Food is the cornerstone of all life. But what if one is deprived of that cornerstone? That’s exactly what many vulnerable people around the world have faced with the burden of the pandemic on their shoulders. Countless have become unemployed and others who traveled from abroad still must enter quarantine, becoming cut off from their usual food supplies.

Older people appear to be most susceptible to the disease, so many find themselves unable to leave the house, even for grocery-shopping without putting their lives at risk. Thankfully, many communities around the world are catering to this very need, by organizing volunteers who can package and deliver food to the doorsteps of the elderly, disabled, and other individuals with underlying health conditions. And upon discovering that adolescents are the least vulnerable to coronavirus, many young people across the globe have taken it upon themselves to help those who are less fortunate.

In Jerusalem where I’m currently living, my friend’s brother began volunteering in late March. “It made me feel like I was helping even during a time like this,” he said, “there were cases when people cried in front of me because I brought them food.” Inspired, I decided to join him.

Boxes of goodies, ready to go out!

An organization that has played a major role in supplying and distributing the food here is Latet, an Israeli nonprofit organization founded in 1996. The name Latet originates from the Hebrew word לתת, meaning ‘to give’; to give to the elderly, to give to the poor, and to give to all those in need.

One of their warehouses is located half an hour away from my house. Along with other teenagers from various schools and Zionist youth movements in the area, we gather around an assembly line, packaging boxes containing all sorts of food for those in quarantine, ranging from chocolate spread to hummus to couscous.

Mingling with the teenagers is one volunteer in his 70s, who despite his old age, insists on being the one to carry heavy packages from the assembly line to the carts. This set an unparalleled example for the rest of us, and his exclamations of  “I’ve got the power!” light up everyone’s faces.

In Beijing, the workload is split up between communities. Each community has a group of young volunteers, typically in their 20s or 30s, responsible for taking care of quarantined members. To minimize infection risks, those in quarantine request the food and daily supplies they need via Wechat. Volunteers wearing their signature red cloth badge then complete the shopping for them and deliver it to their door. Wechat groups are often opened for both the volunteers and quarantined citizens, allowing communication to be as easy as ever.

This simple act of kindness became increasingly popular and was awarded the phrase 隔离不隔爱 gé lì bù gé ài, meaning “quarantined but not quarantined from love”. Whether it was back in the freezing days of February or under the current blazing July sun, these volunteers have been diligently looking after their communities, offering the most valuable and safest human connection in a world where human connection can be dangerous.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, we, as young people, must take advantage of our time and energy by stepping forward and providing for those who have provided for us all our lives. If I was to name one happy memory from 2020, it would have to be the satisfaction of sealing a packaged box of food, as I smiled broadly under my mask.

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Qinglan Du is a 16-year-old student from Beijing City International School. She’s originally from Beijing but is currently living in Jerusalem with her mother due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from her passion for writing, she enjoys singing, spending time with friends and family, and experiencing new cultures.

Photos: Courtesy of Qinglan Du

In a competitive, demanding school environment, expressive writing often comes second to the plethora of academic papers, tests, and essays a student has to contend with. And the pressure of achieving high grade-point averages (GPAs) can take away the desire to learn an off-curriculum subject matter. If it doesn’t count for your grade, it doesn’t matter.

But to the International School of Beijing (ISB) high school students Khushi C, Emma L, and Gina Y, it absolutely does matter. Aiming to empower bright young thinkers by providing a platform to express their ideas, and to foster non-academic intellectual curiosity, they founded BUDDY! magazine during the summer break of 2019. It rapidly became a creative outlet where they could embrace their natural, creative, and unpretentious selves by writing all sorts of narrative, commentary, and satirical articles. With the first edition published in August, their articles have so far covered a variety of topics, from Queen Elizabeth I’s makeup routine to how overpopulated Beijing’s subway stations are with advertisements. With contributions from students and other members of the community, BUDDY! has also become a bridge between curious, knowledge-craving teenagers and the community that surrounds them, and it’s founders hope that the platform can restore an innate, self-driven hunger for knowledge to readers and that it will grow to become a network of inquisitive minds everywhere.

