In the days following the start of the new semester, in the student dormitories at Yangzhou University's Wenhui Road campus, several strange college students have frequently appeared. Every noon on weekends, they carry an empty large jute bag filled with waste paper, expired books, and leftover drink bottles collected from various dormitories. Yesterday, a reporter discovered that there are a total of 10 active "jute bag brothers," all from Yangzhou University, going door-to-door in the dormitories collecting recyclables. By September 10th, the waste items they collected had already sold for more than 600 yuan, and 500 yuan of it had been sent to a schoolchild in Lhasa, Tibet.
These 10 male students collect waste items every weekend by going through each dormitory. Speaking about this recycling activity, Chen Sheng, the class leader of the Bioengineering Department at Yangzhou University’s School of Biological Science and Technology, had much to say. Last year when he first entered Yangzhou University, he and his classmates heard that although the state was very supportive of education in Tibet, some children in the Tibetan region faced difficulties attending school, sometimes even facing the threat of dropping out. At that time, they wanted to do something for these children.
"Interestingly, this year, Mr. Ju from Yangzhou University's Youth League Committee went to work in the Tibetan region. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I mobilized all my classmates to take action. Through Mr. Ju's introduction, we contacted and decided to assist a poor child from the Chengguan District Elementary School in Lhasa." This idea received support from all the classmates and Ms. Yang Jing, the Youth League Secretary of the College.
On August 25th, the start of the new semester, Chen Sheng and his classmates began their "waste collection journey," entering the dormitories with jute bags to collect waste items. Initially, they felt a bit embarrassed and had to muster the courage to ask students from other departments. "Later, it became smoother, and there were no psychological barriers." During that period, with the arrival of new students, there was a lot of garbage, so they almost entered the dormitories every day; after September, they changed to once every weekend. The scope mainly centered around Building No. 4 of the eastern student apartments at Yangzhou University, covering the entire Wenhui Road campus. Of course, female dormitories were not overlooked, handled by some of the girls in the class.
It is understood that there are 21 students in Chen Sheng's class, and everyone participated in the aid-Tibet action. Among them, 10 male students became the "jute bag brothers." Because Chen Sheng used a coarse cloth jute bag brought from his hometown of Yancheng during his first waste collection, many classmates jokingly called him the "jute bag class leader," and his class was referred to as the "jute bag class." Later, as the entire class joined this effort, the jute bags were insufficient, so nylon bags were sometimes used instead. On the same day the "jute bag brothers" collect the waste items, Chen Sheng sells them to the recycling station. By September 10th, they had completed five large-scale collections across the campus, raising more than 600 yuan.
Chen Sheng said that they plan to send at least 200 yuan per month to the assisted Tibetan children, amounting to 2000 yuan annually. If the funds are insufficient, they will take part of the money from the class fees and scholarships. The first batch of donations, 500 yuan, has already been sent to Mr. Ju at Chengguan District Elementary School in Lhasa, who will transfer it to the assisted child.
Meanwhile, the 11 female students in the class also took action. While helping the "jute bag brothers" collect waste from female dormitories, they established a "Spiritual Foundation" to provide spiritual assistance to impoverished children in Tibet.
Reporters learned that the principle of this "Spiritual Foundation" is that everyone in the class participates. Each student regularly communicates with the assisted child through letters, emails, or phone calls regarding their studies and living conditions. They have formed the "Heartfelt Sister Phone Group," "Email Letter Group," and "Dynamic Group of Chengguan District Elementary School in Tibet," focusing on the same Tibetan child and providing spiritual services. Communication between them occurs at least five times per semester.
Wang Yinyin, the Youth League Branch Secretary of the class, is one of the main planners of this assistance action. She told reporters that the primary task of the "Heartfelt Sister Group" is to bring spiritual encouragement to impoverished Tibetan children, ensuring their mental health development. The "Heartfelt Sister Group" selects two female students from the class each month to communicate with Tibetan children, solving their confusions in life and study, offering warm blessings and enthusiastic encouragement.
Wang Yinyin said that currently, they mainly contact Chengguan District Elementary School in Lhasa through Mr. Ju. The spiritual foundation is still in its trial stage, officially starting work in early October. By then, there will be dedicated "Heartfelt Sisters" communicating with the children every week.
Before the arrival of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the female students in the class prepared mooncakes for the assisted Tibetan children, which were already sent to Lhasa along with the first batch of donations a few days ago. It is estimated that the Tibetan children will receive the gifts within the next couple of days. "The money for buying mooncakes came not only from the efforts of the 'jute bag brothers' but also from a 200-yuan donation from Teacher Yang from the Youth League Committee."
On the evening of September 8th, Chen Sheng and all the classmates held a Mid-Autumn Charity Performance with the Student Union of the College to promote their plan to assist impoverished Tibetan children. College students voluntarily donated, raising more than 300 yuan that night. These days, Wang Yinyin and all the female students in the class are busy folding paper cranes, preparing to send them to the underprivileged children in Tibet before National Day, encouraging them to grow up healthily. Chen Sheng said that the current assistance to Tibetan children has just begun, and there will be many challenges ahead on the path of love. "I believe that even after we graduate, we will continue to care about the charity fund of this class aiding Tibet, and there will definitely be other classmates taking over and continuing this cause."
Recently, many colleges at Yangzhou University have prepared to conduct "1+1" joint construction activities with schools in the Tibetan region (i.e., one Youth League branch assisting one impoverished Tibetan student). "We believe that our strength will grow stronger, passing on this love, allowing the beautiful Gasa flower to bloom forever."