Happy Chinese New Year and two vacancies!

 

Some brief updates:

Stepping Stones is recruiting:

Due to the departure of two key staff members, we now have vacancies for a Communications Manager as well as a Program Manager for our Shanghai English Teaching Program. You can find more information about the positions here.

Office: 

We have settled in well into our new office at Sandbox in Yangpu district, but unfortunately we have to leave in the summer. If anyone is able to provide affordable or free space to Stepping Stones later this year, we look forward to hearing from you!

New Video: 

A big thank you to long-term sponsor ID Creations for producing this beautiful video for us, which tells Stepping Stones’ story from our early days.

Please click here to find out how to donate and support our programs.

Thank you for all your support, and I wish you a very Happy Chinese New Year!

 

 

Corinne Hua

Executive Director

Executive Director

Vacancy: Communications Manager

The Communications Manager reports to the Executive Director,  and:

  • Works with the whole team to formulate and implement Stepping Stones’ Communications Strategy, which integrates message development, web presence, and social media.
  • Collects stories and key messages from staff, volunteers and other stakeholders and produces English and Chinese language communications, including website, wechat posts, e-newsletters, other social media posts (facebook, weibo, etc), and videos.
  • Designs marketing materials, such as presentations, annual reports, flyers, posters, greetings cards, etc.
  • Manages, maintains and continuously improves Stepping Stones’ Chinese website, and gradually adapts the English website to match the Chinese one.
  • Coordinates photography and videography work to capture high quality images and footage of Stepping Stones’ projects for promotion purposes.
  • Manages the storage of Stepping Stones’ photo and video data.

 

Minimum Qualifications:

  • Several years’ communications and design experience (corporate or non-profit sector);
  • Good Chinese writing skills (native-level preferred) and fluency in English;
  • Experienced with a range of different communications platforms, and different media, including photography and video;
  • Technologically competent and quick to learn new technology;
  • Ability to work independently as well as within a team, multi-task, stay well-organized and adapt in an ever-changing sector/environment;
  • Interest in the non-profit/social/development sector;
  • Excellent work ethic with a positive and flexible attitude.

Compensation and Benefits:

Compensation will be at local market levels in the non-profit sector and take into consideration the skills and experience of the successful applicant.  Stepping Stones will provide all statutory benefits for Chinese nationals, or medical insurance for expatriates, plus 12 days annual leave in the first year of employment.

Candidates already based in Shanghai are preferred, noting that Stepping Stones is unable to cover relocation costs or assist with accommodation. Stepping Stones can assist foreign nationals with work permit and visa applications.

 

Start Date:

The start date should ideally be no later than March 2019.  The initial contract would be full-time (40 hours per week) for one year, with an option to extend upon mutual agreement.

Work Location:

The Communications Manager will be based at Stepping Stones’ office, which is currently at Room 1110, Building 1, No. 1687, Changyang Road, Yangpu District, but will move elsewhere in Shanghai by summer 2019.  Occasional working from home may be possible.

Contact:

To apply for this position, please send your resume to hr@steppingstoneschina.net by 15th February 2019 with a cover letter to explain your suitability for this job position, and why you are interested in it. Applications can be in English, Chinese or both languages.

 

 

New video tells Stepping Stones’ story!

Please check out this touching video, which tells Stepping Stones’ story from the very beginning! A huge thank you to ID Creations, who have been making beautiful and highly professional videos for us since 2009, and all pro bono! Woohoo!! And a big thank you to all the volunteers and staff whose hard work has made this video, as well as Stepping Stones itself, a reality!

Glam Soirée raises funds for Stepping Stones!

On the evening of Thursday 10th January, Stepping Stones’ staff and volunteers swapped their Stepping Stones t-shirts for fancy evening wear, and headed to Glam at M on the Bund to host a New Year Soirée for Stepping Stones’ top donors.

Guests mingled over a delicious champagne cocktail before sitting down for a fabulous four-course meal accompanied by M on the Bund’s very own Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc wines. Jazz singer Lulu accompanied by Ryan on the piano contributed to the cool ambiance.

Dragon TV presenter Mr. Yu Li kept guests entertained and kept the evening’s proceedings flowing smoothly.

British Consul General John Edwards presented the British Empire Medal certificate to Stepping Stones founder Corinne Hua, who was proudly wearing for the first time the medal that was presented to her in November by Prince Andrew.

 

Leading Chinese economist Professor Fan Gang gave a touching speech about his experiences teaching at a primary school in Hebei Province during the 1970s, and Rupert Hoogewerf (better known by his Chinese name Hu Run) talked about the joy of making a difference to children’s education.

Corinne Hua explained to guests what inspired her to study Chinese and the journey that led her to establishing Stepping Stones in Shanghai, and was excited to share with guests Stepping Stones’ ambition to establish a foundation in 2019.

Old friends of Stepping Stones enjoyed welcoming new supporters, and thanks to the intimate ambiance created by this small-scale dinner, numbering only 30 people, guests were surprised to find how much they had in common with people who they were meeting for the first time.  New friends vowed to stay in touch with each other and come together again in the near future to continue to help Stepping Stones with its 2019 goal to establish a foundation.

