Being Your Eyes. Our 1212 train of compassion set off from Shanghai...
2020-10-10
“Volunteering with
Tibetan blind children through Being Your Eyes has transformed me into a more
empathetic and selfless individual, someone who can step into someone else's
shoes and see through others'eyes.”
- Chloe
Mao, Kent School, CT, USA, Being Your Eyes Volunteer, 2016-2020
In August 2020,
our 1212 train of compassion set off from Shanghai to Tibet. The theme for this
year's this year was Being Your Eyes.
This year, out
team of eight to raise funds through WeChat, China's leading social media
platform, and www.8turtle.com as a platform for our fundraising
mission. The campaign succeeded in increasing funds two-fold from the first
three months of this year.
"At the beginning
of the year, we were really worried about the program because of the pandemic.
But we pushed forward and found another way to serve others, using mobile
technology and skills learned outside of the classroom during the outbreak of
Covid-19. Utilizing experience from the previous two Tibet trips, three Kent
students remotely coordinated the 2020 trip to Tibet with other participating
students who were in China. Our volunteer team developed our blueprint, not
only providing goods, but also having fun with those blind and orphan children
there. Thanks to our teamwork and collaboration, we reached the goal of our
funding raising and executed the entire program successfully online and
offline. From helping one family ten years ago, we now managed to help more
than 75 Tibetan blind children and orphans. That was a big leap and we made it,
especially during the pandemic! Serving others and leading a team in Tibet has
affected my worldview because it forces me to see the world differently. It is
a real eye-opening life changing experience, and ultimately a rewarding
one."— Chloe Mao, Program Director 2020.
"At first, I
was hesitant. However, in the end, the experience was far more rewarding than
any experience I could have had at Kent School." Echoed Zhikai(Oscar)Wang, a rising junior from Kent School.
"To touch
another part of society, especially one with such an astonishingly high poverty
rate, made me feel grateful for what I am fortunate to have. It is so easy to
take what we have for granted." continued Zhikai(Oscar)Wang, a budding journalist and a school reporter.
"I have made
a lot of friends from different US private schools by organizing the summer
activity. Volunteering with I Love Tibet has helped me to
improve my communication skills, time management, and inter-personal skills. I
mean, I've certainly learned things that simply cannot be taught in the
classroom", added Zhikai(Oscar)Wang, an Online Coordinator of Being Your Eyes, this
year.
After ten years,
the volunteer team members continue to remain true to our original mission
"Small acts of kindness lead to a big change - in an endless cycle of
caring." Under the guidance of previous members and mentors,
learning by doing, our new members gradually learn that the thousand-mile-long
journey begins with a single step. And every single one of those steps is
necessary to reach our destination in our heart - understanding how we can make
a difference in the lives of others.