People link arms, lift community spirit
By Victoria Fei |
April 27, 2013, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
OUR Sweet Orange Tree, a volunteer team from the Children's Hospital of Fudan University, worked for six months drawing up a map of sites where the elderly and disabled can access barrier-free facilities along Metro Line 1.
The effort was part of a broader campaign in the Minhang District to build a stronger sense of public spirit - of people helping people, of communities coming together, of residents working side-by-side to improve daily life for everyone.
"Community spirit is not something like clothes - only good to look at," said Sun Chao, district Party secretary. "It goes to the essence of how we live and interact."
He added: "We need to turn social concerns into spontaneous acts of giving. We need to work together to address the needs of people and to rally around good causes that benefit us all."
Our Sweet Orange Tree
Our Sweet Orange Tree has certainly been doing its bit. Its first map project covered all stations from Xinzhuang to Shanghai Railway Station along Metro Line 1.
Gao Yanran, one of the volunteers, said the group decided a map of barrier-free Metro facilities was important because many people with walking disabilities don't know where to look for easier ways to get around.
More example, two barrier-free lifts have been installed at the Xinzhuang Station of Metro Line 1, but they aren't much help if people who need them don't know they are there.
"We are trying to benefit the elderly, pregnant women and the disabled," Gao said.
He said volunteers working on the map project even took to wheelchairs to ensure the accuracy of facilities they were highlighting. He said the group would like to extend the project to other Metro lines.
Ding Xiaoqing, a citizen representative living on Pu'er Road in Minhang, said it's important for local residents to become active participants in the life of their communities.
"It's a simple task," Ding said. "We should mobilize our efforts to help our communities improve and be happy to do it."
The Xinzhuang Industrial Zone, for one, has heeded the call. The zone, which is home to 500 companies and more than 50,000 residents, will host its first Industrial Cultural Festival this year.
"The happiness of people living and working at the zone isn't just a matter of material needs," said Ding Xiaorong, an enterprise representative from Daikin Fluoro Coatings (Shanghai) Co. "At the end of last year, the zone launched a new logo and a new theme song, stressing community commitment, human happiness and a sense of belonging."
More than 80 percent of people who participated in a questionnaire conducted by the industrial zone said they are satisfied with current local facilities and the way the community is run.
Cultural exchange
Elsewhere in the district, Huacao Town has begun what it calls its Shuangting Campaign - an exchange platform for local and overseas students to interact.
As one of the international communities in Shanghai, Huacao is home to about 5,000 expatriates.
Under the program, students from the Shanghai American School will build closer ties to Chinese students living at Huacao. Every week, local students are invited to visit the American School. Outings in the community are also planned.
"I want to learn more about local students and their lives," said Gao Jingting, an eighth-grader from the Shanghai American School. "It's good to merge cultures."
The effort was part of a broader campaign in the Minhang District to build a stronger sense of public spirit - of people helping people, of communities coming together, of residents working side-by-side to improve daily life for everyone.
"Community spirit is not something like clothes - only good to look at," said Sun Chao, district Party secretary. "It goes to the essence of how we live and interact."
He added: "We need to turn social concerns into spontaneous acts of giving. We need to work together to address the needs of people and to rally around good causes that benefit us all."
Our Sweet Orange Tree
Our Sweet Orange Tree has certainly been doing its bit. Its first map project covered all stations from Xinzhuang to Shanghai Railway Station along Metro Line 1.
Gao Yanran, one of the volunteers, said the group decided a map of barrier-free Metro facilities was important because many people with walking disabilities don't know where to look for easier ways to get around.
More example, two barrier-free lifts have been installed at the Xinzhuang Station of Metro Line 1, but they aren't much help if people who need them don't know they are there.
"We are trying to benefit the elderly, pregnant women and the disabled," Gao said.
He said volunteers working on the map project even took to wheelchairs to ensure the accuracy of facilities they were highlighting. He said the group would like to extend the project to other Metro lines.
Ding Xiaoqing, a citizen representative living on Pu'er Road in Minhang, said it's important for local residents to become active participants in the life of their communities.
"It's a simple task," Ding said. "We should mobilize our efforts to help our communities improve and be happy to do it."
The Xinzhuang Industrial Zone, for one, has heeded the call. The zone, which is home to 500 companies and more than 50,000 residents, will host its first Industrial Cultural Festival this year.
"The happiness of people living and working at the zone isn't just a matter of material needs," said Ding Xiaorong, an enterprise representative from Daikin Fluoro Coatings (Shanghai) Co. "At the end of last year, the zone launched a new logo and a new theme song, stressing community commitment, human happiness and a sense of belonging."
More than 80 percent of people who participated in a questionnaire conducted by the industrial zone said they are satisfied with current local facilities and the way the community is run.
Cultural exchange
Elsewhere in the district, Huacao Town has begun what it calls its Shuangting Campaign - an exchange platform for local and overseas students to interact.
As one of the international communities in Shanghai, Huacao is home to about 5,000 expatriates.
Under the program, students from the Shanghai American School will build closer ties to Chinese students living at Huacao. Every week, local students are invited to visit the American School. Outings in the community are also planned.
"I want to learn more about local students and their lives," said Gao Jingting, an eighth-grader from the Shanghai American School. "It's good to merge cultures."
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