Taiwan: Falun Gong Children's Summer Camp in Tainan Ends Joyfully

From August 12th to August 14th, Tainan Minghui School held a summer camp for little Falun Dafa practitioners. Schoolteacher Ms. Wang, the organiser of the camp, said that the goal of the summer camp was to help children to discipline themselves according to Falun Dafa's "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" principles and learn a sense of independence and mutual care within a large group.

Ms. Wang said the camp received nearly 110 applications, with applicants ranging from preschoolers to high school students. While such a diverse group is very hard to manage, all the volunteers worked very hard to solve every challenge, yet never complained. As they are all practitioners, they reviewed their work daily and helped each other in order to better serve the children.

The 2-day summer camp offered the children a lot activities, including Fa study, group exercises, storytelling, experience sharing, movies, crafts, games, and a talent show. Children could even learn things during mealtime and before going to bed.

Group Practice

Schoolteacher Ms. Jiang Huimin brought three children to join the summer camp, and she also served as team leader of the junior group (from 3rd to 6th graders). She said that the children were very well behaved. For example, during dining time, they always acted thoughtfully, handing plates and food to others.

Two brothers in particular caught this reporter's attention; both of them were very serious about Fa-study, exercise practise and sending righteous thoughts. The younger brother is exceptional. He always finished his plate completely and cleaned up his table. Upon seeing his good demeanour, many others also followed his example.

Ms. Lin Huijun, the team leader of the youngest group (toddlers to 2nd graders), has a son in first grade. However, she treated all the children in her group the same. She said that she was so touched by the children's innocence and trust.

Arts and Crafts

Schoolteachers Mr. Lin Zhiqing and Ms. Sun Guoying didn't have any children participating in the summer camp, but they still volunteered their time to serve the camp. "The most rewarding thing about this work is seeing the positive changes occurring in the children. They cultivated very hard during these two days and learned a lot," Mr. Lin said.

Ms. Lin also said, "Four students who were not talkative in the past also shared their experiences courageously - what a big step!"

The summer camp had a big impact on one high school student. She and her young brother are both new practitioners. Before coming to the camp, they had only read the Fa [the teachings of Falun Gong], but hadn't tried the exercises. They learned the five sets of exercises during morning group practice. Though she felt quite lonely at the beginning, as she was the only high school student, she gradually found a way to communicate and share with the other youngsters. In the end, this young woman felt that the summer camp was quite good and joyful.

Feedback from the children was also enthusiastic. They all felt that the activities were exciting and the facilities were wonderful. Some even asked, "Can the camp extend for another week?"

Talent Show

On the last day, there was a talent show where the children had a chance to exhibit what they learned from the camp in various ways: plays created based on stories given by Master Li in Zhuan Falun, singing, story-telling, etc.

The camp concluded in an atmosphere of joy and relaxation. The children said goodbye to each other and promised to come back next year.