There is a place where donated toys wait for new adventures, where clothes hang ready to warm a stranger, and where a single, simple act of sorting can ripple into a story of hope.

This is Roundabout, Beijing’s very own version of Salvation Army, and it is powered by people like you.

At Roundabout, we believe that kindness is not just about giving. It is about the care we take in preparing that gift. Every item that arrives has a story. Your role? To get them ready for the next chapter.

Roundabout is looking for volunteers who want to show up, lend a hand, and be part of something steady and meaningful.

This opportunity is open to adults and teens alike. For teenagers, it is a chance to build responsibility, contribute to the community, and experience the quiet satisfaction of work that truly matters. For adults, it is a space to step away from daily routines, connect with a warm community, and make a tangible difference—sometimes in just a few hours a week.

So what does it take to volunteer at Roundabout? No prior experience is needed. Only three things matter:

1: A caring heart that believes that small actions add up.
2: A sense of attentiveness
3: The willingness to give time either regularly or occasionally, at a rhythm that suits your life.

As a Roundabout volunteer, you will be a part of the team where you will help sort, organize, and prepare donated goods so that they can be sold or distributed to support those in need. You will work in a bright, welcoming space alongside friendly fellow volunteers. There is sunshine, conversation, and the shared sense that together, we are making something beautiful happen.

If you want to know what it’s like to volunteer at Roundabout, check out Margaret Yang’s first hand accounts. 

Find it:
Monday to Saturday
Morning: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Afternoon: 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
(You are welcome to choose shifts that work for you.)
Shunyi Villas and Pinnacle Plaza area
Cathy View Plaza, 2 Xiangjiang Bei Lu, Shunyi District
顺义区香江北路2号

How to Join:

Images: Roundabout

Have you ever been curious about what it would be like to work in someone else’s shoes? We know we’ve been! Jingkids is thrilled to introduce an exciting new series where we send our teen interns on a journey to try out different jobs in the city for a day. Our adventurous young reporter will step into the shoes of various professionals, experiencing the highs and lows of their daily routines and report on their experiences, sharing insights and lessons learned along the way.

Join us as we uncover the fascinating world of work through the fresh perspective of a curious teen, discovering what it takes to thrive in different careers with this “A Day in the Life of…” series. 

This time, we sent our 12-year-old intern Margaret Yang, from Beijing City International School, to Roundabout for a day to get a taste of what Roundabout volunteers do to make the place run smoothly. 

For those who are unfamiliar with Roundabout, they’re essentially Beijing’s very own Salvation Army. Their gigantic warehouse takes in donations from families all over the city, and they sell these pre-loved (and sometimes brand-new) items. The proceeds from these donated items go toward funding charities and worthy causes to support kids in need.

Find out more about Roundabout by them on WeChat at Roundabout666

After placing a few pieces of clothing into the donation box set up by Roundabout and purchasing a couple of books that I enjoyed from a book fair they held at my school, I started to get interested in this charity organization. I got in touch with an alumna who volunteered at their book fairs and in their store, asking what she did and how the organization works. I then decided to sign myself up for a day volunteering in their main store.

I have always been involved in some type of charity work. However, Roundabout works much differently.

Roundabout welcomes most types of donations given to them, and after sorting them, some of the objects are sold in their store while others are donated directly to the causes Roundabout supports.

I was led to the second floor and assigned to check puzzle sets and label which sets were complete. Even though this may sound boring, especially when the rest of the day revolved around sorting and organizing different objects, it helped me concentrate and reduced unnecessary anxiety throughout the day. It also put into perspective the care that Roundabout puts into every item they sell. If you buy a box of puzzles from Roundabout and it says that it’s a complete set, you can be sure that it is, thanks to the excellent counting skills of volunteers like myself.

After meeting two other volunteers and chatting with them, I found out that all volunteers who choose to help out with Roundabout share a common interest in giving back and helping others, which aligns closely with Roundabout’s mission of helping more children with illnesses and special needs.

I had a chat with Ms. Wei, one of the team members who helps find children whom Roundabout focuses on helping. She shared how there are children with certain blood diseases in Heibei Yanda. “When selecting children to help, we prioritize more urgent needs,” she shared.

