Over the past few months, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to participate in Friday meetings with students from Yunnan. Each week, we explored a variety of topics—ranging from school life and family to pets, hobbies, and favorite movies. These conversations gave me a glimpse into what life is like in Yunnan, and I was fascinated by the cultural differences between their everyday experiences and mine here in the United States.
Receiving an award of any kind is an exhilarating experience, regardless of its size or significance. There’s a unique thrill that comes with being recognized for your efforts. For me, it brings an immense sense of pride and gratitude, both toward those who acknowledge my hard work and toward the organizations, like the Capital Youth Outreach Club (CYOC) and So What Else, that provide opportunities for me to contribute. On January 26, 2025, I had the privilege of attending the award ceremony hosted by the CYOC. This event wasn’t just a celebration of CYOC members’ contributions, it was also a moment for me to reflect on my journey and be recognized for my own dedication to volunteering.
The Capital Youth Outreach Club (CYOC) hosted its 2025 Annual Meeting at the Potomac Community Recreation Center, bringing together youth volunteers, distinguished guests, and long-time supporters to celebrate a year of service, leadership, and community engagement.
On January 26, 2025, during our Annual Celebration, we proudly looked back at the remarkable achievements of CYOC. Since its founding in 2018, Capital Youth Outreach Club (CYOC) has experienced impressive growth, gradually becoming one of the most influential youth volunteer organizations in the Greater Washington area. From its humble beginnings with just around 20 members, CYOC has grown to over 500 members, with a presence across Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C. This organization has brought together a group of passionate and energetic young people who are actively involved in community service, aiming to enrich others’ lives and create a powerful network of mutual support full of positivity. Looking ahead, we will continue to expand our organization and welcome anyone with dreams, creativity, or a desire to grow to join CYOC. We firmly believe that by helping young people connect with their communities and actively engage, we can help drive prosperity and resilience in our communities.
If you went to Capitol Hill on August 31, 2024, you would have found Tai Chi performers, people playing Go, lion and dragon dances, and stuffed pandas. This is no normal day in DC, it’s the Chinese Culture Festival. Every year since 1993, it draws hundreds of people to gather at Capitol Hill, and clearly NOT for any political event.
The culture festival was created to spread awareness of Chinese culture, hence the name. Last year, my service group, Capitol Youth Outreach Club, volunteered at this festival, and my job was to walk around the city and do some advertising. This year, I switched to the reporter group. My job this time around was to take pictures and videos and write a report on the festival.
The Chinese Culture Festival is a yearly event held in Washington D.C. Capitol Hill; this year being held on August 31st. Entering the event, you can experience all different types of Chinese cuisines, cultural games like Go, and many traditional Chinese acts including Tai Chi, Peking operas, lion dances, and more serving as a great opportunity for foreigners to learn about Chinese culture. As part of the Capital Youth Outreach Club, it is my job to write an article highlighting special, and unique parts of the event.
为了此次的重要活动，大家都精心准备，早上6：30，CYOC的义工们就早早到达了会场，开始展台布置等服务。有的演员们和主持人们在进行表演前最后的排练，力争呈现出最棒的舞台。Shanghai Media Group也在进行直播设备的调试准备工作。很快，大街上，一个个小展棚升起，让空旷的马路变成了繁华的会场。每一个展台都努力展示出最具代表性的文化符号。身着CYOC统一制服的义工们特别值得称赞，他们都对中国文化有浓厚的兴趣，踊跃报名参加这次活动，在整个活动里他们起到了非常重要的作用。他们年龄最小的还是小学生。他们不怕累，和大家一起帮忙搭建展台，搬运沉重的物品，水箱；他们不怕晒，分散到了活动周围，热情满满宣传活动，向游客讲解中国文化，分发宣传册和礼品；他们用功准备，有的小义工们还担任起了专业的主持人，在激情满满地的排练着台词；他们尽职尽责，随叫随到，忙碌在会场的各个角落，在鲜亮的活动会场背后，是小义工们的汗水。经过大家共同努力和精心准备，十点，第二十二届华盛顿中国文化节在期盼中开始了。
华府青年 CYOC 
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