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Athlete talks about need for community service and using one’s skills for public good
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EDITOR’S note:
Jin Jing, a wheelchair-bound fencer who fended off protesters while carrying the Olympic torch in April 2008, now spends much of her free time working at a volunteer center in Shanghai’s Putuo District that bears her name. Shanghai Daily reporter Li Xinran recently talked to Jin about the center and the importance of volunteer service.
Q: You’ve just returned from maternity leave, what’s next for you?
A: Now we have a volunteer center named after me, which is affiliated with the construction department of Putuo District. Right now, the center’s volunteers all come from this department, but we may also recruit volunteers from society to help with future assignments.
The center has six divisions dedicated to different areas — including disaster relief, school aid as well as programs for the physically challenged — so we are short of hands to cover everything.
Some of my colleagues visit Qixing School (in Putuo) almost every week to volunteer with the developmentally handicapped students there. They teach lessons and play games with the kids.
Volunteers from the center also hold other activities every month, but not all of them develop into long-term projects. We are part-time volunteers and we’d like to see more like-minded friends join us so we can launch longer-term programs like the one we have going at the Qixing School.
Volunteer service should be a long-term endeavor. In big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, one may have a lot of volunteers for big events, but after the event is over things often go back to usual.
Our volunteer center may narrow its focus in the future, since we are not all-powerful and can’t help everyone who needs help. In addition, I’m physically challenged and a member of the Shanghai Disabled Persons’ Federation. Our center hopes to offer more aid to physically challenged people.
Q: Are there other areas where you could carry out volunteer services?
A: Since we are experts on public works and civil engineering, we may do things we are familiar with from work — like what my colleagues did after the May 12 Earthquake (in Sichuan Province).
Some of my colleagues were working on construction projects in Sichuan Province when the earthquake struck. They devoted themselves to rescue efforts and the reconstruction of quake-hit areas by utilizing their expertise at civil engineering. That’s what we are good at.
Things like psychological counseling after a disaster should be done by psychologists. One should be a professional in his or her field, and professionals should be organized to use their expertise to serve people in need.
On the other hand, we want to recruit more volunteers from society at large. In my opinion, such volunteers usually have strong faith and aspirations. We should lead them to suitable tasks.
Q: What do you think about team cooperation?
A: I hope our center’s team can be small but excellent. In my personal view, a big team is very difficult to manage, while a smaller team always has stronger cohesion. Team members may see their ideas converge more. It is very important for volunteers to think along the same lines as they carry out their work.
Volunteers never work for free. They benefit from extending a helping hand — they acquire spiritual fulfillment. They may also learn how to cooperate in a team and how to lead.
Q: What kind of volunteers do we need in China?
A: What we need most is credibility rather than any specific type of volunteer. Over recent years, people have not dared to (help) out of fear of getting into trouble.
It’s a pity that many of us are always alert but so few practice simple good deeds like helping an elderly person who has fallen down on the street.
It’s true, there is precedent to sue in such situations, but even so, I’d still help any senior citizen and will tell my boy to do the same when he grows up.
Q: What is the difference between good deeds and volunteer service?
A: When we toss a coin to a beggar, help an elderly person cross the street or pick up litter, we feel good and our positive energy will influence the people around us.
But while small good deeds are definitely encouraged, they cannot solve all of our problems.
Organized volunteers and social workers can perform positive tasks in a more systematic way.
They can accomplish things with more focus and accuracy than one can with simple acts of ordinary kindness.
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