Roundabout is also working on creating a program that helps children from underprivileged families, who have received medical treatment, return home with some of the financial burdens on the family lifted. It’s often they hear stories of families who gave everything they have and then some in order to seek medical help for their children. The love these parents have for their children is incredibly admirable but returning home after treatment, to poverty and debt is the last thing they need. This program requires extensive communication with the families of these vulnerable children and more fundraising efforts, so if you can aid Roundabout on its journey, please do!

Roundabout started in 2008 when its founder, Leslie Simpson, discovered that orphanages and children in rural areas of China were receiving a lot of unnecessary objects and not receiving sufficient donations. She began to focus her actions on receiving donations from others and using donations to help children with diseases, and things took off from there. As an organization with volunteers helping out for thousands of hours every year, Roundabout is definitely achieving its goal of getting more people involved in donations and helping others through small, everyday actions.

Even though the way Roundabout works sounds simple, the organization and sorting of the objects given to them is what requires so many volunteers, because counting every single piece of a puzzle and cleaning and taking every single piece of a LEGO set apart requires a lot of attention and concentration. But like how I experienced it, doing work like that allows me to concentrate and ensure what I have on hand is done responsibly and with quality.

To find out more about why other teens love volunteering at Roundabout, click here!

If spending your free time giving back to the community is something that appeals to you then Roundabout is a perfect place for you. To get more info on how you can volunteer with Roundabout, add the WeChat account below.

Find it:
Cathy View Plaza, No.2 Xiangjiang Bei Lu, Chaoyang District
Tel: 137 1805 3814

Images: Roundabout

Xiaozhen Library, a beacon of community learning and empowerment founded by high school students, is once again opening its doors to the youth of Beijing for an enriching summer camp experience. They’re calling for teen volunteers to join in and make a difference by teaching English to eager young learners. This unique opportunity not only fosters a love for learning but also cultivates a sense of social responsibility and leadership among high school students.

Founded on the principle of youth empowerment, Xiaozhen Library has been a hub for community engagement and learning since its inception. Now, they are extending their reach by inviting high school students between Grades 9 and 12 to volunteer and contribute to their summer camp program. Fluent in English and passionate about community service, these volunteers will play a pivotal role in shaping the educational journey of young children in Beijing.

Volunteering at Xiaozhen Library’s summer camp offers high school students a platform to make a meaningful impact while honing their leadership and communication skills. By sharing their knowledge and passion for English, volunteers will not only inspire a love for the language but also foster cross-cultural understanding and communication.

The requirements for volunteering are simple yet impactful: Students must be in Grades 9-12, have a commitment to community service, be fluent in English, and have a desire to make a difference.

Whether it’s leading interactive language sessions, organizing creative activities, or simply lending a listening ear to young learners, volunteers will have the opportunity to contribute to the holistic development of children in the community.

As the summer camp unfolds, volunteers will not only enrich the lives of young learners but also gain valuable insights and experiences that will shape their own personal and academic journeys. From building confidence and empathy to developing leadership and teamwork skills, volunteering at Xiaozhen Library’s summer camp offers high school students a chance to make a difference while growing personally and professionally.

In a world where youth empowerment and community engagement are more important than ever, Xiaozhen Library’s summer camp provides a platform for high school students to step up, make a difference, and inspire positive change in their community. By volunteering their time and skills, teens can become catalysts for transformation, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of others while shaping their own futures.

Application for the volunteer teaching positions for this year’s Xiaozhen Library summer camp is now open. Scan the QR code below to apply.

Images: Xiaozhen Library, Pexels

The next Roundabout charity bookfair will be held this Saturday (Apr 23) at Beijing International Bilingual Academy (BIBA) from 10am – 3pm.

This upcoming charity bookfair will be raising funds to help XuXu, an 11-year-old boy from Xi’an who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2017. XuXu has undergone 15 rounds of chemotherapy within the last 18 months.

Over the past few years, his family has spent RMB 300,000 on his treatment. They have done all that they can in order to support his treatments, but the financial difficulties have taken a toll.

