“Every Chinese serving for the UN, no matter where they are, is an ambassador for China.” said Xin Ying, a graduate student from Class of 2022 majoring in English interpreting from the Institute of Interpretation and Translation SISU. She was among the first group of university volunteers sent to Nepal by “China Youth Volunteer Overseas Service Program - Serving UN Agencies”, a program initiated by the Communist Youth League of China (CYLC), after the establishment of a youth exchange mechanism between China and Nepal in 2009.

When she first arrived in Kathmandu, Xin described her first impression of Nepalese people as follows, “They live a relatively leisurely life, wear traditional costumes, treat people warmly, and like to sit on the rooftop of their houses to drink tea and chat.” Nepal is located in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. Despite the relatively backward economic conditions, Nepalese people lead a very happy life, quiet yet lively. Xin lived in a densely populated local neighborhood, a perfect environment for a “foreigner” to immerse in the local life and culture. During her breaks, she was often invited by her landlord to taste local food, hung out with young friends, introduced China to her coworkers, and learned languages from each other. “All come so naturally that I feel fully integrated without even realizing it!”

When Xin first encountered Nepal in an interpretation, the friendliness and courtesy of the Nepalese people left a deep impression on her, which also motivated her to apply for the post in the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal. The UN Resident Coordinator (RC) is the highest-ranking representative of the UN Development System at the country level, promoting the work of the UN in the sustainable development process on the ground. It was undoubtedly a great challenge for her to work in such an environment full of jargon and complex collaboration mechanisms.

“Fortunately, my preparation was quite adequate.” The pre-service training held at SISU impressed Xin deeply, especially one of the workshops, which allowed her to understand the huge differences between people in different social statuses, and made her more clear about the purpose, significance and duties of international organizations represented by the UN. “My English skills acquired during undergraduate studies facilitates my communication with foreigners; the materials in the interpretation training at SISU, including official documents and speeches of the Secretary-General, have familiarized me with the UN system,” said Xin.

During the interview, Xin particularly recalled her experience with a visually impaired coworker who had excellent work performances in their team even without the help of a cane. The communication and cooperation with him not only broadened her perspectives on equality, but also profoundly reshaped her values. She realized that for the disabled, overly care, support or help could be perceived as a distrust of their abilities in all areas. “What they really need is equal work opportunities and full respect for their rights to choose their work and lifestyle. Seeing them as ordinary is the most central, which explains why today we strongly advocate for expressions like ‘people with disabilities’. This shift is not only about language, but also about a growing awareness of diversity and inclusion.” said Xin.

As a young international volunteer, Xin also commits herself to telling her volunteer experience to the world and stimulating more people to engage in international public affairs. She believes that enhancing friendship and mutual understanding between people of different countries through stories like hers and the Chinese value of building a human community with a shared future will lead to a more harmonious and diverse world. She said, “UNV, the co-organizer of the project I attended, has a motto: ‘We are inspiration in action’. Even though our work seems unnoticeable, our words and behaviors can shape the world’s impression of China. Therefore, we bear a tremendous mission.”

The program Xin attended was the first time that China had sent young volunteers to UN agencies in an organized and a large-scale way, focusing on cultivating talents with a sense of social responsibility, the mastery of the operating rules in international organizations and an international perspective and competitiveness. SISU was among the first to attend this program and until now has sent nine students to work overseas as international volunteers, with another five as program coordination assistants in the UNV China office. SISU also established China's first overseas volunteer service training and research base to support the development of the program.

Like Xin, who integrated volunteer work with her personal development, Wang Naitong, a graduate student from Class of 2022 majoring in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages from School of Chinese Studies and Exchange, has devoted herself to volunteerism through a number of activities such as teaching in the Confucius Institute and joining China’s Far West Program.

Influenced by her family tradition, Wang dreamed of being a teacher since young. As a Spanish major during undergraduate studies, she noticed many volunteer teaching programs and thought about how to combine Spanish and her childhood dream. Eventually, she chose the Confucius Institute at Panama University among various programs. “When I graduated from the university, I thought it was very cool and meaningful to promote the Chinese language and culture overseas by making advantage of the language I learned.”

“Students at Panama University were highly interested in the Chinese culture and very friendly to us. They called us ‘compatriot’ in Spanish. The Confucius Institute not only teaches Chinese, but also spreads Chinese culture. For instance, during the Spring Festival, we introduced Chinese calligraphy and paper cutting, in which students showed great interest. They wrote the Chinese character ‘福’, their names and greetings. They felt happy for our encouragement and we for their progress.”

There was much fun in the Institute, which enabled her to have a more concrete understanding of “cross-cultural communication”. For example, the Institute bought and raised a little pig to welcome the Spring Festival of the Year of the Pig and help students learn about the Chinese zodiac. “Students were very excited and watched the pig whenever the class was over.” Numerous interesting and vivid details brought the traditional Chinese culture unwittingly to Panamanian students.

After her one-year voluntary service in the Confucius Institute in Panama, Wang decided to pursue her career in teaching Chinese to foreigners and joined the Master’s Program of Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL) of SISU. SISU is among the first 24 universities that are approved of master's programs of MTCSOL and has set specialties according to different languages. She found herself a perfect fit here as an undergraduate majoring in Spanish.

In the MTCSOL program, with the help of foreign teachers and fellow international students, she enhanced her cross-cultural communication ability and teaching skills through classes and competitions. In her first year of study, she was recommended by the School to participate in the “Zhushi Cup”, a teaching skills competition for international Chinese teachers, and won the third prize in the final.

Starting from SISU, Wang is now embarking on new challenges. In April 2023, she participated in China's Far West Program. Things didn’t go so smoothly as expected. She meant to apply for the special project of Rural Education, but was assigned to a subdistrict office in Bishan District, the outskirts of the municipality Chongqing. Nevertheless, she took pleasure in heading to wherever called for her and took the unfamiliar position as a chance to hone her skills.

In the face of poor accommodation and severe weather conditions during winter, Wang rose up to many problems such as helping the local farmers till the land in the village on the mountain with calmness and fearlessness. She adapted herself quickly and gained a deeper understanding of community work by working personally.

By integrating her language expertise with the voluntary work, she also hoped to make contributions to rural education through public lectures and classes and boost the development of local youngsters. Her dedication to youth education was in line with the objective of the Far West Program.

Both Xin Ying and Wang Naitong’s stories epitomize the commitment of countless members in the Young Volunteers Association of SISU since its establishment in 1997. SISU volunteers will carry on the spirit of volunteerism and forge ahead in a down-to-earth way in the new era.