All Geared Up and No One to Rescue
Could Nancy Schwartz’s prediction of a new Chinese nonprofit movement be coming true? The Washington Post reported earlier this week that young people have flooded to Sichuan in hopes of assisting in earthquake recovery efforts, in the process sparking a debate within the country over whether they were helping out or just getting in the way.
[A]s the number of quake volunteers has ballooned, the Communist Youth League, which initially put out the call through text messages and television advertisements, has become more ambivalent about the helpers, who now number about 54,000.
In recent days, the group cautioned that volunteers without proper training could encounter dangers — becoming victims themselves — or could consume precious water and food supplies in the affected region. Local officials have said volunteers could help by teaching children, donating supplies and providing informal counseling, rather than entering rescue sites.
Twentysomethings crave action, though, and such safe activity, while undoubtedly necessary, isn’t what they had in mind. It’s hardly surprising that the country isn’t sure how to mobilize those who have shown up to help; the government is more used to battering down popular uprisings, not leveraging them. I also suspect that a strong nonprofit sector — which typically has an activist bent — would be something China would choose to be wary of. | 501(c)
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POSTED IN: Government, Musings
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