I talked to the BUDDY! leadership team about how the magazine got started, some of the bumps along the road, and where they hope to take it next.

(from left to right) Khushi C, Emma L, and Gina Y

Submissions for each issue come from three groups: club members, guest contributors, and featured authors. Club members write an article for every issue, while guest contributors and featured authors submit to us whenever an idea strikes them. BUDDY! club members follow an eight-week plan for each issue. Throughout each step of the process, editors work hand-in-hand with the writers to ensure the writing is well-supported by evidence, has something unique and significant to say, and is a piece of work that the writer can be proud of.

The BUDDY! magazine publication schedule

It’s a way to empower young thinkers to share their unique take on any topic of interest. We want to give power back to the authors to be passionate and imaginative about their ideas and topics. It all depends on what they want to bring to the table.

The topics may seem trivial or immature at first glance, but editors work closely with our talented writers to dig deeper into the underlying social phenomenon or to explore universal truths about the human condition. For example, our guest contributor Jared F investigates the philosophy of the wombat in Issue 1. Capturing readers through his amusing passion for the animal and the uniqueness of the topic, he delves into a very thoughtful and provocative dialogue on Nietzsche and nihilism.

The cover of BUDDY!’s first issue

BUDDY! tries to go into every topic with a positive outlook by going further than merely stating the problem: we provide the audience with ways to engage and react. We have full confidence in our writers as communicators and thinkers, so whatever stylistic choices they take – humorous or serious –  we find ways to support their strengths. Our articles are written by people who are passionate about making change and showing the world what good has been done.

Art and writing are both important for the club, as passion and creativity can be presented through a multitude of mediums. For every issue, editors design the magazine covers with great care – as that, too, is a form of art. We recognize that writing may not be the best medium for some, so we are more than happy to showcase other media types. The ‘accompanying art’ that we have in our magazine issues is an expression of artistic interpretation as well, and readers are often amazed at the mind-blowing attention to detail we put into our art.

Initially, recruitment was a real challenge. We started with essentially bare-bones – three people – and in a school like ISB with so many established clubs, reach is difficult when you’re new. Encouraging honest, opinionated writing was also tough. Students are often burdened with so many reports and essays that they lose a sense of their own voice in writing. Furthermore, due to COVID-19 restrictions, we had to transition quickly online to collaborate, advertise ourselves, and publish.

It was incredibly rewarding to see groups of friends huddling over a magazine during lunch and people approaching us to contribute to future issues as BUDDY! grew and flourished. We are especially proud that our website, buddymagazine.org, has amassed over 1,600 page views despite these difficult times. Our club has grown substantially, with four issues published this past year and going strong through the summer and into next year.

Being a bi-monthly magazine, timeliness isn’t the emphasis in our reporting. Instead, our writers have infused their articles with a sense of timelessness through their thoughtful, personal connections to greater social truths. For example, the Coronavirus article – though topical – was carefully written by a couple of our youngest writers who had a meaningful opinion to share.

The cover of BUDDY!’s third issue, the first one published during COVID-19 restrictions.

We have decided to center each future issue around a compelling general theme. This was decided upon the request of staff writers who wanted more help with focus and brainstorming. Our next issue will be about new beginnings or cycles.

We thoroughly encourage submissions from people outside of the ISB community! Any person, organization, or school is welcome to submit to us. Anyone who has a story or an opinion and is willing to share – the possibilities are endless. There’s no need to be shy; if you aren’t proud of the piece just yet, our editors will work closely with you to bring out its full potential!

Follow BUDDY! on Instagram: @buddyzine
BUDDY!’s website: buddymagazine.org
Email BUDDY! at buddymagazinebeijing@gmail.com
Teachers can contact BUDDY!’s faculty sponsor Melody Wong at mwong@isb.bj.edu.cn

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Images: courtesy of BUDDY! magazine