日前，由团中央、教育部、财政部、人力资源社会保障部共同组织实施的2016年大学生志愿服务西部计划正在进行志愿者的招募工作。21ST CENTURY就西部计划工作采访了团中央青年志愿者工作部部长张朝晖，相关内容以“Looking Westward”为题刊发在2016年6月1日第8版。文章介绍了西部计划项目实施的情况、近年来的变化和调整以及项目执行方式调整后的影响等。

    附原文如下：

    Looking westward

    ZHAO FANGXUE

    SPECIAL TO 21ST CENTURY

    Zhou Jing decided to take an unconventional career path after graduating from Hohai University in 2014. The 24-year-old, who majored in mechanical engineering, took part in China’s “Go West” program. He now has been serving in the energy bureau of the Tibet autonomous region for two years.

    “Whenever I tell others that I participated in this project, their very first reaction is to think that I worked as a volunteer teacher in the western regions,” said Zhou. His work actually involved analyzing and writing technical project papers, which required him to demonstrate his professional expertise in mechanical engineering.

    This program, which lets college students volunteer in China’s western regions, was launched in 2003 by the Central Committee of the Communist Youth League (CCYL) and the ministries of education, finance and personnel. Each year, it recruits a certain number of university graduates and enrolled postgraduates to volunteer for a period of one to three years in industries such as education, health and agricultural technology.

    Service sectors of this program were adjusted and optimized in 2011. There are now seven sectors for college students to choose, including education, health care, agricultural technology, grassroots youth work, civil administration, and other services in Xinjiang and Tibet. “The program won’t ignore the students’ talents and professional knowledge,” said Zhang Zhaohui, who directs the volunteer work department of the Central Committee of CCYL.

    With posts of different stripes available, Zhang also mentioned that if a graduate works for a while and realizes that the job is not suitable, organizers now can also help him or her to switch to a more tailored position. “We refine the project to guarantee that these graduates can get as much as they can from the volunteering experience,” he said.

    Living allowances are also increasing. According to 2016 statistics provided by Central Committee of CCYL, the allowance for volunteers working in western regions is 25,000 yuan per person per year. And for those who work in central regions, the number is 18,000 yuan.

    However, though the new policies may seem appealing, the volunteer work is by no means easy. Feng Zhuoyi, a 27-year-old volunteer, encountered difficulties while serving as a public relations (PR) person in a *municipal Party committee in Xinjiang from 2011 to 2013.

    At the very beginning, nearly every single entry-level volunteer was assigned tasks that seemed unimportant and unrewarding, according to Feng. Together with the relatively tough environment, some of her fellow graduates became disillusioned, and they quit soon thereafter. “But if you do have the ambition, professional expertise and qualities to keep holding on,” she said, “you are sure to accomplish a lot in the project and enjoy all the benefits of your accomplishments.”

    What steps are involved in joining?

    1. Sign up during the voluntary registration period from April to June each year.

    2. Selections are based on a written test and an interview that assesses each applicant’s overall skill set, including his or her communication and logical thinking skills.

    3. Applicants must pass a physical checkup.

    4. Volunteers are dispatched to various regions based on the preferences of local leaders and individual volunteers.

                                                                                      SOURCE: YOUTH.CN