If you are given only one yuan, could you live in a city for one day? It seems this may be a little difficult. But students from Xi’an did it.

On April 10, more than 60 students from the Middle School Attached to Northwestern Polytechnical University took part in the One Yuan Metropolis Survival. The charitable( 慈善事业的) organization for teenagers called Imperceptible Education held this activity. Students not only have to live, but they also have to deal with a lot of hard tasks. It has happened in eight cities and is going to four others, including Beijing, in June.

To make money, many students looked for part-time jobs and saw how hard life was. Zhang Qiyue, 14, asked more than 10 restaurants for a job and finally got one chance. “We were sad when they said no. But gradually(逐渐地), we got used to it,” he said. After being a waiter for an hour, he got 25 yuan.

Some made use of their talents by singing and dancing in parks or shopping malls. Many people who walked by took notice and helped them. Zhao Jiacheng, 14, drew pictures and made paper crafts(手工). “This showed it’s important to learn a special skill,” he said.Living was hard, but finishing the tasks wasn’t any easier. They went to different places to finish tasks in a short time.

The most amazing one was when they had to exchange things worth thousands yuan with only a piece of paper in half an hour. “We learned how to persuade others. From a balloon to a cake to a bottle of yogurt(酸乳) … after almost 20 tries, we got an expensive necklace,” he said. They will give all of the money they made to poor schools in Tibet, which is their special purpose by taking part in the survival activity.

No poverty, zero hunger, quality education, these are some of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)the United Nations(UN)established in 2015. In May 2019, the UN launched the SDG Book Club; each month, it posts on the club website a selection of books that illustrate a particular SDG to help young people interact with these goals.

Batesville Intermediate School launched the Junior Ambassadors (大使) program in August 2019, using the SDG Book Club as a springboard to introduce students to a more global view on world issues. Twenty-four 4^th and 5^th graders met for 30 minutes four days a week to read, discuss, research, and conduct the sharing of knowledge and solutions to these issues. Research activities, special projects, and guest speakers are additional opportunities for junior ambassadors to build knowledge. What began as a desire to help small-town children expand their views grew into a broader program that affected the school, community, and beyond.

The UN’s recommendation of Serafina’s Promise by Ann E. Burg was perfect for the junior ambassadors to begin their study of the first SDG: no poverty. The book is set in Haiti, so members of local Haitian groups were invited to speak to the program participants. Then, the junior ambassadors used their newfound knowledge to create multimedia lessons, sharing them with the other 480 students.

The study of the second SDG — zero hunger — gave junior ambassadors an opportunity to organize and carry out a read- a-thon (a reading marathon) to raise funds for the Grain of Rice Project’s school initiative in Kenya. The nonprofit’s co-founder, Amy Ahiga spoke to and inspired the students with her passion for helping others.

Junior ambassadors use what they learn to engage with their community and the world, earning the school the American Library Association’s 2020 Sara Jaffarian School Library Program Award for Excellence in Humanities Programming. They can look back with pride, knowing they made a difference. With increased confidence and skills, these children will know that they can and will continue to save the world — one goal at a time.

My Year Abroad

This month in Travelers Corner there are three teenagers’ experiences in year-abroad programmes.

Mariko Okada - Tokyo

My year abroad in the United States was a fantastic experience. I’m not a shy person, and I was very comfortable speaking to everyone. So I got lots of speaking practice. I also learned lots of interesting things about American culture. When I got home, my friends all said that I had improved so much! I hope to go back again in the future.

Carla Fonseca - Rio de Janeiro

I spent last year studying English in London. I’m from a small town, and London is a very big city. Sometimes I felt it was too big. There were so many people to talk to, but I always felt bad about my English. I missed my family, and I really missed my two cats. My roommate was always using our telephone, so I hardly had the chance for a nice long talk with my parents. I think it was a good experience for me, but I’m glad to be home!

Alvin Chen - Hong Kong

Studying in New Zealand was an interesting experience for me, but it was also lots of hard work! I had English classes six hours a day, five days a week—with lots of homework. I also kept a diary of my experience. I like to write, and I wrote two or three pages in my diary every day. On Saturdays, my home stay family took me to lots of interesting places and showed me so many wonderful things about the culture. I’m really glad I went!