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The Need Chinese orphans are faced with 1) Economic struggles due to insufficient welfare support; 2) Environments that are not conducive to supporting their physical and emotional needs; and 3) Excessive education and medical expenses. These factors often force orphans to find work in low-income, labor-intensive jobs, and to live on the streets.1 Ultimately, orphans lose out on education opportunities and find themselves trapped in a vicious cycle. They spend their entire lives struggling to meet their most basic needs. Orphan teens need assistance transitioning from institutionalized life to adulthood so that they can become responsible and self-sustaining social citizens. Program Goals and Objectives
ABC DREAM's Education Program provides Chinese teenage orphans with life and vocational skills training, and housing in intimate family settings where they develop positive self identities and values under the care and guidance of trained service workers. Upon completion of the one year program, each student will have increased confidence, self-awareness, and learned tangible life and vocational skills that will prepare them to become self-sufficient and contributing members of society.
Program Implementation
Academic
The DREAM program provides Chinese orphans that are transitioning into society the opportunity to learn English and receive training in standard Chinese (Putonghua). Participants receive close to 1000 hours of training in intensive English using the Spalding Method, standard Putonghua and business Chinese. All teachers are trained professionals. Life Skills
ABC's CONNECT Program provides students housing in intimate family environments – ratio of 6 students maximum per one Foster Home Manager (caregiver) – where they are cared for, trained and nurtured by caregivers. Caregivers live with students for the entire program. During this time, caregivers establish trust and build strong relationships with each student, train students in certain life skills, provide students with continual feedback and encouragement and work to cultivate in the students positive self-identities and values. Caregivers plan, organize and implement at least two outcome-driven activities and have at least one intimate conversation with each student per week. Each student’s progress is assessed regularly against indicators to identify a student's strengths and weaknesses as it relates to their life skills, self-identity and values.
Career Services Counseling
Students are provided consulting services from assigned counselors, who consist of ABC Staff, and volunteers - expatriates and native-working professionals - living in Beijing. Counselors are responsible for providing career-related guidance, hosting regular counseling meetings and helping students to identify and secure post program job or continuing study opportunities. For those students that plan to secure a job post program, counselors also provide resume writing advice for and conduct mock interviews with the students. DREAM+ The simple truth is, many orphans and migrant children cannot afford to enjoy what many of us take for granted everyday -- movie outings, sports games, museum visits and so much more. Recognizing this, the DREAM+ component was established with the aim of providing these children with access to cultural opportunities and a more expansive world-view.
2010 Events included the following: 1) Welcome Party
We held a Welcome Party for the Education Programs Class of 2010. We introduced the Class of 2010 to their classroom, and their English teacher. We hope that the event allowed them to get acclimated and in the mind frame of studying hard! 2) NBA Cares, China
ABC's Education Program students participated in an event hosted by NBA Cares, China on June 11, 2010. Students shadowed their mentors for the day and also worked in teams to prepare and present project proposals to a panel of judges. 3) Great Wall
ABC visited the Great Wall with the Class of 2010 on June 12. The hike was a challenge, but the kids persevered and demonstrated strong teamwork.
4) Working with Migrant Children
ABC students worked with and lead a small group of migrant children (aged around 7-10 years old) in several activities in a small community in Beijing. For pictures of these events on Facebook, please click here. For pictures of these events on Flickr, please click here. 1Survival Children: A Study of the Condition of Orphans in China, Shang Xiaoyuan. Social Sciences Academic Press, 2008, pp. 31-34.
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