Doctors believe that CAR-T therapy will be the first step in his treatment, followed by radiotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. The estimated cost will be another RMB 30,000, which the family simply can’t afford. To date, they’ve managed to save RMB10,000 towards XuXu’s treatment.

This upcoming bookfair is being held in hopes of raising the remaining balance for XuXu’s treatment.

On top of the good cause, the Roundabout bookfairs are always a fun family event! You’ll find a variety of children’s and adult books in both English and Chinese.

Since kids go through books so, so quickly, these Roundabout book fairs are a great place to load up on plenty of books without burning a hole in your wallet.

Prices:
Paperbacks from 10 RMB
Hard copies from 20 RMB
Kid’s Books from 1 RMB

There will also be plenty of other items available for sale, including brand new fabrics, vases, bags, and various other goodies donated by BIBA families.

Roundabout book fairs are made possible by fantastic venue sponsors like BIBA and volunteers. They need help setting up the fair, running the fair on the day, and strong people to help take everything down when it’s all over.

Volunteering isn’t just for adults. Plenty of teens have spent their time volunteering with Roundabout making a difference and having a great time doing it.

If you’d like to volunteer, scan the QR code below to register.

Remember, if you have books that are just sitting on the shelf and taking up room, you can bring them with you on Saturday to donate on the day.

Find it:
North Gate of BIBA, 1 Yumin Road, Houshayu, Shunyi District
顺义区后沙峪裕民大街1号

Images: Roundabout

Around the world gender equality has made great strides over the past few decades, but there’s still a lot of work to be done.

The GlobalMoms Initiative (GMI) is a decentralized nonprofit organization that supports every mom to be “yourself.” This network is run by volunteers all over the world.  As one volunteer says, GMI is creating social imaginations with and for moms.

The whole volunteer team currently consists mainly of mothers, females, and young professionals. GMI is by no means limited to women only. Women’s development and the realization of gender equality require everyone’s constant efforts, including fathers, men, and society at large, since the outcome of gender equality is highly relevant to the physical and mental well-being of every individual and every family.

Even though the decision to form GMI was instantaneous, it was based on many years of accumulated knowledge, discussions with key stakeholders, and reflections from the personal experiences of its founder Jane Li.

We spoke with Li to find out more about her initiative, and how others can get involved.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Jane Li, a full-time philanthropy adviser based in Beijing, also the founder and chief volunteer of GlobalMoms Initiative, and a mother of an 8-year-old boy. I like to see myself as who I am and make decisions based on my inner calling. My educational background covers international relations, political science, and nonprofit management, which enables me to see the world quite uniquely from my fellow colleagues or friends. I see myself as a global citizen who has a social responsibility to make this world a better place for everyone.

I am a super fan of music, visual art, and global traveling, it always inspires me and lifts me up when I am down or feeling stuck. My overall feeling of life is that “I think I have everything I need now,” and this feeling also urges me to give and do more to support others, especially moms who are in different challenging situations around the globe, with whom I share the mom identity.

When was GMI founded?
GMI was officially launched on Sep 27, 2021, but it took me a year before that to ideate GMI based on my earlier interest in MomQ research. MomQ is a word created by myself, compared with IQ, EQ, and many other Qs. It refers to the traits and characteristics that contribute to moms’ wisdom and attitude to overcome all kinds of life challenges or even crises regardless of who we are, where we are from.

What prompted you to start GMI?
It started suddenly one day when I was on the call with my friend Sonja, who is a mom and also a woman leader in a philanthropy organization in Seattle. We chatted about mothers’ pain points, and I asked her “what is the good thing about being a mom?” Instantly our talk froze, and we could not think of the immediate answers to the question, and then I turned around to ask my mom who happened to sit nearby, and she said, “I don’t know.”

The answer struck me so hard and then “globalmoms support globalmoms” just popped up in my mind, that is where it began. After that call, I started to use my expertise in nonprofit management to draft up a plan for GlobalMoms Initiative and asked friends around for feedback, with the progress of iteration lasting for about 12 months, I decided to kick it off.

