**Unfortunately this trip is not running for the 2019 summer year. We apologize for any inconvenience, and we hope to bring back a trip similar to this in the future.**
Back by popular demand for its sixth year, the OneSky / CCI Summer Adoptee Volunteer Trip 2018 (formerly known as the HTS / CCI Summer Adoptee Volunteer Trip) offered Chinese adoptees a one-of-a-kind volunteer experience at OneSky’s pre- and post-operational medical care home for orphans in the heart of Beijing.
WHERE: Chunhui China Care Home in Beijing. The Care Home is an intermediary center for medically fragile orphans either pre or post medical attention. The home is not an orphanage.
WHEN: July 3rd - July 12th 2018
** Due to the enthusiastic response for this trip, OneSky / CCI added another session that took place July 17th - 26th, 2018!
COST: Participant fee (covering in-China lodging and meal costs) wass $1800 USD. This cost excluded airfare, visa costs, and incidentals. There is a reduced fee of $1150 for the Adoptee Facilitator (see below for details).
QUALIFICATIONS: Adoptees must be 16 or older at the time of travel. There will be ten spots offered on the trip.
This uniquely adoptee-designed-and-led trip brought a group of Chinese adoptees to volunteer with orphans in China for ten days in the summer. It also featured our very own Adoptee Discussion and Journaling program, led by an experienced CCI representative, to help participants make the most of their time in Beijing. In addition, the trip allowed participants to explore the historically, politically, and culturally vibrant city of Beijing and all that it has to offer, including the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, and the Forbidden City.
There were number of volunteer opportunities in China, but only one that was especially created by and for Chinese adoptees and that brought the group together with a discussion and journaling program. Not only were participants able to give back to orphans in China, but they were also able to connect with Chinese adoptees from around the world and experience the vibrancy of our international Chinese adoptee family. Don’t miss the chance to be a part of this unique volunteer opportunity!
history of the onesky / cci trip and partnership
Founded in 1998 by adoptive parents Richard and Jenny Bowen, and formerly named Half the Sky Foundation, OneSky Foundation is a United States based non-profit that initially set out to improve the live of Chinese orphans by providing them with loving, family-like care.
CCI first partnered with OneSky Foundation in 2011. Carrying out a t-shirt fundraiser, CCI raised over $500 in general donations to support OneSky’s mission to improve the lives of Chinese orphans through their five programs: infant nurture, preschool program, youth program, family village, and special care for special needs. Since their founding in 1998, OneSky has established 50 of their own Chinese Welfare Institutions and one China Care Home, a medical pre-and-post operational care home for orphans receiving medical treatment in Beijing. Today, OneSky Foundation is responsible for the training of caretakers across China's Social/Child Welfare Institutions, and they are currently expanding their proven model into the field of early childhood education across many nations in Asia.
In 2014, CCI first partnered with OneSky to offer a unique volunteer experience designed for Chinese adoptees. The volunteer program allows adoptees to make lasting friendships and connections while empowering them to make a difference. This Volunteer Program has played a strong role in our mission of empowering the adoptee community through giving back. We encourage our members to take some time to learn about OneSky’s important work and to join CCI’s Volunteer Program Initiative.
SAMPLE DAY IN THE LIFE
7:00 AM Wake up
8:00 AM Breakfast
9:00 AM Arrive at Chunhui China Care Home to volunteer with the children
12:00 PM Lunch at nearby noodle and dumpling restaurant
1:00 PM Return to Chunhui China Care Home
3:00 PM Travel to the Beijing Olympic Village for the early evening
6:00 PM Dinner out
7:00 PM Return to the hotel; reconvene in facilitator’s room for end-of-day wrap-up discussion and journaling activities
8:00 PM Screening of Twinsters (2015)
Adoptee Facilitator
The OneSky / CCI Adoptee Volunteer trip 2018 formally introduced the special role of the Adoptee Facilitator, unique among trips of its kind and present since the very first year, but previously called the discussion facilitator. CCI would like to extend a huge thank you to all of the amazing adoptees who have served in this important role, regardless of the nomenclature!
The Adoptee Facilitator was a member of the OneSky / CCI Summer 2018 trip who also held the unique role as representative of China’s Children International (hereafter “CCI”) and leader of our one-of-a-kind journaling and discussion program. We offered a reduced fee of $1150 for the Adoptee Facilitator.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Worked closely with CCI and OneSky in the months leading up to the trip in preparing itinerary
Reviewed and revised CCI’s own Discussion and Journaling Program for the next round of participants
Provided preparatory materials for the group program
Facilitated pre- and during- trip bonding among participants
During the trip, acted as mentor and leader to adoptee members
Provided CCI with up-to-date detailed written and photo blog documenting the trip for future records
Supported CCI after the trip in the creation of promotional materials re-assessing and improving the trip for next year
Before they were selected, the applicants agreed to the terms laid out in the following document: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mikbtnRUCIpcKXLxfAD_pkjlH7IE77YlPyzQTnCrhyI/edit?usp=sharing
people
CCI would like to thank two Chinese adoptees who were instrumental in the success of the OneSky / CCI Summer Adoptee Volunteer trips over the years: Grace and Chloe. Both girls stepped up to crucial leadership roles that both continued and greatly expanded the scope and quality of the trip. We applaud them for their hard work and contributions.
Chloe Mills: International Volunteer Coordinator and Summer 2014 Adoptee Facilitator
Hello, my name is Chloe Mills. I was adopted from Hefei, China when I was three years old. Currently, I am a senior at Corvallis High School, Oregon. I have always felt a deep connection to my roots and a commitment to give back to the community. Through the HTS/CCI summer 2014 volunteer trip, I returned to China to help medically fragile children at the China Care Home. I believe empowerment of individuals comes from sharing valuable lessons and experiences.
Grace: OneSky / CCI Trip Director and Summer 2014 and 2016 Adoptee Facilitator
Grace Gowen was adopted from Guangdong, Maoming when she was 6 months old. She grew up in San Francisco Bay Area and from a young age, was always involved with the adoptee community and Chinese cultural events. She and her family were a part of Families with Children from China and attended their events annually as a child. In the summer of 2013, she flew to Beijing to volunteer in the first annual China Children International/OneSky adoptee volunteer trip to work in the care home for special needs orphans and bond with other international Chinese adoptees. She fell in love with the children at the care home, and felt passionate about the missions of CCI and OneSky. In the summers of 2014 and 2016, Grace became the facilitator and discussion director for the Beijing trips, working with the founding members of CCI to continue providing a space for international Chinese adoptees to bond with one another and play with the children at the care home in Beijing. Grace graduated from Occidental College in 2018 with a major in sociology and minor in Chinese, and was admitted to the Beijing Language and Culture University for the next year to continue her language studies.