The generosity of our guests, along with other friends who were unable to attend the soirée, has totally exceeded our expectations. In just one evening, we received pledges for more than 1 million RMB, bringing Stepping Stones half way towards the 2 million RMB goal!

 

Our fundraising campaign will continue into the Spring, and we plan to hold a second event in early April. If you would like to get involved in the campaign or in the fundraising dinner in April, please get in touch.

Sincerest thanks to Fan Gang, Rupert Hoogewerf, John Edwards and Yu Li for supporting this event and  Michelle Garnaut for providing the fabulous venue, food and drinks. Thank you also to the volunteers and staff who worked tirelessly to organise a superb evening. All finally, thank you to our very generous donors. With your help, we believe Stepping Stones can do even greater things in 2019 and beyond.

A lovely interview with our lovely volunteer Connie!

 

Stepping Stones volunteer Connie Yuan made history last month, becoming our longest-serving ever individual rural volunteer, having spent six full weeks living and teaching in the town of Taohuajiang, Hunan province. We asked Connie, who is from California, about her experience.

Q: Where did you first find out about our rural volunteering project?
A: I found out about Stepping Stones through a combination of a friend and a lot of internet searching. My friend had done volunteering in Asia before, and gave me a list of organizations she had found, which included Stepping Stones. I chose to do my volunteering with Stepping Stones because the way the organization presented itself was much less flashy and business-oriented than other groups I had looked into. Stepping Stones truly cares about the welfare of the population they serve.
Q: What was it that interested you about volunteering in a rural part of China?
A: As a child, I would come to China every summer to visit family. But most of my family live in cities (Shanghai and Fuzhou), and when we would travel around China, it’d still be to cities, like Beijing. I had looked into Stepping Stones’ Shanghai volunteering program and considered it, but ultimately I decided it was time to see a part of China I wouldn’t have normally visited while on a regular family vacation.Q: What did you imagine it would be like, and how has this compared to your actual experience?

A: To be honest, I was not really sure what to expect. I think when people hear rural, the first thing that can pop into mind are dirt roads and little village huts. Where I went for my volunteering, Taohuajiang, was more like a small city than what we would traditionally think of as rural (which Morgan did tell me during our briefing!). So, in that sense, Taohuajiang was a pleasant surprise.

However, despite its bustling appearance, Taohuajiang is rural in the sense that everyone knows everyone. People are more relaxed, and less used to foreign influences than in the big cities. I would say I got the best of both worlds in Taohuajiang, just city-like enough in appearance, but still rural in atmosphere. 
Q: What have been your biggest challenges?
A: I’d say, at school, the biggest challenge was classroom management. I found in most classes, even if 99% of the class was listening attentively, there would always be one or two kids goofing off. So, as a teacher, learning to manage those kids was the biggest challenge. 
Outside of school, I’d say the biggest challenge was navigating a rural Chinese town as a Chinese-American. Since appearance-wise I fit in, it was not immediately obvious to people that Chinese is not my native language, and that I know very little of it, or that I couldn’t read most of the signs around town. However, while this was a challenge, it was also a good learning opportunity, as I had a lot of time to improve my speaking and reading in Chinese.
Q: What have been your happiest moments? 
A: I’d say my happiest moments have been seeing progress in my students, and seeing them eager for English class. Things like getting creative during sentence-making activities, then seeing eager faces and hands fill the classroom during class made up my happiest moments in the classroom. Outside of school, I loved wandering around the town and the surrounding area, just soaking in a different way of life than I’m used to. 
Q: Would you recommend rural volunteering to a friend? If so, what advice would you give them before they go?
A: I’d definitely recommend rural volunteering to a friend, especially those who have lived in urban areas all their lives. It’s a challenge having to navigate a new environment and maybe not being fluent in the native language, definitely, but it’s a deeply rewarding experience! I have met some amazing kids, and the kindest people during my volunteering experience. It forced me out of my comfort zone, and I definitely grew more confident in myself because of it.
As for advice, I’d say keep an open mind! Yes, it can be intimidating at first, but the staff at Stepping Stones provide great training before you leave, and are a great support system. At my site, I truly felt welcomed by the teachers and principal at the school. They were there to help me from the time I arrived to when I left. Definitely don’t be afraid to ask questions, try new things and be open to new experiences. And, of course, be prepared to be mobbed by children during your first couple of days! They are naturally curious and will have a lot of questions … some might even want your autograph!
If you are interested in such experience, please take a look at the program on our website.

Volunteer Appreciation Party was great!

A big THANK YOU to all volunteers who attended the Stepping Stones Volunteer Appreciation Party on Wednesday, 5th Dec. We were there, of course, to celebrate this semester’s achievement: over 200 volunteers delivering more than 1,700 lessons to 3,600 students at 29 schools and community centers around Shanghai. None of this would have been possible without your hard work, dedication and commitment. So, THANK YOU again!

Congratulations to those who won the lucky draw prizes and a huge thank you to the lucky draw sponsors: Husk, Urban Thai, M on the Bund, Dragonfly, Epermarket, Fields as well as Simon Harrold for contributing two tickets to the Disney Resort, Shanghai. Volunteers had a great time with great food and drink generously sponsored by Gemma. We hope you had as much fun at the party as we did; thank you for attending!