Can you tell us about the 13 early adopters? How did this group come together?
Most early adopters are my friends who knew my thoughts from the very early beginning, and they have contributed a lot to GMI’s ideation process. To name a few, firstly my husband Eric and my brother Lionel, they show unconditional trust and support; Sonja, who now lives in Seattle with her husband and two children, who have been taken on mothering job since the day one of her first child born nearly 20 years ago and knew so deeply how challenging it is to be a mom while fulfilling her own dreams; Jasmine, who is from Hong Kong, and a new mom, a social entrepreneur as well as philanthropy catalyst; Margerat, who was full-time mothering for about five years and just came back to the workplace a year ago; and Yang Fei, my university classmate, she has two daughters who she loves deeply but also worries about their future development due to prevalent gender-based bias.

After the launch day of GMI, we also received more support from other old and new friends, and I started to answer their queries and tried to get their support. Some of them just clicked with the idea and decided to join in immediately. Basically, that is the way we came together.

Can you tell us a bit about some of the moms GMI has been able to help?
We have two flagship programs going on, the #MomStory100 and #MomCEO100 Empowerment Plans, which reinforces each other’s efforts and both aim to reach and support moms who are underserved or underrepresented, such as moms of children with disabilities, full-time moms in crisis, juggling working moms, struggling mom entrepreneurs at their -1 to 1 business stages, regardless of ages, geography, nationality, social status or so.

We reach moms in need through snowballing and social networks domestically and internationally. For example, we did one feature story on a mom with two visually impaired children. Her nickname is Dou Dou, she said this to GMI, “First of all, I think the story recorded my past eight hard years, it helped me sort it out. I guess I wasn’t so sure about my life. By expressing myself and my experiences in the form of stories, I feel clearer, and I have a stronger sense of myself, I feel better, and I feel less anxious.”

And another example is from Mai Miao (nickname) who joined our #MomCEO100Club from Day 1 and was thinking to start up a new social business to support high school students with mental health challenges. After going through the series of online brainstormings through GMI’s more to one volunteer support group, she said, “according to the group discussions, I had a clearer thought on my business plan. Despite that I was kind of pushed forward by the supporters, I have not stopped, and I tried to make it happen.”

Why is it important to help moms?
Various studies aside, it’s clear that moms need support in many ways. They, like any other human beings, have their interests and hobbies, personal and professional life aspirations, dreams, and goals. After becoming a mom of one, two, three, or more children, a woman has so much workload in life that without support from workplaces, families, and societies in general, they hardly exist, from task to task. Their mental and physical conditions worsen, their productivity decreases, and their dreams slowly fade away. You see it through your mom’s story, through your own story, through your friend’s story, through your colleague’s story, or a neighbor’s story. If you look around, you surely can see it.

And we generalized a 3D and 3U pinpoints map as below.

Are volunteer opportunities only open to women? Are there any geographical or age restrictions?
The short answer is that we welcome everyone because everyone has a mother from our birth. Right now, our volunteers are mainly moms, professional youth, university, and high school students, but we would like to draw more people’s attention, especially from youth and dads, in the end. Moms need everyone’s understanding and support to grow and shine in the family, community, and workplace.

How can people from the community get involved? What can they do to help?
We have short-term and long-term volunteer schemes.

• For short-term volunteers: complete at least one momstory interview, writing, or editing for #MomStory100 project; or complete at least one club meeting for #MomCEO100 club.
• For long-term volunteers: interview, write, or edit at least one momstory per month for #MomStory100 project; or complete at least one club meeting per month for #MomCEO100 club.

Are there any events coming up that readers can take part in?
Right now we’re in urgent need of volunteers, so we will hold an online Q&A session with potential volunteers through Tencent Meeting Room in early April, for whoever is interested to join the session, please kindly add me (WeChat ID: iamhyxljfamily) or GMI Global Partnership and Program Director Ms. Mari (WeChat ID:mariamski), or send emails to us through info@globalmomsinitiative.com.

