Integrating Volunteer Service Education into Ideological and Political Courses

Volunteer service is an important indicator of social civility and progress, and a vivid practice in the New Era through which our Party guides and mobilises the masses to contribute wisdom and strength, create a better life, and achieve the goals of struggle. On the occasion of this year’s Youth Day (May 4th), General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out in his reply to the members of the volunteer service team of the Western Plan stationed at Xieyite Primary School for border-area education: “You have responded to the Party’s call to teach and educate people in the western border areas, playing an active role in promoting the development of local education, promoting ethnic unity and progress, promoting the prosperity of border areas and the enrichment of their people, and stabilising and consolidating the border areas, while also gaining experience and growing yourselves.” In April 2024, the *Opinions on Improving the Volunteer Service System for the New Era* issued by the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council emphasised: “Incorporate volunteer service as an important part of the ideological and moral construction of minors and the ideological and political education of university students, and include it in school education, teaching, and student social practice.” [1]1 The General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council are the administrative organs of the Party and state leadership, respectively, responsible for implementing central decisions. Ideological and political courses bear the important mission of carrying out volunteer service education and are a key front for guiding students to promote the volunteer spirit and contribute youthful strength. Integrating volunteer service education into ideological and political courses requires explaining clearly to students the significance of volunteer service in comprehensively advancing the great cause of building a strong country and the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation through Chinese-path modernization, guiding students to take on responsibilities and make achievements in serving the western regions, serving the countryside, and serving the grassroots.

志愿服务是社会文明进步的重要标志，是新时代我们党引导动员人民群众贡献智慧力量、创造美好生活、实现奋斗目标的生动实践。今年五四青年节到来之际，习近平总书记在给谢依特小学戍边支教西部计划志愿者服务队队员的回信中指出：“你们响应党的号召到西部边疆地区教书育人，在促进当地教育事业发展、促进民族团结进步、促进兴边富民和稳边固边中发挥了积极作用，自身也得到历练和成长。”2024年4月，中共中央办公厅、国务院办公厅印发的《关于健全新时代志愿服务体系的意见》强调：“把志愿服务作为未成年人思想道德建设和大学生思想政治教育的重要内容，纳入学校教育教学和学生社会实践”。思政课承担着开展志愿服务教育的重要使命，是引领学生弘扬志愿精神、贡献青春力量的重要阵地。将志愿服务教育融入思政课，要向学生讲清楚志愿服务在以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业中的重要意义，引导学生在服务西部、服务乡村、服务基层中挺膺担当、建功立业。

Uphold the unity of serving the people and embracing the world with a broad mind. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “Young people in the New Era of China must have both a sense of family and country and a concern for humanity.” Serving the people and dedicating oneself to the motherland is the correct direction for the development of contemporary Chinese youth and the value orientation that volunteer service education must adhere to. Ideological and political courses should deeply explore the touching stories of young volunteers in serving the people and dedicating themselves to the motherland, such as the young university students at the Science and Technology Backyards of China Agricultural University who volunteer to serve the comprehensive revitalisation of the countryside, and the environmental protection volunteers at the Danjiangkou Reservoir area in Shiyan, Hubei, who guard the reservoir with heart and soul. [2]2 Science and Technology Backyards are a Chinese agricultural extension model where graduate students live and work in rural villages to conduct research and provide technical support directly to farmers. Teachers of ideological and political courses should integrate these typical cases into teaching, enabling students to establish a sense of family and country and an awareness of serving the people through volunteer service education. Volunteer service not only has the intrinsic value of contributing youthful strength to the realisation of the Chinese Dream but also has the global significance of using youthful passion to create the best “Chinese name card.” Integrating volunteer service education into ideological and political courses also requires teachers to cultivate in students a broad mind that embraces all rivers and a moral sentiment that embraces the world. In the process of carrying out volunteer service education, teachers of ideological and political courses should adhere to being rooted in the country while facing the international community, guiding students to participate in international volunteer service projects when possible, so that volunteer service resonates in the same frequency between cultivating a sense of family and country and nurturing a concern for humanity.

坚持服务人民与胸怀天下相统一。习近平总书记指出：“新时代中国青年，要有家国情怀，也要有人类关怀”。服务人民、奉献祖国是当代中国青年发展的正确方向，是志愿服务教育必须坚守的价值导向。思政课应深入挖掘青年志愿者在服务人民、奉献祖国中的感人故事，如中国农业大学科技小院的青年大学生志愿服务乡村全面振兴、湖北十堰丹江口库区的环保志愿者用心用情守护水库等。思政课教师要将这些典型案例融入教学，让学生在志愿服务教育中树立家国情怀和服务人民的意识。志愿服务不仅具有为实现中国梦贡献青春力量的内在价值，还具有用青春激情打造最美“中国名片”的世界意义。将志愿服务教育融入思政课，还要求思政课教师注重培养学生海纳百川的宽阔胸襟和胸怀天下的道德情操。思政课教师在开展志愿服务教育过程中，要坚持立足本国又面向国际社会，引导学生在力所能及的情况下参加国际志愿服务项目，使志愿服务在厚植家国情怀和涵养人类关怀中同频共振。

