(这是OFS制作送发给赠书人的一套书签,一共四张 :)
Our Missions: As volunteers working for commonweal, we hope to spread to people around us the idea of making giving love a habit, to tacitly yet effectively help to change the life conditions of those in need. We also wish to help every child to obtain equal opportunity for education and to promote the development of education in western impoverished rural regions of China. Thirdly, we hope to help guiding the locals of those impoverished areas to achieve lives of prosperity and advanced civilization through self-support.
Our Belief: When love becomes a habit, life will be more harmonic and beautiful.
Our Projects: To help impoverished children receive education
1) Give A Love Book Donation: We will gather books collected by means of local community donations, and distribute them to selected schools in impoverished western regions or to communities, individuals in special needs, with coordinated arrangements and plans.
2) Give A Love Volunteer Teaching: We will organize long term volunteer teachings in primary and middle schools that need help in impoverished, remote western areas and send our volunteers in relays.
3) Give A Love One On One Help: We will set up one on one help long term relations between children and schools in need and individuals or organizations willing to offer help. We appeal that once paired, in addition to financial aid, the helpers should also provide long term spiritual support (we believe that the latter can be even more important), e.g. via regular mail communications, so that both sides can hold hands and grow together.
4) Mental Health Care for the Underprivileged: We will systematically conduct mental surveys in the schools we work with in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hunan provinces over an extended period of time. We will compare the results across years and explore effective methods through practice for intervention of potential mental problems of students and teachers in primary and middle schools in impoverished regions.
Our Goals: For each year, we aim to recruit 5000 more people to join our team to give loves, to collect, distribute 10,000 books and to build about 10 primary school libraries in rural regions. We aim to organize visits to impoverished western areas for 100 people, and to send about 20 volunteers for the long term relay teaching project. We also aim to provide financial aids to about 300 children to help them receive education, and to offer scholarships to about 50 outstanding students.
Our Target Group: School-age children that should be receiving compulsory education in rural, mountain villages in impoverished western regions, as well as village schools and teachers that could not continue teaching activities due to financial difficulties.
Our Target Areas: We will be focusing mainly on impoverished regions in Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Gansu, Shanxi provinces.
Our Members' Ideal Qualities: Lasting enthusiasm, selfless devotion, team spirit, tolerance and compassion.
Our Values: To spread the seed of love; let love last, let love pass.
Our Slogan: Let love grow one more meter! Give love one more opportunity! Where there is a heart beat, there is a dream! For tomorrow, let us hold hands! Love goes on...
Our Song: Our Free Sky
Our Base: www.ourfreesky.org
Current Projects
Our Free Sky (OFS) education commonweal project team is a non-profit volunteer organization initiated by and made up of Chinese volunteers from all parts, all social circles of China and abroad. The Organization uses the website www.ourfreesky.org as a joint platform to launch education commonweal projects and for member communications. Founded in March, 2006, OFS has currently over 8000 members.
Our Free Sky pays close attention to the current situations of basic education in primary and middle schools in impoverished, remote regions of southwest and western parts of China, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Gansu, Shanxi provinces, where children losing opportunity to attend school and teachers unable to continue teaching have been a serious problem. Specifically, we carry out commonweal activities to promote basic education in these areas in the following ways.
First, Centers of Give A Love Book Donation. We founded Centers of Give A Love Book Donation mainly to help primary and middle school students living in impoverished rural regions of outhwest and western parts of China, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Gansu, Shanxi provinces, as well as underprivileged yet motivated children, disabled children, those who are serving sentences or in drug rehabilitation centers from all over the nation. We gather books collected by means of local community donations, and distribute them to selected schools in impoverished western regions or to communities, individuals in special needs, with coordinated arrangements and plans. The main responsibilities of the book donation team include: to keep contact with volunteers in charge of branch book donation centers in different regions, to register and sort donated books, to arrange time and location for each donation event. It is their obligation to inform the donors the uses and whereabouts of the books and to publish detailed statement following each donation event.
