员，有些女孩子直接就对我说“不！”，表情和声音还都那么实在。当然，他们也有不实在的时候，比如我刚到这里的时候问他们，你们有没有去过图书馆，他们想了想，又转了转眼珠子，然后小声的说“去过！”，而且还是“经常去”。这个时候我通常希望看到他们用那种说我看起来像25岁的语气告诉我，“老师是从来不开图书馆的！”。还又的时候，他们介于诚实与不诚实之间，因为你也实在分不清楚。譬如，我问了好多孩子，“你们喜欢哪一种类型的书啊？”约有90％的人会回答我说“童话故事”！我到底也弄不清楚他们到底是真喜欢童话故事，还是只看过童话故事。

越和他们沟通，越发觉自己需要加倍努力。我觉得如果能和小学生沟通好，也算是迈出培养我良好沟通能力的第一步了。首先，我希望能记得一些小朋友的名字，比如徐观文，张原，唐志卷，毛志刚，还有一个留守儿童唐白雪。他们都特别乖，尤其是在我和他们沟通以后，坐在那里看书更加认真了。之后，我还让他们玩我的相机。在整个阅览室开放过程中，发生了一件让我最最囧的事情和一件让我最最得意的事情。最囧的事情是，当小朋友问我，姐姐们怎么不下来读书给我们听的时候，我告诉他们，“姐姐在上面整理书，不如我给你们讲吧。” 一个小男生说好好好，然后我起身向大家郑重的宣布，“有没有人想听哥哥讲童话故事？”，结果没有一个人应答。囧了半天，那个提议的小男孩吃力的举着手说，“我！”。这着实让我更囧了！然后，因为我很尴尬，所以我又宣布了一下，喜欢听童话故事的小朋友到门口我念给你们听，于是大家像看热闹一样跟拥着跑了出来。 我念了一篇“灰姑娘”和另外一篇（已经记不得叫什么名字的）故事。他们个个都露出一副不想听了但又不好意思走的神情，索性我停了下来，问有没有人想读下一段呢？他们还是没有人回答。如此这般，我尴尬到了一定程度，于是草草结束了讲故事环节，让他们回去自己阅读去了。最得意的事情是，我在让他们安静不要说话的时候，他们立马就安静下来了，可是没过3秒钟就又恢复成“菜市场”了。于是，我喊了一句，你们哪个小朋友再说话影响别人，我就拿我这台相机把你们拍下来，给你们班主任看！果然，他们屁颠屁颠的都安静下来去读书了。这样一来，既让他们安静下来去读书了，也顺便收集了很多他们调皮和认真样子的照片。哦也。

晚上，我去对面男声宿舍“访问”。他们在玩我小时候玩的洋牌。可是规矩不一样，不过我很快就和他们打成一片了。 其实，他们真的很可爱。比如，和我说话时候很拘谨的样子。再比如，偷偷地摸一下我的相机...... 最开心的是，相处了两个小时后的那种亲切感，他们不像之前那么害羞了。

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