Uphold the combination of classroom education and practical training. General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “We must widely promote the volunteer spirit of dedication, fraternity, mutual assistance, and progress throughout society, better leverage the positive role of volunteer service, and promote social civility and progress.” The essence of ideological and political courses is to explain principles; they should focus on using the basic principles of Marxism to explain to students the action attributes, social significance, and practical value of volunteer service; using the worldview and methodology of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era to explain to students the historical logic, theoretical logic, and practical logic of volunteer service in promoting Chinese-path modernization; and using typical cases of volunteer service that have emerged since the 18th National Congress of the CPC to explain to students the intrinsic connection between volunteers serving the people and dedicating themselves to the motherland and their own training and personal growth. [3]3 The 18th National Congress of the CPC, held in 2012, marked the beginning of the Xi Jinping era and the launch of the comprehensive and strict governance of the Party. At the level of practical teaching in the great classroom of society, we should actively create a “walking ideological and political course,” allowing students to perceive the contemporary value of volunteer service through participating in various types of volunteer service social practices.

坚持课堂教育和实践历练相结合。习近平总书记指出：“要在全社会广泛弘扬奉献、友爱、互助、进步的志愿精神，更好发挥志愿服务的积极作用，促进社会文明进步。”思政课的本质是讲道理，应注重用马克思主义基本原理向学生阐释志愿服务的行动属性、社会意义和实践价值；用习近平新时代中国特色社会主义思想的世界观和方法论，向学生阐释志愿服务推动中国式现代化建设的历史逻辑、理论逻辑和实践逻辑；用党的十八大以来涌现的志愿服务典型案例，向学生阐释志愿者服务人民、奉献祖国与自身历练、个人成长的内在关联。在社会大课堂的实践教学层面，要积极打造“行走的思政课”，让学生在参加各类志愿服务的社会实践中感悟志愿服务的时代价值。

Uphold the coupling of goal focus and cross-stage coherence. General Secretary Xi Jinping gave important instructions on the construction of ideological and political courses in schools, emphasising: “Deeply advance the integrated construction of ideological and political education in universities, middle schools, and primary schools.” [4]4 This refers to the policy of coordinating ideological and political education across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels to ensure consistent messaging and progressive complexity. Volunteer service, as an important part of ideological and political education, should not only run through the teaching of ideological and political courses at different educational stages, reflecting the continuity of volunteer service education content, but also fully consider the laws of education and teaching and the laws of student growth at different stages, reflecting the gradation of volunteer service education, achieving the coupling of goal focus and cross-stage coherence. From a vertical perspective, we should take the implementation of the fundamental task of fostering virtue through education as the foothold, uphold the concept of integrated education, strengthen the top-level design of the integrated advancement of universities, middle schools, and primary schools, and gradually run the essential connotation, contemporary value, and social significance of volunteer service through all educational stages. From a horizontal perspective, we should fully consider the physical and mental characteristics of students at different stages, focus on the value goals of ideological and political course teaching at different stages, and carry out volunteer service education that is differentiated and focused. For example, at the primary school stage, enlightenment education on volunteer service can be carried out through methods such as storytelling; at the middle school stage, the focus is on responsibility education for volunteer service, strengthening students’ social responsibility cognition through practical experience; at the university stage, theoretical explanation of volunteer service education is conducted through ideological and political courses, sublimating university students’ perceptual cognition and emotional experience of volunteer service into value beliefs.

坚持目标聚焦和学段贯通相耦合。习近平总书记对学校思政课建设作出重要指示强调：“深入推进大中小学思想政治教育一体化建设。”志愿服务作为思想政治教育的重要内容，既要贯通于不同学段的思政课教学中，体现志愿服务教育内容的连贯性；又要充分考虑不同学段教育教学规律和学生成长规律，体现志愿服务教育的级差性，做到目标聚焦和学段贯通相耦合。从纵向看，要以落实立德树人根本任务为立足点，秉持融合教育理念，强化大中小学一体化推进的顶层设计，将志愿服务的本质内涵、时代价值、社会意义循序渐进地贯穿各学段。从横向看，要充分考虑不同学段学生的身心特点，聚焦不同学段思政课教学的价值目标，开展有所区别、有所侧重的志愿服务教育。比如，小学阶段可以通过讲故事等方式，开展志愿服务的启蒙教育；中学阶段注重志愿服务的责任教育，以实践体验的方式强化学生的社会责任认知；大学阶段通过思政课对志愿服务教育进行学理阐释，把大学生对志愿服务的感性认知和情感体验升华为价值信仰。

Online editor: Tongxin

网络编辑：同心