“I was contacted by Jane, a founder of GMI to join GMI International Advisory Board. I worked for women’s organization and I volunteered my time to empower women in Beijing, specifically focusing on working moms, as they face more challenges as they strive to achieve physical and mental well-being,” Mari Sharashidze tells Jingkids. “Due to the pandemic, I had to leave China. When Jane shared about GMI and its values, I felt reconnected with the moms community in Beijing and I decided to take an active role to try to support moms in any way I can, this time online from Europe. GMI seems to be putting its heart into the work and I sense that it can truly become a global moms community.”

Whether you’re in Beijing for a few short months or settling down here for good, if you support their message, then GMI wants to hear from you.

KEEP READING: Welcome to the ‘Jing: Angie Chan, aka Chiffon Lady and Her Family

Images: Jane Li, Pexels

Merry Christmas! In the true spirit of giving this festive season, we wanted to appeal to those of you who have the means and are willing to donate some time to the volunteer communities at Educating Girls of Rural China (EGRC) and Power Baseball Angels, two non-profit organizations in Beijing that are seeking volunteer English teachers.

Since 2005, EGRC has sponsored more than 1,400 young women to receive a high school and university education. Their mission is to empower rural young women through education, as well as provide opportunities for their personal and professional development, which in turn trains a new generation of women leaders. I had the opportunity to volunteer with them as an English teacher for two semesters last year, and it was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve ever had. The girls are so grateful for what little I was able to help them with and I still maintain contact with some of them over WeChat and email.

EGRC is always seeking volunteers to teach English to young girls once a week, online. The students may have some basic to intermediate English skills and are seeking to hone mostly their speaking and listening skills with you, so send your resume with a cover letter to daisy.gong@egrchina.net or admin@egrchina.net.

Conversely, if you prefer working with a younger demographic, there’s another opportunity to volunteer! Spearheaded by Coach M, Power Baseball Angels is building a Cambridge Assessment of International Education (CIE) certified school to provide high school education to underprivileged kids who stand a solid chance of landing overseas scholarships on their sports skills but need a bit of extra help in the English-language academic arena. We were thrilled to receive so many book donations for Coach M’s budding school when we reached out to our readers in a recent book drive, and want to thank you for your support. However, we are reaching out again now, to ask for any English speakers who wish to devote a couple of hours every Sunday to teach English to these kids. Coach M says that even high school students are welcome to volunteer, as many of these beneficiaries have little to no English backgrounds. Contact Coach M at driven200425@yahoo.com to discuss how you can help.

KEEP READING: Cleaning Up Beijing In The Countryside; Call For Volunteers

Images: Unsplash

Earth Day falls on Apr 22 every year, and every year it seems to sneak up on us. But we don’t need to have a whole curriculum planned to participate. Earth Day is really just about taking the time to consider how our everyday activities affect the Earth. When you’re in a big city like Beijing, it’s hard to make time for our planet. But it’s a necessity.

What are some simple ways we can introduce environmental stewardship in our kids’ lives? Watch this video below for more details on using our tips in Beijing.

Click the link to get all the hot tips

Track All the Plastic in Your Home

Take a box and have every member of your household place all the plastic in it for just one week. Acknowledge as a family the amount of waste and brainstorm how to reduce it.

See all the WeChat groups for moving towards a more sustainable lifestyle here.

Take Them to a Donation Center

Don’t just donate gently used items to a charity. Make a field trip together and see how reusing or upcycling works. Better yet, make time for kids to spend time volunteering to sort items.

Roundabout will often have chances for kids to volunteer with parental guidance. Add WeChat ID: Roundabout_volunteer for more info.

Visit a Farm

Showing kids where their food comes from brings up a whole load of other questions related to the environment. Why is some food fresh and others frozen? Take a trip to pick strawberries and get ready to answer some hard questions!

Two strawberry farms you can visit are through WeChat IDs: Selinaml and dingguoguo6886

Just Go Outside

It’s that simple. Find yourself a park nearby or walking trail, and just go on a nature walk with no objective. Keep your phone in your pocket and breathe in the world around you and your kid. 

Remember, the very first step to caring about the Earth is to appreciate it.

