Empowering rural students: helping to bridge opportunity gaps in China
Through the Children Care program, Deloitte China volunteers are creating opportunities for students to develop their skills and unlock their potential.
China’s urban migrant population has contributed significantly to the overall social and economic development of the country. As parents travel to pursue opportunities, some of their children remain in their local communities to attend school and live with extended family. Bolstered by the Children Care program, these students receive consistent virtual support from Deloitte China mentors, who help create opportunities to build emotional capacity and develop their social skills.
As teams of Deloitte China volunteers foster connections with rural students, they’re bridging the gap between urban and rural opportunities while helping to unlock each student’s potential and igniting a sense of possibility.
As the Deloitte China Corporate Responsibility Director and Deloitte China Foundation Director, Akina Shen recognizes the role local communities play in helping to foster progress. Through her work as both a volunteer and leader of the Children Care program, she has seen some of the challenges that rural children could face, “especially those whose parents are not around. By giving students an outlet to share their thoughts and experiences while learning something new, Deloitte China volunteers are making a significant impact — and creating opportunities for students to pursue their dreams.” The program sees each cohort of committed volunteers engage in an ongoing collaboration with students, building sessions that include activities like storytelling and shared reading experiences that can offer a sense of steady encouragement.
“As both a volunteer and director of the program, I’ve watched children become inspired about their future as they begin to explore and uncover their potential.”
– Akina Shen, Deloitte China Corporate Responsibility Director
Shen says the results that each child has experienced from their time in the Children Care program appears to have been transformative. “As both a volunteer and director of the program, I’ve watched children become inspired about their future as they begin to explore and uncover their potential. They’re developing skills to express themselves, become more open-minded, and see the world beyond their local communities.” Beyond the volunteers helping to broaden the student’s perspectives, the program also offers extra-curricular courses and activities on popular science, culture and history and career awareness through an online platform, alongside annual field trips.
“The development that our volunteers experience is equally enriching for them as it is for the children they work with,…”
– Akina Shen, Deloitte China Corporate Responsibility Director
Deloitte China volunteers also come together for a half-year gathering that allows them to share their insights and experiences, further reinforcing the program's impact and helping to build stronger ties beyond the classroom. “The development that our volunteers experience is equally enriching for them as it is for the children they work with,” says Shen. “As they build valuable relationships that guide them towards long-term growth, each person is adding their own contribution to these student’s future endeavors.”
Deloitte China’s Children Care program has played a crucial role in helping to narrow the gap between urban and rural opportunities for students in China's rural communities. Supported by committed people like Akina Shen, young students have opportunities to find supportive mentors, develop essential social and emotional capabilities, and bridge opportunity gaps to discover new possibilities. Each volunteer has an enormous impact that can help empower students to flourish beyond their local communities — one future at a time.
