Provoking Potential in Summer

Children worldwide look forward to summer. It means the end of the school term. The children in Qinghai are no different. This year we organised two summer camps – one for our children from the Homes, and one for the recipients of our Education Grants. The holiday camps are filled with thought-provoking activities and engaging workshops that are designed to explore and develop the children's potential.

Do you know that the pronunciation of any three words could be the same yet differ in meaning? A simple guide for our first camp was one that is easy to remember – the "Three Qians". For the first "qian" (potential), the students analysed the results from their Career Test. It determines possible career paths, based on personalities. We helped students see that they possess various capabilities that can help build their personal goals.

For the second "qian" (avant-garde) our facilitators gave a pep talk by encouraging the children to dream big, and that all dreams are valid and attainable. This struck an immediate chord with students who took this to heart. Interesting party games followed, which taught them the value of managing their money, the third "qian".

Our children now see money as something that will help them pursue their dreams and ideals. They also learned to think carefully about how to turn a dream into a reality. It's heartening to see that students were so affected by the workshops, that their view of money and values changed.

We live in an era where information on social media can easily sway public consciousness, so our second camp was called "No Apologies". We invited professional counselors and youth trainers from Malaysia to lead and conduct the workshops. They helped our students to understand that what they read and heard should be rooted in good values, which will help nurture their self-identity.

I am so grateful for opportunities such as these camps, so that our children can grow into more loving members of society. It was evident that God was truly at work as students gained new and better perspectives. I pray that our China team may continue to guide and nurture our children in Qinghai.