Even if you don’t have time for a field trip, take the time to talk about Earth Day with your kids and follow their lead on how to help our planet.

KEEP READING: Pay to Play in Parks? What a Beijing Culture Shock

Image: Canva

Girl Scouts may be something familiar to many expats. But as a third culture kid born in Beijing, I’ve never known much about the Girl Scouts, all I knew was that they sold delicious Girl Scout cookies. I only recently found out that they have a location in Beijing, curious, we decided to find out a bit more from Amy Kennedy on what they do and how girls can get involved.

What are Girl Scouts?     

Girl Scouting builds girls who have courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Girls can earn badges by doing activities in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), the Outdoors, Entrepreneurship, and Life Skills. Two adult leaders lead a small troop of up to twelve girls. Girls choose from a wide variety of badges in STEM, Outdoors, Entrepreneurship, and Life Skills. Troops are girl-led so every troop works on slightly different activities based on the girls’ interests. Girls can design “Take Action” projects that help improve some aspect of their community.

When did the Girl Scout program start for Beijing?

It started back in 1925 in Shanghai, Girl Scouting overseas has been supporting over 12,500 girls in over 90 places in the world and has now been operating in Beijing for over 20 years.

I heard Girl Scouts originates from the US, so from your experience, what’s the biggest difference with Girl Scouts here in Beijing compared to the US?

Here in Beijing, the girl scouts are a part of the USA Girl Scouts Overseas council. We have meetings and events just like Girl Scouts in the US, but one big difference is – we don’t sell cookies due to import regulations. On the plus side, we go hiking on the Great Wall of China, which most Girl Scouts in the US don’t have the opportunity to do.

Are there different groups of Girl Scouts? If so, how are they organized?

Girls can join when they start kindergarten, and we go all the way through grade 12. Girls are grouped in troops made up of two grades. Daisy Girl Scouts are in K-grade 1, Brownies are in grade 2-3, etc.

What is the ultimate goal for Girl Scouts?

We have Highest Awards for girls in grades 6-12. Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Many high school level girls strive to earn the Gold Award which is an eighty-hour community service project. It is comparable to the Boy Scout Eagle Scout Award and an honor within Girl Scouting. Last year, two high school seniors at International School of Beijing (ISB) earned the Girl Scout Gold Award.

Is there a schedule for Girl Scouts? How does that work?

We start up troop meetings in the fall and meet, usually twice a month, through the school year. In years past we have had annual events – Fall Hike, Winter Dance, STEM Day, Campout, and Bridging Ceremony. This year may look a little different in regard to our annual events due to COVID-19. We run through the school year and as most of our membership are expats and leave Beijing for the summers, we do not offer any summer programming. Girls develop friendships over time since many troops stay together for a number of years.

I heard that you only accept expats. Would you ever consider opening a program to Chinese passport holders?

Currently, girl scouts only accept expat girls. They also run Girl Scouts as an after-school program at Western Academy of Beijing (WAB) and ISB, so any girl enrolled at either school can join, and girls who’d like to join must also be comfortable English speakers as well.

How can people join Girl Scouts?

The most challenging part is finding adult volunteers who are ready to jump in and lead girls or join our Leadership Council. Beijing is a busy place for expats. We provide excellent online learning and support, we have a strong program and most of our volunteers are parents of young girls – so therefore, already experts on what girls enjoy doing!

Parents and interested adult volunteers can email beijinggirlscouts@usagso.org to find out more. One caveat – the only way to make sure your daughter has a place in a troop, is to volunteer to lead a troop yourself! Leading a troop is a great way to form bonds with other parents and have fun doing meaningful activities with your daughters. The more interested and excited a parent is, the more the girls will get out of it.

Volunteering with Girl Scouts, either as a leader or a member of the leadership council is a very rewarding experience. You get to meet other adults you might not normally get to meet, make lifelong friends, and often times, learn some new skills along the way. And teaching leadership skills to young girls is an amazing opportunity!

KEEP READING: Khan Academy: How Free Online Math Courses Helped Me

Photos: Courtesy of Amy Kennedy