同理心，即“理解与分享他人感受的能力”。对任何年纪的人而言，能够与他人共情的能力都是必不可少的。越早培养、掌握这项技能，越好。若能在困难和逆境中与他人产生共鸣，个体便能透过一个完全不同的视角看待世界。这令我们能够理解他人的行为，给出有意义的建议和强有力的情感支持。思及此，福州西湖国际学校的高中学子参与了与福州小家合作的志愿服务项目。

Empathy is defined as ‘the ability to understand and share the feelings of another’. The ability to have empathy for others less fortunate than oneself is an indispensable skill for people of any age. The earlier we can develop and master this skill, the better. Being able to identify with others in times of hardship and adversity allows the individual to see the world through a completely different lens. It enables us to comprehend the behaviour of others, give meaningful advice and impactful emotional support. With this in mind, High School students from Fuzhou Lakeside International School have been involved in a volunteering programme in partnership with Fuzhou Hope Home.

福州小家是一个成立于2016年的慈善机构，主要为白血病患儿提供种种支持。有些患儿来自大城市以外的乡镇，其所在地缺乏先进的治疗方式，还有些患儿的家庭无法负担专业医疗所需的高昂费用。FLIS与福州小家合作已超过两年，为此开展了各式各样的慈善活动，包括2021年的圣诞集市、2022年的圣诞福袋活动，等等。我们也很荣幸地邀请到福州小家的工作人员魏未小姐，在FLIS TALK项目上发表关于同理心、爱与志愿服务的演讲。

Fuzhou Hope Home is a charitable organization set up in 2016 that cares for children with leukaemia. Many of these children come from areas outside of the city where advanced treatment is not available, or are from families who cannot afford the high cost of this specialist healthcare. FLIS has worked in partnership with the Hope Home for over two years now, having run various fundraising activities including the Christmas Fair 2021. We were also honoured to welcome Weiwei, a member of staff from the Hope Home to give a speech for our FLIS TALK programme about empathy, love and volunteer service.

FLIS四名高中生作为“大哥哥”“大姐姐”报名参加了福州小家的志愿者活动，与孩子们玩耍互动，同时提供陪伴、情感支持，希望患儿在困顿之际依然能体会正常生活的感觉。孩子很难表达他们的情绪，好比许多年纪小的孩子并不能完全理解他们为何要待在福州小家，为何要接受痛苦的治疗，还不能做喜欢做的事、吃喜爱的食物。志愿者的工作之一便是减缓这方面的痛苦与困惑，帮助孩子通过不同的媒介，如游戏、艺术和音乐来传达他们的感受。

Four of our High School students signed up to volunteer as ‘big brothers’ and ‘big sisters’ in the Fuzhou Hope Home. Their role was to provide interactive activities for the children whilst providing companionship, emotional support and a sense of normality in an often stressful and difficult environment. It is difficult for the children to express their emotions, as many of the youngest don’t fully understand why they must remain in the Hope Home, undertake draining, often painful medical treatments and be denied their favourite activities and foods. Our volunteers worked to overcome these problems and help the children convey their feelings through different mediums such as play, art and music.

FLIS高中生表示，尽管志愿服务常常充满挑战性，但总体而言还是十分积极的。他们认为这段经历很有意义；他们与一些孩子建立了真正的联系，并为他们的生活带来了改变。福州小家的孩子们总是很期待"大哥哥大姐姐 "的来访，并热情地参与到组织的活动中。志愿者们还说，他们觉得在孩子的康复过程中，情感支持与医疗技术同样重要。

Our high school students reported that although the experience was often challenging, the overall impression was incredibly positive. They described the experience as rewarding; they formed a real bond with the individual children and were able to make a difference to their lives. The children of Fuzhou Hope Home looked forward to the visits from their ‘older siblings’ and participated enthusiastically in the activities that were organized. The volunteers also said they felt that emotional support was as important as medical treatment in the recovery process that the children were going through.

FLIS学生因这段志愿服务经历而深深动容。这个项目不仅改变了他们对重症患者的看法，而且还激励自己在未来进一步开展慈善工作。培养强大的共情能力、帮助有困难的人，这对打造一个充满爱与关怀的社会而言至关重要。FLIS也致力于培养学子掌握这些能力，这有助于我们在实现目标的道路上继续前进。

Our students were moved by the experience of volunteer service. Not only did the programme change their perceptions of people suffering from serious illnesses, but also inspired them to undertake further charity work in the future. Developing a strong ability to empathise and respond to others undergoing hardship is vital for a loving and caring society. Fostering this skill at FLIS helps us on the way to achieving that goal.