Eh... there's always 2016, right?
They say the first step to giving a little something back is at least thinking about it. Or maybe they don't say that. Hey, whatever. Here are 10 Shanghai-based charities that could use your help this year and beyond. Get involved. Cheers to altruism.
Education

Shanghai Adream Charitable Foundation
Year Founded: 2007
What They Do: Adream focuses on solving education inequality in China. A noble intent. Their projects support education in rural areas and urban inner-cities through providing equipment (such as computers), holistic curriculums, and teacher training programs so that disadvantaged communities can become self-sustainable. Their curriculums differ from traditional teaching methods in China by being interactive with a focus on enjoying the learning process. For the past four years, Adream has been ranked by Forbes as the most transparent charitable foundation in China -- an accolade indeed.
How You Can Get Involved: Adream looks for volunteers to promote and teach their Adream curriculum in schools. They welcome people of any age and nationality to join, however most of their work is done in Chinese. You can apply to be a volunteer on their website here.
Stepping Stones
Year Founded: 2006
What They Do: Stepping Stones says that English proficiency is the biggest differentiator of education between rural and urban Chinese children. The differing quality in English programs perpetuates the gap in employment and educational opportunities between rural and urban kids. To address this issue, Stepping Stones focuses on English education to the children of Shanghai's migrant workers. Their teachers travel to migrant schools around Shanghai as volunteers, generally on their own dime, every week. According to their website, their program provides a substantial increase in the kids' English ability and interest in learning it.
How To Get Involved: Sign up for a teaching class. They ask that volunteers to teach 3-6 hours a week per school term with a commute of 45-90 minutes for a minimum of 3-4 months. Positions that take less of a commitment include tutoring, working as a substitute teacher, and other roles such as fundraising, photography, and office admin.
Disadvantaged Groups

Home Sweet Home
Year Founded: 2005
What They Do: Home Sweet Home assists the homeless, disabled, and adult orphans, equips them with a better home environment, and provides opportunities to reintegrate them into society. Basically, they run an internship program for these groups so that they're assisted in integrating into society and taught vocational skills. Interns are provided with food, lodging, and a small allowance. The next step is their vocational training program. Trainees work as employees of Shanghai Home Sweet Home and earn a basic salary while gaining work experience. After graduating, they can go on to find sustainable careers. In addition to that primary focus, they also provide a place where the homeless can take showers and get clean clothes, have fresh meals, and play games.
How To Get Involved: You can get involved by teaching English classes that run from 10am-12pm on Thursdays, selling their products for fundraising and raising awareness, and helping out with their product design and brochures. Or just show up to their Saturday outreach program from 2pm-6pm. For locations and more information, email them at webinfo@homesweethome.org.cn.
Shanghai Young Bakers
Year Founded: 2008
What They Do: SYB provides free, certified training to disadvantaged youth -- those with impoverished backgrounds and lacking employment opportunities -- in French baking. After the yearlong training program, these students are able to go on to have careers in the field, with the goal of achieving financial autonomy. The best students gain further opportunities like flying to France to continue their culinary training. They fundraise through bake sales and workshops where you can learn how to bake French pastries. SmSh ran a Communities article on them, which you can take a look at here for more information.
How To Get Involved: They run monthly volunteer meetings and are on the constant look-out for people who can help them with IT, translation, fundraising, event management, and copywriting. They're looking for people that commit at least a few hours a week for three months. For more info contact communication@shanghaiyoungbakers.com.
Environment

