Connecting urban and rural areas: the role and impact of student volunteers in the Blue Envelope Letters and Pen Pals Programme
Journal: Region - Educational Research and Reviews DOI: 10.32629/rerr.v6i3.2007
Abstract
This paper provides an in-depth discussion of the role of university student volunteers in the Blue Envelope Letter Pen Pal Programme in helping rural children's mental health and its social impact. By establishing long-term letter exchanges with rural children, the project aims to provide continuous psychological support and promote their positive outlook on life and learning motivation, so as to effectively deal with psychological problems such as loneliness, low self-esteem and academic pressure faced by rural children. The study found that such programmes not only had a positive impact on the children's personal growth and psychological health, but also brought growth and satisfaction to the university student volunteers, enhancing their communication skills, empathy and sense of social responsibility. However, challenges such as resource allocation, volunteer recruitment and training, and supervision and evaluation are also faced during the implementation of the programme. The article concludes with a series of countermeasures and recommendations to overcome the existing challenges, expand the project's reach, further promote in-depth communication and understanding between urban and rural areas, and contribute to the long-term development of rural children and the overall harmony and progress of society.
Keywords
urban-rural connectivity; university student volunteers; letter and pen pal programme; cultural exchanges; sharing of educational resources
Full Text
PDF - Viewed/Downloaded: 2 TimesReferences
[1] Hurley J, Longbottom P, Bennett B, etc. 2024. Workforce strategies to address children's mental health and behavioural needs in rural, regional and remote areas: a scoping review. Australian Journal of Rural Health.
[2] Wei SL, Ou LS. 2005. Analysis of self-efficacy and self-confidence. Contemporary Education Forum, 1: 126-127.
[3] Xiao YL. 2012. A preliminary study of "companion-type" adolescent family social work model. Central China Normal University.
[4] Xiao YL, Jin XH. 2012. A "companionate" model of family social work with adolescents. Journal of Shandong Youth Politics College, 28(02): 21-25. DOI:10.16320/j.cnki.sdqnzzxyxb.2012.02.008
[5] Wu YB. 2021. An action research on the impact of "accompanying growth" on the development of self-efficacy of students in rural small-scale schools. Hunan University. DOI:10.27135/d.cnki.ghudu.2021.003167
[6] Quan Y. 2016. Exploration of "accompanying growth" group social work. Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University.
[7] Liu SW. 2016. Research on the effect of correspondence communication in the field of interpersonal communication - centred on Guo Moruo's correspondence. Journal of Qiqihar University (Philosophy and Social Science Edition), 3: 147-149. DOI:10.13971/j.cnki.cn23-1435/c.2016.03.048
[8] Mao YY. 2003. University life: how far are letters from us. China Youth Research, 3: 78-80. DOI:10.19633/j.cnki.11-2579/d.2003.03.021
[9] He H, Lin Z, Peng CC, et al. 2021. Exploring the psychological health system of caring for left-behind children in the context of rural revitalization - taking the "Companion Angel" project as an example. Heilongjiang Science, 12(20): 138-141+143.
[10] Luo YY, Liu Y, Luo JP, et al. 2022. Reflections on the internalization of humanistic spiritual values of college students in epistolary volunteering. International Public Relations, 14: 70-72. DOI:10.16645/j.cnki.cn11-5281/c.2022.14.018
[2] Wei SL, Ou LS. 2005. Analysis of self-efficacy and self-confidence. Contemporary Education Forum, 1: 126-127.
[3] Xiao YL. 2012. A preliminary study of "companion-type" adolescent family social work model. Central China Normal University.
[4] Xiao YL, Jin XH. 2012. A "companionate" model of family social work with adolescents. Journal of Shandong Youth Politics College, 28(02): 21-25. DOI:10.16320/j.cnki.sdqnzzxyxb.2012.02.008
[5] Wu YB. 2021. An action research on the impact of "accompanying growth" on the development of self-efficacy of students in rural small-scale schools. Hunan University. DOI:10.27135/d.cnki.ghudu.2021.003167
[6] Quan Y. 2016. Exploration of "accompanying growth" group social work. Northwest Agriculture and Forestry University.
[7] Liu SW. 2016. Research on the effect of correspondence communication in the field of interpersonal communication - centred on Guo Moruo's correspondence. Journal of Qiqihar University (Philosophy and Social Science Edition), 3: 147-149. DOI:10.13971/j.cnki.cn23-1435/c.2016.03.048
[8] Mao YY. 2003. University life: how far are letters from us. China Youth Research, 3: 78-80. DOI:10.19633/j.cnki.11-2579/d.2003.03.021
[9] He H, Lin Z, Peng CC, et al. 2021. Exploring the psychological health system of caring for left-behind children in the context of rural revitalization - taking the "Companion Angel" project as an example. Heilongjiang Science, 12(20): 138-141+143.
[10] Luo YY, Liu Y, Luo JP, et al. 2022. Reflections on the internalization of humanistic spiritual values of college students in epistolary volunteering. International Public Relations, 14: 70-72. DOI:10.16645/j.cnki.cn11-5281/c.2022.14.018
Copyright © 2024 Qian LI, Yani YANG, Yaxin LIU, Kanglong WANG, Meng WANG
![Creative Commons License](http://licensebuttons.net/l/by-nc/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License