Hangzhou 11

January 10, 2024

Today, we went to the children’s hospital with a lesson plan on the history of chair and beds. We chose to do this because we wanted to get the children’s opinions on different furniture designs, so that we could use it for reference in the future when buying new items for their classrooms. Unlike previous sessions where we were split into two groups on the two floors that we always go to, Izzy had us switch floors today, as she wanted the 5th floor people to experience the conditions of the 7th floor classroom.

A few of us expressed concerns about this as there are some kids that have already formed bonds with the students on their floor- however, this concern was quickly dismissed as we clarified that this was okay with one of the kids that came early. Like every other session, our goal was simply to engage them in activities for the time that we’re there. Today on 5th floor, we started the lesson on time as students started coming in. we were unable to use the projector for whatever reason, so Hanyi (who took lead for today’s class) used her phone. We were able to engage students in the lesson by passing the phone to each of them, allowing them to get a better look at the pictures.

Once we were done with the lesson, we went on with making the furniture with clay. One thing we observed from these hospital visits was that the kids loved working with clay, which we will keep in mind for future sessions. When some of the kids were finished with their clay creations, we moved on to drawing out their dream classroom. The girl I spent this session with was quite shy, so I helped her draw as she described her ideal classroom to me. Finally, we concluded the visit by visiting a 3D room modelling website, where we encouraged the kids to construct their room.

Overall, this session was great and we look forward to seeing them again after the break! Through this visit, we were able to get a rough idea of what the children would like to see in their classrooms, in which we hope we will be able to help them achieve through fundraisers.

December 6, 2023

This is unquestionably the most memorable and the most heartfelt visit that our Links group have had for the first semester. We wanted to give these children long-lasting memories and joy before we leave for Christmas.

On December 2, we organized the CISHZ special Pie Day, a thrilling event that provides the CISHZ community a chance to contribute to the Children’s Hospital Toy Drive through enjoying the fun of smashing whipped cream to their teachers and beloved CM’s faces. Remarkably, we successfully auctioned more than 16k RMB, which could never have happened without the unwavering support from our classmates and all Links Leaders responsible for other locations. Although they haven’t had a chance to form an intimate connection with the children in the hospital, everyone showcased their empathy. With determination, we transformed it into impact.

It was the last visit to the Children’s Hospital in 2023. The group heaved the large bags of toys one by one off the van, anticipating the expressions on these kids’ faces when they received their gifts for Christmas. Ultimately, our lesson for the day was to teach them this festival of love and unity. Once everything was set up in the classroom, Vivian (CM of the group) and I went to the children’s rooms and reminded them it was time for class. Ten minutes passed, yet only one child came. This situation had never happened in the past visits. We felt powerless – that day was coincidentally the day when most kids have their treatment, hence they couldn’t leave their beds. Barriers still pose between their wellbeing and education even when we arrive next to their rooms. Nonetheless, we adapted to the situation. Many of us offered to sit next to the children’s bedsides and proceed with the lesson. Luckily, our community partner encouraged more children to learn in the main classroom, ten minutes later the class was filled with more than eight kids. We bonded through making clay snowmen, writing Christmas cards, reading illustrated Christmas-themed picture books. The dull space was quickly overflowing with laughter.

Time passed in a blink of an eye, and it was time to go. We carried the ten bags of toys around the two floors, giving these kids their presents from “Santa” and wishing them a happy winter. Pleased smiles broke across the kids’ faces. Watching them fiddling with the toys, their exhausted parents were gratified, their long hours of work and care for their family was all worth it to witness this moment of happiness. Everyone deserves empathy and equity, and Links is here to build bridges for these families and provide them links among communities. Christmas is a time to spread happiness and share hope, a vision which we have fulfilled from this visit.

November 22, 2023

Going to the Children’s Hospital is a highlight of the week for the group. With coordination, we planned the agenda for the class in prior, proposed arts and crafts activities, together deciding to bring the kids in the hospital to the world of dinosaurs. When we arrived, we had to clean and sanitize the classroom before the kids arrived, ensuring that they can learn comfortably in a safe environment. As always, they walked in with a smile on their faces – a mixture of excitement and curiosity. Some of us started to break the ice by playing legos, coloring, or just by simply chatting. The lesson was very smooth – the kids were very willing to cooperate, and engaged enthusiastically when we introduced the origins and fun facts of dinosaurs with vivid images. Surprisingly, we find some children to know more about the prehistoric age than us! 

We had two members from Moganshan joining us for this visit, and it was great to see them fully engaged and collaborate with our group members. The 一对一 bedside interactions went smoothly. Additionally, we were able to interact with the parents of the kids and support the kid together when crafting their own clay dinosaurs. A PhD student from Zhejiang University unexpectedly joined us, interviewed Emma and I about our motivations and insights that we gain from providing service in such an environment for his documentary project. Overall, it was again, a fun, meaningful and successful links visit to the Children’s Hospital. We are looking forward to seeing them again in two weeks!

November 15, 2023

The children we met this time were completely different from last time, however, the atmosphere and liveliness was just as good. The children were enthusiastic about playing with toys and talking about their interests and hobbies with us, and there were kids ranging from 4-10 years old attending.

     We split up into two groups (two floors) and were able to foster an engaging learning environment in both, where we pre-prepared canva slides teaching children about simple, easy to remember facts about the planets in our solar system, with the lesson on 5th floor lasting around an hour. The kids thoroughly enjoyed playing with colorful clay and we were able to give the remaining unused clays to children in the wards who were unable to attend. Similarly, the children were interested in folding paper airplanes out of origami paper and I even folded two paper flowers for two kids to take home. They were all happy to make many many little clay planets.  

     I met a kid who loved to draw, and we drew a few aquatic animals together on one page. I saw the kid make friends with another kid around his age as they sat together and made the nicest looking clay planets together (all the other kids were too young to understand how to properly form a clay ball).

    I (Isabelle) also met the sweetest girl who I made clay sculptures with for most of the visit. She told me about her pet dog who ran away and how she was going to make burgers, fries, cakes and flowers. She even gave me a few of her sculptures. At the end of the visit she came back to give me a snack. I told her we would come back in two weeks, but she said that she was going home, since her lung cancer was getting better. One thing I learned from this trip was that I rushed my lesson plan and did not stick to it very strictly.

    I hope that next time we go, we are able to recognise and re-meet some of the kids we saw this time, as we were able to bond with them quite well, as i think that the one of the greatest challenges of going to the Children’s Hospital is seeing a different group of kids every time, being unable to form meaningful and lasting bonds with them. I (Isabelle) would also like to thank Kaitlyn Wong and her group for doing such an amazing job at leading her floor of the hospital for the first time, I know that I can always rely on her.

September 20, 2023

Much it feels wrong to say that our visit to the hospital was fun, but the children we met and talked to were all engaged and enjoying themselves; making lanterns and playing chess was heartwarming, especially watching them interact with not only us, but each other as well. We met one boy who was so enthusiastic and attentive - he was super funny and seemed to really like us. After our visit was over he even asked for our phone numbers, but we were not allowed. Some things we could improve on was our unexpectedly short lesson plan, as after lantern making we had a lot of leftover time. We also cannot just randomly chat with them or else we would be wasting our valuable class time. However, I feel that we made good lasting impressions on the children and staff.