Grassroots infused with young blood
August 25, 2012, Saturday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
WANG Linchen, 24, has become the youngest member of a neighborhood committee in the Gumei Road community, after an election held this month broke the traditional mold of middle-agers and senior citizens monopolizing these grassroots groups.
The election results reflect the changing demographics of the community, where more residents are not only younger but also better educated than in the past.
Wang, who graduated from the Sino-Japanese Animation School at Shanghai Television University in 2008, now sits on the Pingnan No. 2 neighborhood committee.
He turned down a job offer from a Taiwan animation company, preferring to stay on the mainland. In the end, he chose work utterly outside his field of study.
"I once watched a TV program on neighborhood committees that kindled my passion for neighborhood service," Wang explained. "I have been employed as a social worker, which allowed me to gain experience in that field. So I decided to pursue a career as a neighborhood committee employee."
The Gumei community has 36 neighborhoods, each with its own neighborhood committee. More than 200 candidates participated in the committee elections, and the results showed that almost every one of the groups now has one or two members under the age of 30.
Though not a high percentage, the influx of young people is bringing fresh blood and new ideas to the day-to-day operations of local communities.
Neighborhood committee work is often tedious, sometimes trivial but always important to the smooth operation of residential areas. The committees are responsible for such things as resolution of minor disputes, receiving residents' complaints on property management, volunteer recruitment and helping maintaining security.
Competition fierce
The pay is nothing to shout about, but it is a decent living. Young, full-time committee members earn a minimum 4,300 yuan (US$675) a month, no lower than the average wage level in Shanghai.
Competition for seats on the committees was rather fierce in the recent election.
"Each candidate needed to be nominated by three resident representatives and 10 ordinary residents to make the final ballot," said Lu Zhi, an official with the community. "And about 15 percent of them failed to make the grade."
Many committee members bring experience in social services to their work.
Wang has been working as a full-time social worker for his community since 2009. He said he rejects the stereotype of social work as the exclusive purview of housewives, the unemployed and retirees. He also rejects any notion that it's demeaning work for a college graduate.
"My college schoolmates have applauded my decision," Wang said. "Many of them are working as volunteers in their local committees, and some are preparing to take the government's social workers exam."
Ye Hao, 31, a newly elected member of Gulong No. 3 neighborhood committee, agrees with Wang. He takes his new job seriously.
"I welcome the chance to serve the residents in many ways, such as designing publicity boards and arranging free painting class for children," said Ye.
Someday, he said, he hopes to be the director of the committee.
Apart from full-time workers such as Wang and Ye, there are many part-time volunteers also involved in community work. Many are in their early 30s.
In the Gulong No. 3 neighborhood, a young therapist gives lectures on the psychological health of seniors and provides individual counseling for them every month. A young mother organizes handicraft classes for children during the summer holidays.
Taking community work seriously means gathering a range of new skills. Wang is now attending evening lectures on finance at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
"A qualified community worker requires many areas of expertise, such as sociology, psychology and economy, so I believe learning more will help me do the work better," he said.
The election results reflect the changing demographics of the community, where more residents are not only younger but also better educated than in the past.
Wang, who graduated from the Sino-Japanese Animation School at Shanghai Television University in 2008, now sits on the Pingnan No. 2 neighborhood committee.
He turned down a job offer from a Taiwan animation company, preferring to stay on the mainland. In the end, he chose work utterly outside his field of study.
"I once watched a TV program on neighborhood committees that kindled my passion for neighborhood service," Wang explained. "I have been employed as a social worker, which allowed me to gain experience in that field. So I decided to pursue a career as a neighborhood committee employee."
The Gumei community has 36 neighborhoods, each with its own neighborhood committee. More than 200 candidates participated in the committee elections, and the results showed that almost every one of the groups now has one or two members under the age of 30.
Though not a high percentage, the influx of young people is bringing fresh blood and new ideas to the day-to-day operations of local communities.
Neighborhood committee work is often tedious, sometimes trivial but always important to the smooth operation of residential areas. The committees are responsible for such things as resolution of minor disputes, receiving residents' complaints on property management, volunteer recruitment and helping maintaining security.
Competition fierce
The pay is nothing to shout about, but it is a decent living. Young, full-time committee members earn a minimum 4,300 yuan (US$675) a month, no lower than the average wage level in Shanghai.
Competition for seats on the committees was rather fierce in the recent election.
"Each candidate needed to be nominated by three resident representatives and 10 ordinary residents to make the final ballot," said Lu Zhi, an official with the community. "And about 15 percent of them failed to make the grade."
Many committee members bring experience in social services to their work.
Wang has been working as a full-time social worker for his community since 2009. He said he rejects the stereotype of social work as the exclusive purview of housewives, the unemployed and retirees. He also rejects any notion that it's demeaning work for a college graduate.
"My college schoolmates have applauded my decision," Wang said. "Many of them are working as volunteers in their local committees, and some are preparing to take the government's social workers exam."
Ye Hao, 31, a newly elected member of Gulong No. 3 neighborhood committee, agrees with Wang. He takes his new job seriously.
"I welcome the chance to serve the residents in many ways, such as designing publicity boards and arranging free painting class for children," said Ye.
Someday, he said, he hopes to be the director of the committee.
Apart from full-time workers such as Wang and Ye, there are many part-time volunteers also involved in community work. Many are in their early 30s.
In the Gulong No. 3 neighborhood, a young therapist gives lectures on the psychological health of seniors and provides individual counseling for them every month. A young mother organizes handicraft classes for children during the summer holidays.
Taking community work seriously means gathering a range of new skills. Wang is now attending evening lectures on finance at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
"A qualified community worker requires many areas of expertise, such as sociology, psychology and economy, so I believe learning more will help me do the work better," he said.
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