Second, One on One Help. Our OFS volunteers, as messengers of love, should attend to individuals and groups within reach who are in need of help, and send the information to our joint platform to call on corresponding supports from caring people of all social circles based on the specific needs. Once an individual or a group chooses to be paired with a child or a school in need for long term one on one help, we appeal that in addition to financial aid the helpers should also provide long term spiritual support (we believe that the latter can be even more important), e.g. via regular mail communications, so that both sides can hold hands and grow together. The main responsibilities of the one on one help team include: to collect detailed information (family condition, grade, etc.) of the students in need of help through personal visits, to set up a one on one relation between one student and one volunteer willing to offer help, and to publish detailed statements through the course.
Third, Give A Love Volunteer Teaching. Based on collected information, OFS is responsible for strictly selecting and preparing proper volunteers for long term teaching in primary and middle schools with shortage of teachers in impoverished, remote regions. Each volunteer selected should complete the semester(s) and will be sent by OFS in relays. The main objectives of Give A Love Volunteer Teaching are to alleviate the shortage of qualified teachers in the impoverished western regions, to assist local government with compulsory education, and to promote the development of local education cause (remote rural regions in Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Gansu, Shanxi provinces). The main responsibilities of give a love volunteer teaching team include: to provide detailed information about the schools to be assisted, its surrounding local areas, and what to prepare before starting, to recruit volunteers for relay teaching, to provide certain training to new recruits when condition permits, and to work in liaison with schools receiving assistance in the western regions and the OFS volunteers.
Fourth, Mental Health Care. Due to under-developed economy and resource deficit, children in the primary and middle schools in impoverished rural areas are much under-privileged on the grounds of financial support, nutrition condition, and education level compared to their peers in the cities, and may experience more mental pressure. We therefore believe the construction of an effective mental health care system in these regions is even more pressing. In recent years, attentions on the mental health of underprivileged children in impoverished rural regions have grown substantially as various financial aids were offered from all social circles. This project aims to build mental health record archives for primary and middle school students in impoverished rural regions, in order to identify and intervene the vulnerable group early on. We aim to help them establish a more optimistic and positive attitude in school and in life despite of the difficult situations, so that they can avoid any potential future physical and mental health problems that may trouble their learning and behaviors, and can grow up healthily in moral, intellectual, and physical aspects in a harmonic way. We will systematically conduct mental surveys in the schools we work with in Yunnan, Guizhou, Guangxi and Hunan provinces over an extended period of time, and will compare the results across years and explore effective methods through practice for intervention of potential mental problems of students and teachers in primary and middle schools in impoverished regions.
Since its foundation, OFS has been dedicated to play a positive role in basic education in impoverished rural areas as a volunteer organization. In the recent six months, through the effort of our volunteers as well as support from the society, OFS has successfully built Give A Love Book Donation Centers in 12 provinces and major cities all over the country, including Beijing, Shanghai, Anhui, Guangdong, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Shandong, Tianjin. Through these book donation centers, our volunteers have collected over 20,000 books including text books and outside readings that are much needed by children in rural regions, and distributed them timely. The schools that received these books include: Jinjie&Danzhen Nursery of Danmai foundation in Xianggelila, Diqing tibetan autonomous prefecture, Yunnan province; The center primary school in Gezan, Xianggelila; The center primary school of Baiyi, Xiangcheng, Ganzi tibetan autonomous prefecture, Sichuan province; The center primary school of Dingbo village; Wujiaying primary school, White Stone Groove, Lueyang, Hanzhong, Shanxi province; Ludian middle school, Ludian, Yulong, Lijiang, Yunnan province; Xinzhu primary school; Chufeng primary school; Anle primary school; Ludian primary school; Taiping primary school.
Up till June, 2008, Our Free Sky has set up financial aids for over 700 school-aged minority children in Yunnan (Xianggelila, Luquan, Yulong), Hunan (Fenghuang), Guizhou (Zhenyuan), Guangxi (Leye, Dahua), Sichuan (Xiangcheng, Mao) provinces that either had dropped out of school or might be forced to do so due to family poverty, most of which through the one on one help program. We have paid over 100 personal visits to local areas for information collection from the schools to receive OFS volunteer teachers, and there have been 33 volunteers who taught schools for six months or a year in Shangjiang Xianggelila, Ludian Yulong, Malutang Luquan, Yunnan province, Machong, Fenghuang, Hunan province, and Luoxi, Leye, Guangxi.
