Voluntary Service of the Youth Volunteer Association
of School of Foreign Languages at Boai Nursing Home
The Liyun Youth Volunteer Association of School of Foreign Languages(YVA of SFL) recruited volunteers from all the teachers and students in BNUZ to pay regular visits to Boai Nursing Home in Xiangzhou District, Zhuhai every Saturday afternoon in the second semester of 2016-2017 and the first semester of 2017-2018. Volunteers brought joy and warmth to the elderly by their pygmy efforts.
On the way to the nursing home on every Saturday, group leaders of the YVA would have a simple training for the candidate volunteers, such as some reminding in the nursing home and ways of communication with the elderly and so on. The Association generally divided the volunteers into several groups and made sure that each group had at least one Cantonese volunteer for avoiding language barriers in the communication with the senior people. Volunteers talked with the elderly in each room. Sometimes they would talk with nursing home operators to have a better understanding of the old people’s daily life and health situation. When the senior people were in a high spirit, volunteers would help them out of the room in wheelchairs, and gather in the living room to talk about daily happenings. An elderly lady mentioned her staying in Spain when she was young. Although over ninety years old with white hair at her temples, she still did not want to mention her age to others and intended not to be called as an “old lady”. What’s more, she has a high spirit of teaching volunteers Spanish.
As a regular activity of SFL, the voluntary visit to Boai Nursing Home has gained remarkable achievement and great participation. Not only the students from the School of Foreign Languages, but also the students from the Schools of Management, Education and Franchise Management all involved actively. Through taking part in such kinds of voluntary activities, volunteers have the opportunity to understand and experience the life of the elderly and realize the challenges and significance in the new era that the traditional virtue “Love the elderly as yours” that Chinese nation is facing with.
