Community Service – Page 4 – 华府青年 CYOC

An Teaching Experience

By: George Wang

Over the past 14 weeks, I’ve had the privilege of volunteering every Monday evening for the Happy Seniors English Club, an online English-learning program hosted by the Chinese American Community Health Services (CACHS) and supported by volunteers from CYOC (Chinese Youth of the Capital). Funded by the Montgomery County Government, this program is designed specifically to support Chinese seniors (age 60 and above) in improving their English, adapting to American life, and building stronger connections with their grandchildren born in the U.S.

My Volunteer Work at 2025 CACHS English Club Program

By: Edward Ye

I volunteered with the CYOC over the last 12 weeks in the CACHS 2025 English Club program, by teaching the elderly English every Monday evening. During my first lesson though, I found myself quite anxious; I was very shy, and my Chinese was not proficient at all! I needed extra help from my parents to read and translate Chinese words for me throughout the first few lessons. Despite my shortcomings, the seniors were kind, patient, and always able to understand my broken Chinese – some seniors had studied ahead of time and could also comprehend my English speech. They were earnest about studying English, and I noticed that some even took notes. I was amazed at how dedicated they were at studying English, choosing to sacrifice their leisure time. Over the next 40 minutes I read English texts with them, assisted them with pronunciations and vocabulary, and at the end of class, I could tell that their speaking had considerably improved.

Reflecting on Teaching Senior English

By: Ruichen Feng

As a member of the Capital Youth Outreach Club (CYOC), I began volunteering in May to teach English to senior Chinese learners—many of whom had little prior experience with either English or online learning. What began as a weekly commitment soon became a deeply meaningful journey that reshaped my understanding of communication, empathy, and the true spirit of education.

青春与年华相伴，最长情的陪伴—记华府青年在大华府社区健康服务中心的系列老年活动

作者：Jennifer Zhang

大华府的6月，阳光灿烂，碧空如洗，万物生机勃勃。我们华府青年（Capital Youth Outreach Club, CYOC）倾情参与的、由大华府社区健康服务中心（Chinese American Community Health Services，CACHS）组织的两个系列老年活动项目完美收官！作为一个长期致力于公益性社区健康服务的非营利性社区组织，大华府社区健康服务中心在老年活动项目的组织和策划方面拥有非常丰富的经验。今年，健康服务中心组织的两个大型的系列老年活动，老有所乐和英语俱乐部，都是从1月份开始，历时半年，一直持续到6月份。作为大华府社区健康服务中心的长期友好合作伙伴，华府青年今年继续参与这两个大的社区公益服务项目，在大家的共同努力下，这两个系列活动进展顺利，圆满结束！

CYOC英语俱乐部义工心得

By Chloe Tang

在这短短半年的时间里，每周与CYOC英语俱乐部的爷爷奶奶隔着屏幕相约的时光很美好。大家每周上课早早守候在屏幕前，在学习过程中的认真与坚持深深打动了我。虽然他们一开始在发音和词汇上有困难，网络有时延迟或操作不熟练，但丝毫没有影响他们的学习热情，他们执着的精神令我敬佩。这让我意识到，正像学无止境这一成语中说的这样，学习是不受年龄限制的，活到老学到老。这也成为我坚持担任助教的动力，我放慢语速，一遍又一遍不厌其烦地帮助他们练习发音，拆解单词和词汇的解释来帮助大家更好地理解。与其说是教课，正是类似跨越语言的沟通学习，相互鼓励，让我更加明白倾听与耐心的重要性。最后，祝愿今后CYOC的线上英文俱乐部活动可以越办越好，帮助更多的爷爷奶奶学习英文，成为老年人和年轻人的沟通的桥梁。

阳光六月，温暖传递 —— CYOC夏季募捐活动圆满举行

华府青年小记者：Ruichen Feng
摄影/校对：Dechun Feng

2025年6月1日，天气晴朗，阳光明媚。在这个充满活力的初夏清晨，华府青年Capital Youth Outreach Club（CYOC）组织在 Thomas S. Wootton 高中停车场成功举办了夏季捐赠活动（CYOC Summer Donation Drive）。此次活动以“Summer. Serve. Support.”为主题，号召社区居民捐赠衣物、玩具、生活用品、家具、鞋类、学习与美术用品等物资，旨在为有需要的家庭送去一份夏日的温暖与希望。

Jennifer Zhang AANHPI award

By: Jennifer Zhang

I’m Jennifer, a junior student at Winston Churchill High School. It is a true honor to receive this award Asian American and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islander (AANHPI). First, I appreciate AANHPI gives me this award. Second, I truly thank the support from Capital Youth Outreach Club, CYOC for short in Montgomery County. Compared with others, my volunteering experience is unique. Before I moved back to the U.S. from Shanghai in the 10th grade, I had limited opportunities to engage in volunteer work. However, I was fortunate enough to join CYOC, which has opened doors for me to join multiple community-based volunteer efforts. At last but not least , I will thank my CYOC partners, the CYOC adult advisors, Dr. Pinglu, Prof. Taochen and Dr. Haoli and my mother as well, for their great support and help. Without them, it’s impossible for me to get this award.