Shekou intl. volunteer initiative honored as standout case

A community-based international volunteer practice led by Shekou Management and Service Center for Expats (Shekou MSCE) was selected as one of Guangdong’s Top 10 Outstanding International Volunteer Service Cases, it was announced at the 2025 Understanding China Conference in Guangzhou on Monday.

Volunteers from the Shekou International Volunteer Team greet visitors at their booth during the 19th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (CIEP) in Shenzhen in 2021. Photos courtesy of Shekou MSCE

The case, titled “Community Practice Co-created by Shekou International Volunteers,” along with another project from Shenzhen, stood out from a large number of entries across Guangdong to receive the honor, just before the International Volunteer Day, which is observed today.

Award recipients of Guangdong’s Top 10 International Volunteer Service Cases are honored at the 2025 Understanding China Conference in Guangzhou on Monday.

A highlight of the Shekou MSCE’s initiative is a series of community murals painted earlier this year outside a local kindergarten in the Weizai neighborhood by Portuguese artist and volunteer Maria João Príncipe, widely known as Majó. “The Flowers We Carry With Us” project helped transform a previously plain blue wall into a vibrant outdoor gallery, drawing residents and visitors to pause and connect and creating an emotional, cross-cultural bridge for people of different ages and nationalities.

Shekou's international volunteer Maria João Príncipe (C) poses with children in front of her “The Flowers We Carry With Us” murals in Shekou.

Organizers say Shekou’s case offers a replicable model for international volunteerism that leverages art, language skills and professional teams to foster inclusive, people-centered community development.

The Shekou International Volunteer Team was established in 2017, serving as a formal platform for expat residents to participate in community service. In 2020, the team was registered as a district-level Shekou International Volunteer Service Team, the first of its kind in Nanshan District.

Today, the team has some 380 registered international volunteers from around the world, speaking more than a dozen languages including English, French, Japanese, Korean and Spanish. Their activities span legal-awareness campaigns, foreign-related mediation, cultural exchange, multilingual signage improvements and broader efforts to build an internationalized community.

Shekou International Volunteer Team members engage in diverse initiatives, from cultural outreach to public service.

The Shekou MSCE has subsequently formed three specialist sub-teams: the Shekou International Emergency Response Team, the Shekou International Dispute Mediation Team and a foreign-related legal service team, to provide a wider range of support.

An official with Shekou Subdistrict Office said the award was a recognition of the team’s voluntary services, which have been conducive to community cohesion.