This study focuses on volunteer service activities among nursing students from ethnic minorities in China, providing an in-depth analysis of the current challenges faced by these activities and their underlying causes. Based on thorough research and literature review, we have identified key factors that hinder the sustainable development of volunteer services, including communication barriers stemming from cultural differences, resource scarcity, and insufficient professional quality of volunteer teams. To effectively address these challenges, this study proposes a series of coping strategies, including enhancing cross-cultural communication training to improve volunteers’ understanding and recognition of ethnic minority cultures, actively seeking social and financial support to alleviate resource shortages, and strengthening volunteer recruitment and training efforts to upgrade team professionalism and service capabilities. To demonstrate these strategies, the case of the Baige Youth Volunteer Service Society of the Nursing School at Wenzhou Medical University is introduced. Through the implementation of these strategies, we aim to promote the sustainable development of volunteer service activities among ethnic minority nursing students. Under the guidance of China’s excellent traditional culture, we also aspire to explore more locally suitable volunteer service models, thus making significant contributions to the advancement of volunteer service initiatives.
The excellent traditional Chinese culture is a treasure of the Chinese nation. Inherited to this day, its profound foundation and unique charm have had a profound impact on the Chinese people. As a manifestation of social civilization and progress, the spirit of volunteer service not only embodies the traditional virtues of the Chinese nation, but also highlights the humanistic care of modern society. Under the background of globalization, volunteer service activities have become increasingly prominent in promoting national unity, social harmony, and personal growth. Especially in ethnic regions, national unity and social stability are crucial. Therefore, ethnic colleges and universities guide ethnic minority students to actively participate in volunteer service activities through ideological and political education, which not only helps them better identify with and inherit the excellent traditional Chinese culture, but also enhances their sense of social responsibility and mission, contributing to building a harmonious society.
However, the current volunteer service activities of ethnic minority nursing students still face many challenges in their development. Some students have a limited understanding of volunteer service, and their enthusiasm for participation needs to be improved. Meanwhile, the mechanism construction and service areas of volunteer service activities also need to be further improved and expanded. Therefore, how to effectively promote volunteer service activities of ethnic minority nursing students and fully exert their functional values in cultural inheritance, social harmony, and personal growth has become an important issue that needs to be addressed urgently in ideological and political education in ethnic colleges and universities. This article will delve into its functional values and promotion strategies from the perspective of excellent traditional Chinese culture, aiming to provide useful references and inspirations for relevant practices.
In the fertile soil of Chinese excellent traditional culture, the volunteer service activities of ethnic minority nursing students have become an important way to strengthen the awareness of the Chinese national community with their unique charm. This uniqueness is not only reflected in the traditional cultural values contained in the activities themselves, but also in their positive role in promoting national unity, social harmony, and personal growth.
Universities need to face the challenges of domestic and international ideologies, leverage their internal strength, and guide college students to form a common ethnic identity, consciously safeguard national unity and ethnic solidarity, and shoulder the responsibility of national rejuvenation (Xu & Xie, 2023) . Ethnic universities, as the frontline, should utilize the unique advantages of students and enhance the effectiveness of integrating the sense of the Chinese national community into ideological and political education through platforms and activities (Zhou & Pan, 2023) . Universities, under the framework of the “grand united front” work, should integrate united front work with ideological and political work, foster a shared value consensus, innovate work methods, and integrate the sense of the Chinese national community into daily teaching to cultivate new-era talents with a high sense of national identity and ethnic pride (Zhang, 2023) .
Ethnic minority students face challenges in ideological education due to diverse social ideologies and personal differences. Colleges should leverage positive psychology to enhance their positive emotions, tap into their strengths, and guide them to appreciate life’s value. Xu (2021) emphasizes fostering the Chinese national community awareness, while Li and Chen (2022) discuss integrating dance classrooms with ideological education to cultivate students’ moral qualities. Gao (2020) also contributes to this discussion.
Ethnic minority college students in border regions display diverse ideologies and psychological complexities influenced by their cultural, religious, and geographical backgrounds. To address these complexities and foster social stability, universities must enhance their ideological and political education through strengthened mental health support, updated curricula, and strategic use of new media. Gan (2023) advocates fostering national community consciousness through educational policies, campus culture, and student engagement. Wang (2021) and Nie (2017) emphasize the need for updated educational approaches and mechanisms to address the specific challenges faced by ethnic minority students, while Chen (2023) further contributes to this discussion.
Through a comprehensive review of relevant literature, the study reveals that volunteer service activities not only showcase the unique cultural charm of ethnic minority students but also significantly promote their moral growth and ethnic community consciousness. Simultaneously, the research underscores the importance of integrating positive psychology, enhancing mental health support, updating curriculum content, and leveraging new media in ideological and political education to address the diversity and complexity of challenges faced by ethnic minority students. This study provides a more comprehensive academic perspective and practical guidance for improving the quality of ideological and political education for ethnic minority students and promoting social stability.
To further promote the healthy and sustainable development of voluntary service activities among ethnic minority nursing students, this paper proposes effective strategies focusing on strengthening cultural education, optimizing service mechanisms, broadening service areas, and enhancing policy support, addressing current issues and challenges.
Cultural education serves as the foundation for deepening voluntary service activities among ethnic minority nursing students. Firstly, enhancing their education in traditional Chinese culture is crucial to foster a profound understanding and appreciation of its values, enabling better inheritance and promotion in volunteer service. Secondly, cultivating their sense of volunteerism and responsibility is essential to recognize the importance of volunteer service for social harmony and personal growth, encouraging spontaneous participation.
