Springing with popularity this time each year are several international school fairs, carnivals and events. Nearly every weekend during the month of April and May, families caravan to an international school and enjoy fun games and delicious food. These school events often feature a theme. The themes vary from seasonal to cultural, as school environments are transformed into micro-amusement parks of family fun.

In the deemed third Embassy zone of Beijing, Yew Chung International School of Beijing  (YCIS) hosted a spring event on May 21, 2011, the annual Global Community Day. The theme was "Celebrating our Commitment," marking a historic milestone of 15 years since YCIS established a location in Beijing.

"YCIS Beijing is next to Honglingjin Park, which is a landmark in itself. We are excited to be a part of this community and this year there has been a lot of enthusiasm for the event because of the 15th Anniversary," said Rodney Lemoine, YCIS Beijing Parent Relations Officer and Global Community Day organizer.

Attendees could sign a large YCIS Beijing "birthday" card at the event that featured several photos from the days when the school had less than 100 students. Today, the student body has grown to over 800 students who represent over 45 nationalities.   

"A ton of people come to Global Community, and I really enjoy helping out at the event. It's a good chance to meet everyone's families who come from all around the world," said Year 12 student Lilla Beres from Hungary.

Lining the sports courts in the center of campus was a mixture of booths from the international Beijing community. Restaurants provided sausages, kebabs and drinks, while the YCIS Parents Organization sold baked goods.

Several other organizations had booths that dotted the schoolyard offering games, souvenirs and information. The atmosphere had a festive tune as the YCIS Students from the orchestras and choirs performed during the whole event.

Year 3 Student Alassandro Benni, who shared a birthday with his twin brother on the day, said, "I got to be a part of the Anniversary cake-cutting on stage, it was a lot of fun and the cake was really good." Other cake-cutters included students, faculty, and parents who had been with YCIS  Beijing for many years.

If students were not dining, performing, or cutting cake, they were likely at a booth paying a small fee to play a game in support of raising large sums of money to be donated to the YCIS Charity "Seeds of Hope."

Seeds of Hope is a YCIS network-wide charity that aligns students, staff, and parents to a central cause of supporting education in rural areas in China. Seeds of Hope is partnered with the China Youth Development Foundation and is a cooperative effort whereby a primary school is built in rural locations to bring education and "Hope" to children.

The goal is to build a "Seeds of Hope School" in proximity to a YCIS location in order to foster a sister school relationship for ongoing support.  Each new Seeds of Hope School will create long-term opportunity for ongoing cultural exchanges, and service-learning trips that will be of great benefit to the YCIS students and local communities for many years to come.

Community service is an important aspect of YCIS Philosophy and Objectives in order to build good character and citizenship. The emphasis on service presents important lessons to students as corporate social responsibility (CSR) will remain a vital mainstay in global corporate practice for years to come.

YCIS encourages this concept among its students through frequent visits to migrant schools, hospitals and concerned communities that require charity work.

The total amount raised for Seeds of Hope on Global Community Day was more than 10,000 yuan during the three-hour event. The funds generated by YCIS charity projects for Seeds of Hope donations will be matched by local government organizations.

"I am pleased that our YCIS community event can benefit a good cause, and that parents, students and community can see this as a real part of our school philosophy," said Western Co-Principal Wayne Richardson.