Every volunteer in OFS firmly believes that "plant a seed, reap a harvest", that we will be able to pass the solicitude from the society on to more children in impoverished rural regions. Little chips light great fires. We all OFS volunteers keenly welcome more people with a lofty mind to join our team. For the sake of tomorrow's happiness of the children, for the sake of the impoverished rural fellow countrymen, let us hold hands together, and each contribute our own humble effort!
June, 2008
我 们 的 使 命:对于公益志愿者来说,我们期待身边的每个人都能将奉献爱心作为一种习惯,无声却大力地推动和帮助着每个待助人的生活状况。同时我们希望让每一个孩子都能接受到公平教育的机会,促进西部教育的发展;引导当地居民走上自力更生,富裕文明的生活。
我 们 的 信 念:当爱心成为一种习惯,生活将更加美好和谐。
我们的工作内容:公益助学
(1)、爱心书库:通过社区募捐的形式,集中分散的捐赠书籍,统一、有规划地组织捐赠给西部重点帮困的学校或确实有需求的单位和个人;
(2)、爱心支教:组织支教志愿者前往需要接受帮助的贫困边远地区中小学内进行长期接力式爱心支教活动;
(3)、帮困助学:任何个人或组织在选择了一个固定长期的受助者(学校或个人)的同时,希望能够给予受助者长期的精神支持(我们认为这个更为重要),比如通信往来等,一起携手、一起成长。
(4)、心理健康指导:通过在滇黔桂湘OFS助学点的心理调查结果的纵向比较,在实践中探索对贫困山区中小学生及教师心理健康进行有效干预的方法和途径。
我 们 的 目 标:每年影响5000人左右加入爱的行列,捐赠10000册左右图书,建立起10个左右乡村小学图书馆;组织100人次左右参与西部走访,20人次左右参与西部长期接力式爱心支教;资助300名左右孩子读书,奖励50名左右品学兼优的孩子。
我们的服务对象:西部义务教育阶段适龄儿童,无法继续学业的农村、山区孩子,农村教师、学校。
我们的服务地区:主要在云南、四川、湖南、贵州、广西、甘肃、陕西等。
我们理想的人才:持久热情、无私奉献、团队合作、宽容理解。
我 们 的 价 值:播撒爱的种子,让爱心延续,让爱心传递。
我 们 的 口 号:让爱,延伸一米!
让爱,多一个机会!
心若在,梦犹在!
为了明天,你我一起携手!爱心在继续……
我 们 的 歌 曲:我们的自由天空
我 们 的 基 地:www.ourfreesky.org
“我们的自由天空”(OurFreeSky,OFS Volunteer Organization)公益助学项目组是由来自全国各地以及海外华人,由“我们的自由天空”广大爱心志愿者联合发起的,广泛吸收社会各界爱心人士自愿结成的、非营利性的志愿者组织,组织以网站 www.ourfreesky.org 作为公益、助学帮困活动开展及志愿者间交流的共同平台。网站创立于2006年3月,至今已有8000余名注册会员。
“我们的自由天空”(OurFreeSky,OFS)始终关注包括云南、四川、湖南、贵州、广西、甘肃、陕西等在内的西南部、西部贫困边远地区中小学的失学失教现状,并通过以下几种具体方式积极开展公益、助学帮困活动:
第一:爱心书库。爱心书库的建立主要是为了帮助云南、四川、湖南、贵州、广西、甘肃、陕西等在内的西南部、西部贫困山区的中小学生,以及全国各省市家庭贫苦、学习上进的孩子、残疾儿童、服刑人员、戒毒所等。通过社区募捐的形式,集中分散的捐赠书籍,统一、有规划地组织捐赠给西部OFS重点帮困的学校或确实有需求的单位和个人。爱心书库小组的主要工作方式是:联系各地区爱心书库负责人,登记整理所捐赠书籍,提供每次捐赠书籍的时间和捐赠地点, 并有义务告知捐赠者所捐赠图书的去向和用途,每次活动及时公布捐赠明细表。