Optimizing service mechanisms is key to enhancing the effectiveness of voluntary service activities. This involves establishing robust organizational and management frameworks, clarifying objectives, tasks, and responsibilities to ensure smooth operation. Simultaneously, strengthening supervision and evaluation mechanisms is necessary to promptly identify and address issues. Furthermore, incentive systems should be implemented to recognize outstanding contributions, stimulating enthusiasm and initiative.
Broadening service areas enriches the content of voluntary service activities for ethnic minority nursing students. Beyond traditional healthcare and poverty alleviation, activities tailored to ethnic regions’ unique needs, such as cultural inheritance and tourism promotion, can be explored. This not only satisfies more diverse demands but also contributes to the economic and social development of ethnic areas.
Policy support is essential for the development of voluntary service activities among ethnic minority nursing students. Governments should introduce policies providing financial, venue, and personnel assistance to ensure smooth implementation. Collaboration with other departments is crucial to foster a concerted effort. Additionally, enhancing publicity and promotion raises public awareness and recognition, fostering a favorable social environment for volunteer service.
The Boshi First Aid Team from the Nursing School of Wenzhou Medical University has conducted a series of targeted voluntary service activities for nursing students in ethnic minority areas. Among them, the “Life Rescue” Boshi First Aid Public Welfare Project stands out. Combining the strengths of the nursing profession, the project effectively enhances the self-rescue and mutual rescue capabilities of ethnic minority groups through popularizing first aid knowledge and skill training.
During the implementation of this project, the team focused on integrating ethnic characteristics with regional needs. Through various forms such as health education in townships and communities, life-saving workshops, and CPR hands-on practice, the effective transmission of first aid knowledge was achieved. The activities were characterized by precision and rigor in nursing expertise, as well as the humanistic care and effectiveness of volunteer service.
Through the implementation of the project, the “basic knowledge training for emergency rescue” was integrated into the education system, with over 500 training sessions conducted, resulting in more than 1,500 individuals obtaining first-aid certificates. In 2021, we conducted first aid knowledge training for over 3,500 freshmen from 100 classes in the university, effectively improving the first aid level in ethnic minority areas and cultivating a long-term first aid team for the region. The social response was enthusiastic, with an increased ability of the public to self-rescue, effectively reducing casualties caused by emergencies and promoting harmony and stability in ethnic areas. The project received national, provincial, and municipal coverage in newspapers such as China Youth Daily and Health News.
The practice of this project indicates that voluntary service activities in ethnic minority areas need to closely integrate with local realities, leverage professional strengths, and focus on effectiveness. In the future, we will continue to deepen such activities, explore more innovative models, and contribute more to the health care industry in ethnic minority areas. At the same time, we will strengthen cooperation and exchange with other organizations to jointly promote the sustainable development of volunteer service.
Although voluntary service activities for ethnic minority nursing students have achieved remarkable results under the perspective of Chinese excellent traditional culture, they still face numerous challenges. Firstly, communication barriers caused by cultural differences are a non-negligible issue. Due to the unique cultural customs and religious beliefs in ethnic minority areas, volunteers need to be more sensitive and respectful of local culture during service delivery to avoid misunderstandings and conflicts. Secondly, resource scarcity is also an important factor restricting the development of voluntary service activities. Ethnic minority areas are often economically backward with insufficient medical resources, which poses difficulties for the conduct of voluntary service activities. Additionally, the professional quality and service capabilities of volunteer teams are issues that urgently need to be addressed. Some volunteers lack relevant medical knowledge and nursing skills, making it difficult to provide effective services, thereby affecting the quality and effectiveness of the activities.
The emergence of these challenges has deep-seated reasons. On one hand, traditional concept constraints lead some ethnic minority people to maintain a reserved attitude towards voluntary service activities, lacking enthusiasm and initiative for participation. On the other hand, unbalanced social and economic development is also an important reason for resource scarcity. Furthermore, the lack of educational resources limits the improvement of the overall quality of volunteer teams.
In response to the aforementioned challenges and reasons, we propose the following coping strategies. Firstly, strengthen cross-cultural communication training to improve volunteers’ understanding and recognition of ethnic minority culture, and enhance their cultural sensitivity during service delivery. Secondly, actively seek social resources and financial support through cooperation between the government, enterprises, and social organizations to jointly promote the development of voluntary service activities. At the same time, strengthen cooperation with local medical institutions to share resources and improve service efficiency and quality. Furthermore, strengthen volunteer recruitment and training efforts to enhance the professional quality and service capabilities of volunteer teams.
To ensure the effective implementation of the aforementioned coping strategies, we need to develop detailed implementation plans, clarify responsibilities and timelines. At the same time, strengthen organizational coordination, supervision, and evaluation work to ensure that various measures are implemented. Looking into the future, we will continue to deepen our research and understanding of ethnic minority culture, exploring more voluntary service models that are in line with local realities. At the same time, strengthen cooperation and exchange with other regions to jointly promote the development of voluntary service undertakings. We believe that under the guidance of Chinese excellent traditional culture, voluntary service activities for ethnic minority nursing students will undoubtedly achieve more brilliant achievements.
The author declares no conflicts of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
Chen, S. L. (2024). Research on the Functional Value and Promotion Strategies of Minority Nursing Students’ Volunteer Services from the Perspective of Chinese Excellent Traditional Culture. Open Journal of Social Sciences, 12, 161-167. https://doi.org/10.4236/jss.2024.125012