The Women’s Forum is hot, not only for the participants, but also for the volunteers.

We 30 volunteers from SILC, Shanghai University, are pouring all our enthusiasm into the duty. All the volunteers, wherever they are (Pudong Airport, Hongqiao Airport, or Shangri-la Hotel), find themselves so happy helping with the Forum that they think this experience worthwhile.

However, the volunteering work is by no means an easy task. We have to concentrate on the events happening at each of our workplaces throughout the day. Where there is an incident, there is a need for volunteers. Welcoming guests at the airport, guiding participants to the proper room, placing the seats in neat rows, laying booklets in the Plenary Room, helping deliver microphones to questioners—these are all places where we are needed.

The most important thing for us is the sense of commitment. In order to ensure there is a volunteer on duty, many have skipped lunch and stuck to where they belong. But meanwhile, we do not lack flexibility, which means we are ready to make up the absence if the person at a position needs extra help. And in that way, we are able to keep everything running smoothly.

After a days’ work, almost every volunteer tells me that they can’t find where their poor feet are because they are too exhausted to move. At the same time we feel busy and tired, we also feel ourselves being helpful and responsible. We feel our efforts have paid off when we receive thanks from participants. We strongly believe that everyone can make a difference, no matter who you are.