Last Tuesday through Thursday, July 24 – 26, 196 students from twelve migrant schools participated in a Football for Life summer camp, coached by the Manchester City Football Club (MCFC). Patrick Vieira, retired midfielder for Manchester City, and Carlos Tévez, current forward for Manchester City, visited on Tuesday and Thursday respectively; both took time to play with all of the children and later individually signed every child’s football jersey.

Stopping only to get water, the children made the most of every second they had on the field. Under relatively favorable weather conditions, the children were beaming as the thrill of the game kept their endorphin levels high and their energy running. The coaches praised the students for exhibiting positive attitudes and great conduct.

ABC thanks China ClubFootball and MCFC for partnering with us and making this football experience so memorable for the migrant students!

Despite the heavy rainfall, 17 Swire Properties Community Ambassadors, 20 students from the Pengying school, and ABC staff members partook in yet another successful CONNECT event on Saturday, July 21.

Volunteers decorated three migrant school classrooms with delightful drawings of children and butterflies that were designed by artist Ana Seco Durán with the assistance of arts volunteer Wu Yuchen. Each participant took to a brush and went around the classroom, adding color and life to the walls. Additionally, 20 bulletin boards were hung on classrooms throughout the school to enhance the learning environment of the migrant students.

In spite of the obstacles caused by the rain, the participants were not deterred. All six groups displayed great teamwork as every individual held a brush to paint a different part of the sketched outlines on the walls. Teams had an opportunity to bond even more as they engaged in origami hat activities as well as an entertaining game of charades. The day culminated in a group picture boasting smiles of pride and merriment at the remembrance of the beautifully decorated classrooms and newly developed friendships.

With a car full of household items, representatives from Lake Joondalup Baptist College (LJBC) visited ABC foster homes on Monday, July 9th. Students and teachers from LJBC worked together to find and purchase items needed to create a more comfortable and homely environment for our DREAM students. 

This past Saturday, July 7th, three migrant school classrooms underwent a transformation as a result of the collective effort of 33 Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) Program volunteers, 23 migrant students, and ABC staff. Jointly administered by the American Councils and the Alliance for Global Education, The State Department’s CLS Program partnered with ABC to collaboratively beautify the classrooms. Hailing from various American universities, the volunteers brought with them positive mindsets and proactive work ethics. While some participants prepared the classrooms for painting, others engaged in teambuilding activities with the migrant children, generating a friendly and competitive atmosphere. Displaying laudable teamwork skills, students and volunteers arduously dusted and painted side by side, helping each other accomplish the task. 

A unique challenge to this event was the strict “Chinese language only” policy which allowed the volunteers to hone their speaking and comprehension skills. However, the volunteers embraced this opportunity to practice with the migrant students and ABC staff, resulting in a supportive learning environment. At the end of the event, although the migrant students waved goodbye to their new friends, their memories of the day will be there to stay.