How to make community volunteer services project-based and continuous? Shanghai’s Pudong and Minhang districts are exploring new pathways.
How can volunteer services be normalized throughout the year? How can the role of party organizations and volunteer party members be fully utilized to guide various social groups to participate in volunteer services?
December 5 marks the 39th International Volunteer Day. On this day, the Pudong and Minhang districts of Shanghai presented their respective explorations of new paths for community volunteer services.
Pudong: Project-based Operations and Institutional Guarantees
On December 5, the Shanghai International Volunteer Day event themed “Warm Shanghai, Volunteering Together” and the Pudong New Area Volunteer Service Season were launched at the Music Square in Century Park, Pudong. During the event, representatives from the Shanghai Volunteer Association, Biyun Community in Jinqiao Town, Nancheng Residential Area in Tangqiao Subdistrict, and Changdao Road Residential Area in Puxing Road Subdistrict jointly signed a cooperation agreement to promote the implementation of the “Neighborhood Watch” volunteer service project.
It is reported that the Central Ministry of Social Work has launched the “Neighborhood Watch” volunteer service project nationwide, selecting three residential areas in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, as pilot units to deeply integrate volunteer services into community governance, creating a community governance system where everyone is responsible, accountable, and benefits.
In Biyun Community of Jinqiao Town, nearly one-third of the permanent residents are foreigners. The community’s party branch has launched volunteer service projects such as the “Convenient Direct Line Harmony” to create volunteer service teams like “FOR YOU” for foreign volunteers, fostering mutual support among residents from different countries. The Changdao Residential Area in Puxing Subdistrict has established a volunteer service team system led by party building, consisting of one “Hongdao” party member volunteer service team, seven uniquely named volunteer service teams, and multiple community self-governance teams. Party members take the lead in volunteering, integrating residents’ scattered ideas into a powerful force for enhancing community quality, turning previous governance challenges into highlights. The Nancheng Residential Area in Tangqiao Subdistrict focuses on linking and integrating resources from surrounding business circles, enterprises, hospitals, and schools, regularly conducting volunteer service projects such as dental care, legal consultation, and financial management.
On that day, eight professional volunteer service teams from Pudong New Area, including the “New Productive Forces” explanation team, tri-service emergency rescue, technology development experience, and smart medical accompaniment, were awarded flags.
The Social Work Department of the Pudong New Area Committee revealed that to mobilize the entire society to participate in volunteer services, Pudong New Area is planning to launch two major initiatives. One is the “Brilliant Pudong: Volunteering Forward” series of activities, designating the period from December 5 (International Volunteer Day) to March 5 of the following year (Learning from Lei Feng Memorial Day) as the Volunteer Service Season. This year, over 500 volunteer service activities will be organized by various committees, offices, and street towns during the Volunteer Service Season. The other initiative is the “Warm Pudong” monthly volunteer service project list system, which establishes a theme each month to focus on volunteer service activities.
Minhang: Launching 127 Year-Round Volunteer Service Projects
On the same day, the Minhang District Committee’s Social Work Department organized the “Four Seasons Together: Community Service Volunteer Action” promotion meeting and themed activities for International Volunteer Day, officially launching the “Four Seasons Together: Community Service Volunteer Action” project to promote the integrated development of “Party Building + Volunteering.”
The aforementioned volunteer service projects total 127, based on the characteristics and resources of emerging industries, revolving around four major themes: “Spring Sunshine: Neighborhood Season, Summer Ignite: Launch Season, Autumn Harvest: Warmth Season, and Winter Warmth: Love Season.” These projects cover categories such as convenient services, community governance, safety protection, environmental remediation, services for children and youth, cultural activities, elderly care, health care, and assistance for the disabled and needy, establishing a comprehensive, multi-channel, inclusive, normalized, and branded volunteer service mechanism.
For example, in the Spring Sunshine: Neighborhood Season section, the “Craftsman Public Welfare Action” project in Qibao Town will have craftsmen visit residents’ homes to help solve daily “small matters,” including free repairs of damaged switch panels, free unclogging of drainage pipes, free inspections of water and electricity circuits, free sealing of kitchen and bathroom leaks, free adjustments of customized hardware, and free adjustments of wooden door hinges, as well as checking for gas leaks. In Xinzhuang Town, the “Beautiful Home Co-construction Project” involves community couriers acting as “mobile sentinels” in community governance, helping lonely elderly individuals and participating in special rectification actions, providing feedback on community issues through “casual photography” and tracking resolution progress, becoming “scouts” and “quality inspectors” for community problems.
In the Autumn Harvest: Warmth Season section, the “Old Partners Program” in Hongqiao Town involves younger elderly volunteers providing mutual assistance services to older elderly individuals, conducting family care activities such as disability prevention, health education, and emotional support, as well as life assistance services like lectures, salons, and holiday greetings, aimed at preventing or reducing risks and improving the quality of life and social interactions of older elderly individuals.
At the event, the “Illuminate Together: Seeking the Most Beautiful Photography Works” exhibition organized by the Minhang District Committee’s Social Work Department focused on new employment groups such as delivery workers, takeout riders, ride-hailing drivers, and freight drivers, showcasing their remarkable journeys of service and social recognition in the context of the new era.
