It is always hard to say what the most important duty for young people is. This question might be a common problem for all students. Some people suggest that students should study hard and get good grades, while others insist enjoying their lives is much more important. And there are even some people saying that university students don’t need to join innovative organizations because there is nothing for young people to do – they are not helpful at all.

 

I have also been challenged by this debatable question for many times, especially when I introduce my organization and projects to others. So it takes me a lot of time to reconsider the real meaning of students’ taking part in social organizations in different forms: why do young students join such organizations? And why should students, not other people, take the responsibility?

 

In Beijing, a lot of top universities have built up a good community for students to collaborate and cooperate. They share their ideas and come up with various activities and projects. Based on the social network, many organizations and innovative activities are being created and planned every year. Most of the newly made organizations are trying to solve certain social problems in innovative and creative ways and some of them even have a huge influence on the whole country.

 

“iJoin Social Innovation Consulting” is a good example to demonstrate how youth organizations function and drive the change in a country. iJoin is a student organization that provides consulting service for NGOs in China. It is made up of and totally run by part-time students from different universities in Beijing. It is one of the greatest youth organizations in China, but its history was not very smooth before. During the first two years, it struggled very hard to earn trust and recognition from NGOs, because except for the founder, all other members were too young and lacking in practical experiences. In other words, they were thought not to be professional enough to manage such complicated work. Many people questioned their ability and threw dubious eyes on them.

 

 

However, in spite of so much bitter criticism and indifference, iJoin successfully finished the first-year projects and won big support from clients, and in turn, became the first organization to provide full-time consulting service for NGOs in China. Their achievement not only helped break the prejudice to student organizations but also brought about much confidence and hope to other youth clubs.

 

I joined iJoin in its second year of foundation. At first, I also had a negative attitude toward the club and did not believe that they could do consulting works well. But after one year’s working experience, I gradually changed my mind. I’ve found out some of China NGO’s problems that NGO itself could never become more advanced and professional in many aspects by itself and could make it better only with external consulting. And iJoin could do it! What iJoin did for NGOs for these years could explain this fact very well! Undoubtedly, university students are not the best consultants to provide such service. However, without those students who seemed helpless before but try harder than anyone else, nobody would be willing and able to find out the fact that a full-time consulting was extremely in need for NGOs in China.

 

From 2013 on, more and more professional faculties, not just young university students, are joining iJoin to lead the significant projects. Even the grass-rooted NGOs deserve best consulting, only if it is doing the right thing. It is very natural but indispensable and unavoidable that professionals take over the work and replace the positions of amateur workers. From the development and achievements of iJoin, we can easily know that it is university students that can bravely take the first step and set up a suitable and feasible model, but finally leave the organization without regret for the organization’s further development.

 

 

Now come back to the questions at the beginning. Why do young students join such organizations? What is the purpose of this kind of youth organizations? Core members in iJoin found the answer at last. They have realized that the real meaning of iJoin’s existence was to be replaced by better ones. In other words, they were waiting for much better organizations to meet the needs until the society did not need them anymore. That is the real role that youth have in social innovation area. The first reason is that students have relatively low opportunity cost and less life burden. So they can take a fast action to play a pioneering role. Additionally, as more and more young outstanding students who have studied abroad coming back to China, advanced knowledge, creative ideas and new approaches could be applied to solving social problems. Although most of them have to give up their positions after a certain period because of their lack of social resource and practical experiences, the impact they have on the society, such as their passion, bravery, has built up a better environment for more people to enter that area. It is so hopeful that the social problem will be solved.

 

Just as WWF’s slogan goes: we fight every day for our extinction. Youth organizations in China also have the same responsibility that they are willing to be the pioneer and drop out for better people to replace their roles.

 

Written by Yang Weile