From the 10th to 15th of April, 2016, three students from the School of International Studies and School of Foreign Languages, Peking University (PKU), went to Qatar to attend the first International Volunteering Youth Forum, which was hosted by Qatar University and sponsored by Qatar’s Ministry of Culture and Sports and the United Nation. During the Forum, Yida Xiao and Chu Fang from the PKU School of Foreign Relations, Department of Arabic Language and Culture gave speeches in fluent Arabic. They received a big round of applause from the guests after introducing a PKU program to assist Syrian refugees.
Qatar’s biggest Arabic newspaper, Al-Watan, reports the event under the title of “A Grand Work by Volunteers Helping Syrian Refugees”; the report also included the speech by PKU delegates and introduced details of the Syrian refugees program.
The subject of the forum is to “Promote Volunteering Activities through International Communication.” Twenty-two delegates from different countries were invited to join in the discussion, and they presented to the forum their volunteer activities, challenges, and resolutions in their countries. Throughout the five-day forum, well-known volunteers, college professors, and religious leaders from Qatar, Kuwait, Sir Lanka, and Columbia shared their volunteering experiences, and discussed useful tips in volunteer service, and explained how it influences society. Additionally, delegates attended various cultural activities, such as visiting Islamic Arts Museum and giving out necessary goods to foreign labors in Qatar.
In summary, Peking University was invited to the event as Qatar University’s most important partner in China. In the meeting, the PKU delegates presented to the audience and guests in English and Arabic about their volunteer activities. They also explained PKU’s program to help Syrian refugees. They further interacted with delegates from many countries, and introduced Peking University and showcased Chinese culture. Moreover, they accepted interviews from Qatar-based newspaper and radio stations during the meeting. During the closing ceremony, our delegates were invited to give a speech in Arabic. They called the speech “China!”, and applauses resonated throughout the venue when they finished their speeches. Afterward, the minister of Qatar’s Ministry of Culture and Sport highly praise the performance of delegates from PKU and gave them a trophy.
Translated by Sienna Luk
