|
|
  
Because there is a huge demand for English language education, we
started running English Corner in May, 2005. It runs every Saturday
evening from 8pm to 10pm (summer time) and 7pm to 9pm (winter
time). Up until now, we have organized 40 times of English Corner.
Total of over 250 people have attended the English Corners and each
session averagely has 45 people attending. The main purpose of
English Corner is for people who are learning English to improve
their language skills. At the same, it also provides opportunities
for people to share and learn different cultures and enhance
communication between people.
The major form of English Corner is to invite speakers both foreign
and local to share their knowledge. We have broad range of topics
such as Tibetan Astrology, TOEFL exams, Wild animal in Tibet,
Anthropology and Tibetan traditional carpets, etc. We also
organized activities and games for some of the English Corners such
as playing games and organizing group discussion and present
afterwards. We have received many positive feedbacks and the number
of people coming every time is rewarding for us. We also receive
some suggestions from people. Hope Corner volunteers who come to
help with the English Corner every times contributed greatly in the
success of each English Corner.
Compared to the English Corner, Language Exchange Program has fewer
participants. Normally average of 10 people attend each session.
The purpose of this program is for people to come and share a langue
that they know and also to learn another language. The major form
of this program is open discussion in at least two languages. Some
people appreciate the Language Exchange because they can find a
partner after coming few times and can meet on their free time.
Some other people enjoy the free and small group talk. They are not
also sharing what they know but also learning a language or about
other people. More importantly, make friends. It has been proved
that many people became friends and establish different social
network where few people have found jobs.
Over the year we had many kind people donating books and magazines
so we are able to establish a Mini-Library in the activity room. We
have established a simple library where all the books and magazines
are all catalogued and free to borrow by anyone. The cost of snacks
and drink for English Corner and Language Exchange can be covered by
the English Corner membership collected at each session of English
Corner. When there is leftover we also use for other activities of
Hope Corner such as mentoring and social welfare.
Through the Hope Corner volunteers network
we were able to provide scholarships for seven students for a
year. These students are both from high schools and colleges. The
scholarship team composed of five volunteers does all the process of
designing criteria, selecting students, home visits and collecting
reports from students every semester and final evaluation for next
semester's financial support. We are trying our best to find
financial support for these students until they graduate from
colleges and find jobs, yet, currently we cannot promise anything
more than one year tuition support. At the same time, we are also
receiving more and more applications for scholarship. We are trying
to find more funding for scholarships, however it looks very
difficult and ambitious.
We have organized four trips to Mar Township Elementary School for
the Mentoring Program. This elementary school has over 300 students
all from rural areas either farmers or nomads. We organize this
activity every two months. Averagely 25 volunteers have
participated in each time. It is about one hour drive from Lhasa
City. Each trip we have divided into 9 different groups including
teaching English (two classes), painting, singing, paper art,
PingPang, Basketball, Soccer, and Baseball teams. We are providing
all of the material and other things needed for the trip, such as
notebooks and pens for drawings, etc. We hope through our activity
we can provide some meaningful and different experiences for these
children from their routine of school life. At the same time, it
also provides a chance for the volunteers to feel the life of rural
area.
The
community where we hold English Corner and Language Exchange
expressed a need of volunteers to tutor children with their
studies. Many families in this community are poor and unable to
support their children with their studies, therefore, we have
organized volunteers through English Corner and has started tutoring
session in the same activity room on Sundays. We have organized
five times of tutoring session already. Currently this activity is
pending because the children are on winter break. The families of
these children have shown their support and appreciation for the
tutoring program.
Since the establishment of Hope Corner, we have supported various
people and situations. We have collected second hand clothes and
donated those to local private owned orphanage. We have organized
volunteers to distribute winter clothes in rural areas and
orphanage. Because one poor patient was hospitalised with severe
disease, we hired a jobless person temporarily to take care of the
patient. We also provided support for a young disabled girl to
attend vocational training. We have completed many similar social
services and we are receiving more requirements. For support of
this program, we also announce at the English Corner and ask for
donation, as a result, sometime we do receive different forms of
donations, such as money, clothes, pens and notebooks.
|
|
Welcome
to Hope Corner