第二:帮困助学。通过寻找受助对象,以OFS爱心志愿者、爱心推广大使的身份,留意身边需要帮助的个人或团体,将那些处于困难中、需要帮助的个人或团体的任何线索,反馈到我们的平台上, 针对具体需要号召各界热心人士给予相应的帮助。任何个人或组织在选择了一个固定长期的受助者(学校或个人)的同时,希望能够给予受助者长期的精神支持(我们认为这个更为重要),比如通信往来等,一起携手、一起成长。帮困助学组的主要工作方式是:通过OFS志愿者亲自走访提供受助学生的详细情况(家庭情况、学习成绩等等),联络爱心志愿者与之结成帮困助学对子,定期整理并公布助学明细表。
第三:爱心支教。通过OFS提供的信息,严格筛选支教志愿者,在做好充分准备的基础上,以志愿者的身份前往需要接受帮助的贫困边远地区中小学内进行以学期为单位,长期接力式的志愿义务支教活动。义务支教的活动主要是为了缓解西部师资力量的匮乏,协助当地进行义务教育的教学和研究活动,促进当地(云南、四川、湖南、贵州、广西、甘肃、陕西等偏远山区)教育事业的发展。爱心支教组的主要工作方式是:提供支教所在地的详细资料,包括前往支教学校的资料、支教行前准备等。招募支教志愿者,并在条件许可的情况下对志愿者进行一定形式的培训。联系西部受助学校和OFS志愿者等。
第四:心理健康指导。贫困山区的中小学生,因为经济的相对落后和资源匮乏,他们的经济状况、营养条件以及受教育情况都处于比较低的水平,承受着比城市地区的中小学生更多的心理压力,因此更加需要有效的心理健康发展项目。近些年来,社会各界在对贫困山区学生进行经济资助的同时,对他们心理健康状况的关注也与日俱增。项目旨在建设贫困山区中小学生的心理健康档案,及早发现和干预危机群体,帮助他们在困境中更为乐观、向上的学习和生活,避免导致日后学习、行为以及身体和精神健康方面的问题,促进德智、身心的和谐发展。我们希望通过在滇黔桂湘OFS助学点的心理调查结果的纵向比较,在实践中探索对贫困山区中小学生及教师心理健康进行有效干预的方法和途径。而这种方法和途径,将转变为OFS区别与其他公益助学组织的特色和强项。
Our Free Sky自成立以来,一直致力于推动志愿者组织在贫困地区的教育事业中发挥积极的作用。近半年以来,依靠志愿者自身的努力和社会力量的支持,Our Free Sky先后在全国12个省市建立了爱心书库,包括北京市、上海市、安徽省、广东省、云南省、四川省、湖南省、陕西省、黑龙江省、吉林省、辽宁省、山东省、天津市等。通过这些爱心书库,志愿者们收集汇总了20000余册山区孩子亟需的课本和课外读物,并将这些书籍以最快的速度送到了孩子们的手中。获赠爱心图书捐助的有:云南省迪庆藏族自治州香格里拉县丹麦基金杰素á丹珍保育院、香格里拉县格咱乡中心完小、四川省甘孜藏族自治州乡城县白依乡中心完小、定波乡中心完小、陕西省汉中市略阳县白石沟乡吴家营小学、云南省丽江市玉龙县鲁甸乡鲁甸中学、新主完小、杵峰完小、安乐完小、鲁甸完小、太平完小等学校。
截至2008年6月,通过OurFreesky,700余名云南(香格里拉县、禄劝县、玉龙县)、湖南(凤凰县)、贵州(镇远县)、广西(乐业县、大化县)、四川(乡城县、茂县)等地的少数民族辍学以及贫困学龄孩子受到资助,其中大部分孩子为结对子形式受助。共有百余人次前往OFS助学点进行过调查、走访,已有33人次在云南省香格里拉县上江乡、玉龙县鲁甸乡、禄劝县马鹿塘乡、湖南省凤凰县麻冲乡、广西壮族自治区乐业县逻西乡等助学点进行为期半年到一年不等的支教活动。
我们的自由天空的每一位志愿者坚信,只要付出就有收获,也一定能让更多贫困山区的孩子感受到社会的关怀。星星之火,可以燎原,我们的自由天空的志愿者们热忱欢迎更多有志之士加入到我们的行列中来,为了山区孩子们明天的幸福,为了山区贫困的民族同胞们,让我们携起手来,一起为贫困山区的孩子们尽一份绵薄的力量!
二零零八年六月