Why do we call it Boot Camp...
There is a growing trend in China for parents of teenagers to send their children to what we describe as “Boot Camp”. “Boot Camp” is not so much one where they are physically pushed but one where they are academically pushed and disciplined in order to gain entry into the final years of high school. Most of the students are 13-15 years old coming from well to do families. However they aren’t the children their parents want them to be so are ‘thrown’ into “Boot Camp” for 6 months in most cases.
Around China there are various Boot Camps run by different people. There have been sad stories reported on various news agencies about the treatment some boot camps have inflicted. They are not all the same, some are worse that others
There are some sad stories even in the where Boot Camp we've been serving. One young 17 year old girl was telling us her story, how she had been in the camp for four months. In all that time she had not seen her parents and yet they only lived a couple of hours away. At that time she bagan to shed tears, and so did our team member.
Our co-worker says; "My role as I see it is to give these kids a break from their daily routine of hours upon hours of study. Through English teaching, I try to give the kids a fun experience to look forward to each week and at the same time improve their English level which will benefit them in the future. Most of these kids have never met a foreigner before, so I’m also able to be a bridge between them and the West, answering questions they have and bringing visitors from around the world.
My goal is that through interacting with these kids on a consistent basis their English level will improve but more importantly we'll help them realise that each of them has potential and the possibility of a good future."
How can people help us serve in Boot Camp? It's not a situation where we can sponsor (or should sponsor) individual children. However like all our programs we need to provide resources to our program leaders to enable and equip them to reach out to these children. To build relationship, to teach Englisch and as our co-worker said to help them realise and see their own potential.
Would you firstly pray for our Boot Camp team and then consider if you are able to financialy support this area of our work. To provide a gift please click here.
