*Scroll down for English
TBC每年都会组织学生在感恩节前后开展Service-learning活动，来到需要帮助的学校，社区，组织等做社工，回报社会。所有在TBC学习的学生均有机会参加，践行耶稣会乐于助人的传统，提高学生社会责任感。这次秋季学期，我们来到了五饼二鱼，一个为农民工家庭提供支持的服务组
五饼二鱼的名字起源于圣经中一首赞美歌，参照了圣经中记载的耶稣的一次神迹，他用五个面包和两条鱼招待了五千人。由于一些农民工在当地没有全职工作，没有亲戚朋友，也没有其他的经济来源，他们的孩子经常在课余时间独自一人留在家里，得不到很好的照顾。五饼二鱼就是在这种情况下为这些孩子提供一个安全的地方，组织志志愿者帮忙照看孩子，辅导孩子们的家庭作业，做游戏，分享零食等等。
在几个周末的下午，我们的学生分成小组与孩子们开展活动，象棋、手工艺品、看动画片、室内活动等等。一些学生开玩笑说，他们觉得与年轻一代脱节了，很惊讶地发现他们在童年时代玩过的游戏已经更新换代了好几个版本。最后每个学生都能积极参与活动，与孩子们建立了亲密的联系。
通过TBC Service-learning活动平台，我们希望能够引起人们对社会上经常被忽视的群体的关注，我们也希望我们的学生受到积极地影响。作为一个耶稣会的机构，在这个变幻莫测的2020年，TBC得到了大量的支持，并继续传播爱、善和奉献。我们希望能分享我们的收获，帮助贫困和边缘化。在每年的这个特殊时刻，我们呼吁全球TBC校友们也为您的社区伸出援手。
Each semester, students at The Beijing Center (TBC) are encouraged to participate in local service-learning activities to practice the Jesuit tradition of helping others and attaining a sense of social responsibility. This fall semester, TBC students volunteered at Five Loaves and Two Fish, an organization acting to support migrant worker families. The name Five Loaves and Two Fish originates from the biblical story about a miracle performed by Jesus where he served five thousand people with five loaves and two fish.
Since some migrant workers may not have typical full-time jobs, family in the nearby area, or the financial resources for extracurriculars, their children are often left on their own outside of school hours. This is where Five Loaves and Two Fish steps in to provide a safe space for these children to receive help with homework, participate in various activities, and enjoy snacks with their peers.
On a couple Saturday afternoons, TBC students split into small activity groups to play games and spend time with the children at Five Loaves and Two Fish. A few students joked about feeling out of touch with the younger generation and were amazed to learn the new and improved versions of the games that they had played in their childhood years. This service experience enabled the students to connect with the children.
Through TBC’s service-learning program, we hope to draw attention to grassroots organizations supporting the often-overlooked groups in society, while enhancing students’ learning, and personal and social skill development. As a Jesuit institution, in this unpredictable year of 2020, TBC has received an abundance of support and continues to spread love, kindness and devotion to our communities.
Founded in 1998, The Beijing Center for Chinese Studies (TBC) is a center of higher education in Mainland China committed to fostering mutual understanding between China and other cultures through cultural exchange, education and research. What makes us unique is our placement in a long and storied tradition of Jesuit education, one that teaches us that true cultural engagement starts first with friendship.
The past few weekends have been some of the most exciting of the entire semester, full of trips to the zoo, mountain hikes, ancient parks, and more! Our first trip out of many was a visit to the Beijing Zoo. I had mentioned earlier in the semester that I wanted to see some pandas, since I was in China after all, and our TBC friend Andy made it happen.
Spending a whole semester in Beijing, I knew I had to make the trip down south and check out Shanghai, and the city certainly lived up to the expectations. Everyone describes Shanghai as this super futuristic metropolis, and after spending a weekend there I understand why it has this reputation.