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Service Learning Projects are
More Than Just Charitable Activities
At WildChina Education, we strive to achieve the dual growth of both mind and heart in all our programs. We aim to take students out of the classroom, away from the virtual world, immersing them in the broader natural environment. Here, they can engage with warm and welcoming locals and develop deep and positive connections with their real surroundings and the people they meet.
Renowned social anthropologist Biao Xiang has highlighted the issue of the "disappearance of the nearby" in contemporary society: we increasingly perceive the world through abstract concepts and principles, while the "concreteness" around us no longer forms the basis of our understanding of life.
Service Learning is a prime method for students to rebuild this sense of proximity and is an essential component of experiential education.
This time, we partnered with Jiguang Public Welfare, an NGO in Shanghai. Usually, their staff accompany visually impaired individuals on outdoor walks to enjoy nature. This time, our students joined them, hand in hand with the visually impaired, experiencing their challenges and joys from their perspective, sharing in their daily lives and aspirations.
Join project leader Ricardo to delve into this service learning project of walking with and assisting visually impaired individuals:
The National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) defines community service as a method of teaching and learning where students use academic and civic knowledge and skills to address real community needs. It's a form of experiential learning that turns academic interests into solutions for genuine community issues.![]()
A real community service project is not just a charitable activity but includes the following long-term and in-depth goals:
Students learn by engaging in planned, organized experiences that meet actual community needs.
The project is integrated into academic courses, guiding students to reflect and summarize their experiences.
Students apply their knowledge and skills to help solve real-world problems in community settings.
- Extending learning from the classroom to the community fosters students' curiosity and empathy.
Therefore, whether it’s our previous projects like the ancient village restoration in Songyang, Guizhou Clothes Drive, the ancient trail restoration in Beijing, road construction in Vietnamese villages (click each link to view more about the project), or this project supporting visually impaired individuals, we design our programs based on these principles to facilitate equal exchanges and lasting connections between students and the community.
Why Service Learning is Highly Valued in International Education
In recent years, the pandemic and increasing issues such as mental health challenges and suicidal tendencies among children have led educators to seek better solutions. Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) has become increasingly important, with many schools integrating SEL practices into their education systems.
SEL involves students acquiring knowledge and skills while:
Shaping a healthy personal identity
Recognizing and managing their emotions
Developing a sense of responsibility and caring for others
Building harmonious and positive relationships
Making responsible decisions to benefit themselves, others, and society
The purpose of SEL is to connect students with their environment.
As Daniel mentioned in his presentation on Service Learning in China (click to view more) at the ACAMIS education conference: the core of community service is to focus on the needs of those being served. This approach helps students step out of their self-centred perspectives, encouraging them to focus more on vulnerable groups, care for the environment, and show compassion for others. This is what community service can achieve: fostering respectful, responsible, and compassionate global citizens.
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Learning to Feel, Accept, Express Love Through Tangible Actions
"Love" is both a grand and a delicate word. It is grand because we always advocate for love, hoping for a world without war, conflict, or discrimination, where mutual understanding and empathy prevail among people and between humans and animals. It is delicate because it exists in every moment of our lives—in interactions with parents, loved ones, classmates, and neighbors, where we can concretely express love.For children to positively perceive and express love, they must see "us" instead of "me." Beyond themselves, they need to understand different lifestyles, viewpoints, and positions, and comprehend the existence of minority and disadvantaged groups. This understanding can only be truly realized through hands-on practice in community service and volunteer projects, leading to genuine understanding and empathy, and thereby learning the ability to respect and love.
Through the process of feeling, accepting, and expressing love, children learn to keenly observe and vividly perceive their environment, community, and society. They understand that the world includes not just themselves but also parents, family, friends, and teachers; not just one language, but the languages and ethnicities of all countries; not just the difficulties they face, but the cries from afar; not just humans, but countless other wonderful species.If children can perceive the world through the lens of kindness and perform good deeds rather than merely exploiting it, the world will become a vibrant and expansive place, no longer just a collection of dull information and data. They will no longer feel that life is empty and meaningless.
碧山WildChina成立于2000年，致力于创造改变生命的体验，提供高端定制旅行、创新企业服务与体验式教育项目。碧山教育专注于为学校、不同年龄及学习目标的群体提供体验式教育项目，并遵循安全性、可持续性与创新性的教育内容设计原则。自2000年起，我们已走过一百多个目的地，遍布全亚洲，服务过国内外近千所学校及公益组织，包括哈佛大学、斯坦福大学、哥伦比亚大学、德威国际学校，诺德安达国际学校、哈罗国际学校等。WildChina was established in 2000 and is committed to creating life-changing experiences, providing high-end customized travel, innovative corporate services and experiential education programs. Dedicated to experiential learning, WildChina Education provides innovative educational projects for Harvard, Stanford, Dulwich and Nord Anglia schools to name a few. Since 2000, we have hosted programs at more than 100 destinations across Asia and have worked with more than 1000 schools and nonprofit organizations throughout the world.ONE EDU
碧山教育旗下品牌
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