January 1, 2009 - January 22, 2009

Students from the Tacoma School of the Arts travel to Beijing, China, where they volunteer for a nonprofit aid organization, New Day Creations. The organization provides economic aid to a needy community outside Beijing. New Day Creations houses a foster care facility, a retreat center, a language school, a medical and dental clinic, a computer education program, and helps a local village school, and assists in an elder care program. Using the model of service learning, students learn firsthand about Chinese business, society and culture by working alongside graphic artists, factory workers, aid workers, teachers and caregivers. While volunteering at New Day Creations students will attend evening lectures on topics such as language, calligraphy, art, history and architecture. The retreat center will comfortably provide a place for students and chaperones to stay while working in Qingyundian.

Here you can find an ongoing journal of my trip.

"This isn't about China. It's about a certain small part of China at a certain brief period in time, and my hope has been to capture the richness of both the moment and the place." —Peter Hessler, River Town

—Jake Stortini, ­jakestortini@gmail.com