The Amity Foundation, an independent Chinese voluntary organization, was created in 1985 on the initiative of Chinese Christians to promote education, social services, health, and rural development from China’s coastal provinces in the east to the minority areas of the west.
Every summer, Amity promotes cross-cultural dialogue through its Amity Summer English Program, as English-speaking volunteers work with rural middle school Chinese teachers of English to develop their listening and speaking skills. Chinese participants see foreign friends engaged in service that directly benefits their communities, while volunteers gain a deeper understanding of an important and growing nation that is often misunderstood and misrepresented in their own countries.
Since 2006, International Ministries of The Presbyterian Church in Canada has provided volunteers to Amity’s Summer English Program to assist middle school English teachers in China with their English skills. In the past, participants have also shared teaching methodologies and techniques with the Chinese teachers.
For more information about Amity and its programs, visit the Amity website.