Lien Feasey

 Director of Education Programs Me to We China

I think it's very important for people to reach out and help within the society. These days a lot of people in China seem to be caught in a vicious circle to make money with very little regard for others. It's especially important for students to be introduced to concepts of helping society while still in school, as they do in Europe and North America. Also a lot of people who would be willing to help don't know how to or are unaware of the opportunities. I feel like there should be some open web freely available to everyone where people can find volunteering jobs or opportunities to help.

There are so many ways to make society better. Introduce yourself to your neighbors, invite them for food around your home, become friends with and help old neighbors around their apartment. Spend one or two evenings away from the electronics each week and volunteer in your local community. Help the environment. Take more public transport, refuse to buy products that contain a lot of waste packaging, eat less beef, separate your waste carefully for recycling, and buy second hand things instead of new ones.

I think if you do something flamboyantly other people will know and you may become a role model for them which will inspire more people to join in, certainly society needs more people to behave like this as it can create a great effect. But not everyone wants to be a role model, so if you aren't comfortable with that then helping in a low key way is also great.

Most people prefer to help society without the expectation of a reward. In fact, the feeling of inclusion and the social bonds that people get from volunteering and helping in society provide people with a good life satisfaction. These are lasting feelings that help build confidence and develop skills and rewards that lasts longer than the novelty of owning the latest product, a novelty which soon wears off leaving you empty and waiting for the next brand product.