Shanghai Roots And Shoots
Year Founded: 1999
What They Do: Founded by UN Messenger of Peace and friend to chimps everywhere Jane Goodall, the Shanghai chapter of Roots and Shoots runs programs for the environment, animal welfare, and the community. Currently, they do tree planting, building environmentally friendly offices, recycling, teaching kids organic gardening, promoting better hygiene practices to children of migrant workers, and much more. They have a large focus on educating children on environmentally sustainable practices.
How To Get Involved: Volunteers can sign up for Roots and Shoots programs in March and September of every year, which you can do on their website. Check out the programs listed there and express interest in the one you'd like to be involved in. You could also try giving them a call to see if there's anything you could help them out with sooner.
Green Initiatives
Year Founded: 2009
What They Do: Green Initiatives runs events every month to promote awareness of, and solutions to, environmental issues. They invite industry experts and local leaders to give talks, screen documentary films, and promote student outreach to educate China's youth about the environment. They also run "The Fiber Project", a clothes recycling program, in partnership with I:CO, a Swiss company that reprocesses used items. They have bins all around the city, including at several Element Fresh restaurants. Currently, the project is still in the collection phase. Read our in-depth interview with them from last year.
How To Get Involved: Go to one of their events that they hold throughout the month to learn about green practices and raise awareness in the community. Support the Fiber Project and donate your used clothes. To see their upcoming events, check their website here.
Animals

Best Friends China
Year Founded: 2012
What They Do: Best Friends China promotes adoption, sprays and neuters abandoned animals, and helps find them new homes. The organization is run entirely by volunteers. They have a shelter and run a foster care program for animals that are rescued and haven't been adopted yet. Every week, they promote and organize an adoption day in rotating venues throughout the city.
How To Get Involved: They have several volunteering positions available such as translation, transportation, event planning, photography, and web design. If you want to work directly with animals, you can adopt or sign up as a foster parent. Even if you aren't in the city for the long haul, you can still offer your time and home to animals as Best Friend's shelter only has limited room. They are also looking for experienced rescuers and people to bathe and spend time with the animals. For more info, you can contact them at BestFriendsChina@hotmail.com.
SCAA
Year Founded: 2005
What They Do: SCAA works to promote the health and welfare of animals through outreach, advocacy, medical care, and foster care. Their foster network has 30 to 40 people in it, and SCAA supports them by paying for the pets' veterinary care and finding adopters. Foster parents are screened by home environment and availability. They have Association status with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), an international animal welfare charity. Learn more about SCAA and what they do by checking out this interview we did with them.
How To Get Involved: You can get involved by providing foster care to an animal or, better yet, adopt one outright. Currently, they don't have any space to take rescues, but hopefully that will change in the future if more people volunteer to become foster parents. Find out more about how to become a foster parent on their fostering page.
Children's and Infant's Programs

Shanghai Healing Home
Year Founded: 2009
What They Do: Shanghai Healing Home aids abandoned orphans with surgically correctable deformities by providing pre- and post-surgical care, in addition to actually organizing the surgeries themselves. The children they receive are between five days old and six months old. They are entirely funded by private donors, and they've cared for over 100 babies since 2009. The environment they provide is meant to be home-like and they welcome volunteers to spend time with the toddlers and aid in their development through language, music, and one-on-one attention. This is one of the places where BEAN Shanghai runs their volunteer programs.
How To Get Involved: Healing Home needs volunteers who will play with the babies, take them through development programs, and show them love. Volunteer sessions are available most days of the week and usually don't go more than three hours. You can sign up on their volunteering page, and afterwards you'll be asked to attend a mandatory orientation that is held bi-monthly.
Heart To Heart Shanghai
Year Founded: 2003
What They Do: Heart To Heart's mission is to provide support and funding for Chinese children that require heart surgery for congenital heart defects. They organize volunteering sessions such as hospital visitations and play sessions, as well as English tutelage to Chinese medical staff. They also fundraise for the children in need to pay for their surgeries, and they gather clothes, blankets, toys, books, and other items and redistribute them to children in need.
How To Get Involved: Heart To Heart needs people to spend time with the children at the hospitals. They have play sessions from 2-3.30pm and no language skills are necessary. Other ways to participate in Heart To Heart's mission include knitting cardigans, which are sold for fundraising, or you can donate clothes, toys, and other goods. More information on their volunteer page.
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