Volunteer work is a great way to contribute to the community, and it’s a special experience where valuable lessons can be learned. Here is a list of volunteer opportunities you should keep an eye out for. Each organisation and volunteer position will have different requirements, so make sure to check their websites for more information before applying!
Heart to Heart (H2H) is a Shanghai-based organisation that provides corrective heart surgery for children with congenital heart disease and whose their families cannot afford surgery. Volunteers can help by donating money or providing sponsorship for different projects, such as the Rural School Sports Equipment or Library Project. You can also knit, sew, or crochet cardigans for Heart to Heart’s trademark Heart Bears, which are sold for fundraising. Volunteers can also help the organisation by spending time playing with the children in hospitals around Shanghai as part of the Playroom Project, or helping out with management work.
Students 15 and above can volunteer for any H2H activities. Teens under 15 can run their own events and/or help out at H2H events outside the hospitals, such as joining the knitting team or hosting fundraising events. Make sure to fill out the application form on the website to become a volunteer.
Website: h2hsh.com
General Information: info@h2hsh.net
Group Volunteering: groupvolunteers@h2hsh.net
Volunteering Questions: volunteers@h2hsh.net
Stepping Stones is a non-profit organisation with a mission to improve the education and general welfare of disadvantaged children in Shanghai. Volunteers teach English at migrant and rural schools around the city, they operate vision care programmes, and they participate in the Stepping Up project to improve migrant school-children’s digital literacy skills. Aside from teaching English, volunteers can also help out in other areas such as fundraising, management or logistical aspects, office administrative tasks, photography, translation work, etc. You can volunteer individually, as a group, or apply for an internship after completing the training programme.
Requirements:
- Language: Must be fluent in Chinese & English (native-level requirements may differ per project / position)
- Age: mostly 18+ but some projects will consider 16+ volunteers with parental consent after submitting a statement of interest and attending an interview
- Enjoy interacting with children and young adults
- Enthusiastic and passionate in making a difference in the lives of migrant children in Shanghai
- Good organisation, communications, coordination and technical skills
- Able to plan personal schedule in advance and allocate sufficient time to prepare lessons and teach them
Website: steppingstoneschina.net
Launched in 2014, the Fiber Project hails from an organisation called Bao2 (保宝), and it focuses on textile recycling. There are 27 stations around Shanghai where you can drop off clothing donations, which will then be carefully dealt with in 4 ways that lessen negative environmental impacts caused by the textile industry: Reuse, Upcycle, Recycle, and Downcycle.
Aside from just donating clothes, there are other ways you can contribute to The Fiber Project:
Requirements:
- no age requirement
- Language: English or Chinese are fine
Website: http://baosquared.com/fiber/
WeChat ID: baosquared保宝
E-mail: fiber@baosquared.com
BFC is an animal welfare group comprised solely of volunteers who dedicate their time and resources to improve the lives of animals through rescue work and coordinating adoption events. They also provide educational materials to ensure that owners are informed about how to properly take care of their pets. Volunteers can help in many different ways, such as translation work for the organisation, helping out at the shelter, foster care and rescue work, event planning, sponsorships, etc. BFC advocates against animal cruelty and aims to help homeless animals find a loving, forever home.
You will have to be 16 and above to work directly with animals, but everyone is free to fundraise for BFC and attend adoption events with your parents!
Website: http://bestfriendschina.org/en/
WeChat ID: BFC_520
E-mail: BestFriendsChina@hotmail.com
The Renewal Center is an organisation that offers homeless people in Shanghai a chance to change their lives. Relying on support and donations from partners and volunteers, the Renewal Center provides essential services such as temporary shelter, hot meals, and free laundry. They also offer longer-term support for the displaced to have a stable life and a permanent home: life skills workshops, career training, and employment.
You can help by raising funds to donate to the organisation, to continue reaching out to those who need friendship and a helping hand. There is no age limit for this.
Website: renewal.org.cn
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