Summer Trip

Step 1 – Complete & submit the Application Form online.

*Click here to apply*

a) For new applicants, 2 references are required and our staff will check the references. In the online application form, there will be a section for you to fill in the contact info of your references.

b) For new applicants, an interview will be required before acceptance to the team.

– For applicants living in the Vancouver area, you are required to come to our head office in Burnaby for the interview.

– For applicants outside of Vancouver, our staff will conduct a phone interview with you.

Step 2 – Items we need from you 

Once you are accepted into the team, you will be receiving an “acceptance confirmation email” and instructions for the following.

a) Criminal record check – All applicants must complete a “criminal record check (with Vulnerable sector screening)” since we are working with minors in China. We will provide a letter of reference for you to obtain your criminal record check. Detail instructions and information will be provided after you are accepted to the team.

b) Forms – You will sign and fill out the following forms and return them to CRRS office:
– Code of Conduct Form
– Child Protection Policy Form
– Waiver and Release Form
– Health Information Form
– Financial Policy/ Cancellation Policy/ Plane Ticket Tax Policy
– Notarization Form: for minors 18 & younger travelling without parents.

c) Pay Registration Fee – You can pay by check or online payment

d) Provide valid passport info – Send in a photocopy of your passport “photo page”. Expiry date must be valid for at least 6 months after departure date (Valid until February 2019) and have minimum 2 empty pages in the passport. Know that the Chinese Consulate will keep your passport during the process of China Visa Application, perhaps between 1-3  weeks. Unless you pay extra for express service.

• Provide a chance for the underprivileged students and teachers in China to learn proper English from North American teachers
• Experience Chinese Culture, cross-cultural exchange
• Enrich life experience, expand your worldview
• Build confidence in leadership, teaching and public speaking skills
• Increase English level of middle school students / teachers by means of: Verbal training, written English, listening skills, activities
• Aside from teaching, we want to show care for Chinese students’ needs through love, hope and action

What is the travel itinerary and schedule like for the 2 .5 week (19 days) ?

• Please Click here for a sample schedule & travel itinerary.
• Typically we teach during weekdays and have other activities during the weekend (such as Cultural Day or visitation to a student’s home village).

When is Project Shine?

• Project Shine is typically held in July right after the Senior High School students finish their school semester before summer vacation.
• Each year the local education departments will announce the exact date closer to May.
• For 2020, the project will most likely start on July 8th – 26. It depends on the local school announcement of their summer vacation start day. But we cannot guaranteed this date 100% at the moment.

What is the weather like in Guangxi in July?

• The climate of Guangxi is similar to Hong Kong. In the summer the temperature fluctuates between 25 degrees to 36 degrees during the day. It can be quite humid and there can be torrential rain occasionally.

Where will I live?

• The hotel rooms are air-conditioned and it has hot showers.
• Two people will share a room with separate beds. You will be assigned a roommate.
• Most hotels provide wifi, a hot water kettle, towels, and western style toilet.
• Do not expect to have laundry service. Be prepared to wash your own clothes in the hotel room. Don’t worry, our experienced team leaders will teach you!
• The hotel should be located close to the school that we teach at so our team members can walk back and forth from the school. Otherwise, CRRS will arrange travel method to and from the school.

Who will I be teaching?

• Typically you will be teaching senior high secondary students who have just finished grade 10 and will be moving up to grade 11 in the next school year with some exceptions.
• Our whole team will teach about 150-200 students fro the school. There will be a mix of CRRS sponsored students (with underprivileged background) and other students who registered for Project Shine. First priority will be given to CRRS sponsored students.
• More info about CRRS Education Sponsorship program for underprivileged students click here.

How is the school teaching environment?

• Each class will consist of 20 to 25 students approximately.
• Teaching partner – You will be paired by CRRS with teaching partners in a team of 2 or 3 people.
• Do not expect to have air-conditioned room for teaching, however, there are ceiling fans and windows can be opened for ventilation.
• You may have to walk up and down stairs to get to your classroom. The most floors we have encountered is 6 flights of stairs.

Do I need to prepare teaching materials?

• Curriculum and teaching materials designed for Project Shine will be provided by CRRS. There will be a training session for the curriculum in China on the first few days of arrival, then we will head to the designated county with the High School we will be teaching in. You will be given the materials ahead of time digitally for review.
• Each night you will prepare the lesson with your teaching partners.

How will I be traveling internationally and locally?

• For international travel from Canada to China, you are responsible to book your own flight and meet us at a designated city airport on a specified date for our Project. Our staff will arrange for a bus or other vehicles to pick you up from the airport.
• If you are arriving with another travel method such as by train or bus you may have to go directly to the hotel by taxi or arranged otherwise with CRRS staff ahead of time.
• Once you have landed in the designated airport or hotel, all local travel will be covered and arranged by CRRS.
• Most of the time you will be teaching during the weekdays, we will only need to travel locally as a team a few times during the trip. In this case, a rented bus or other arrangements will be made to ensure safe travel.

What kind of food will I be expecting?

• Cuisine from Guangxi is similar and influenced by Cantonese cuisine. Meals will consist of vegetables, meat and rice or noodle is a staple. “Guilin noodle” is a common dish served for breakfast in all of Guangxi.
• We will be eating from either restaurants or food prepared in the school cafeteria.
• We request that our food be non-spicy and contain no intestines.
• Some may find the food to be a bit oily.
• Anyone with serious food allergies or intolerance should discuss with CRRS staff before deciding if they should go.

Are there any physical condition requirements for the trip?

• You should be able to lift up and carry your own luggage.
• You need to withstand the heat at 25-38 Celsius degrees during day time while being in classrooms with ceiling fans and window.
• Since there are no elevators in the school, you may possibly have to walkup and down flights of stairs several times a day. The most flights of stairs we have encountered so far is 6 flights of stairs.
• You will be walking for 5-10 minutes outdoor (possibly on uneven surfaces) during day time between hotel and school several times a day. Be prepared for sweating and direct sunlight when walking outdoors.
• You need to be able to sleep with a roommate.

What if I have a peanut allergy?

• The oil used for cooking in the school cafeteria is typically not peanut oil.
• We have had a few members with peanut allergy came on this trip and they have not reacted to anything while on the trip.

What about China visa and booking plane ticket?

• China Visa Application – Starting in 2019, the Chinese Consulates-General in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal, will use a newly developed online visa application form and appointment booking system. Also, all visa applicants need to go to the Chinese Visa Application Service Centers in their respective cities for the collection of ten fingerprints.
  • CRRS will give instructions and assist in your China Visa application by providing necessary documents if needed.
  • For more info from the Chinese Embassy click here.
• Plane Ticket booking – You are responsible to book your own plane ticket as you might have different travelling plans before or after the trip. We can provide you with the contact of recommended travel agents.
• More detail information will be given to you after you are accepted to the team.

What about travel and medical insurance?

• CRRS does not carry insurance coverage for participants on Project Shine. Participants are responsible for your own travel and medical insurance. CRRS requires that you have Medical Insurance during Project Shine Summer Trip.
• More detail information will be given to you after you are accepted to the team.

What is the travel advisory for Canadians going to China right now?

• Official Statement – “Exercise a high degree of caution due to the risk of arbitrary enforcement of local laws.”
• Basically, if you do not have a criminal record and you are abiding by local laws in China you should be fine.
• There are 4 levels of risks level, the above is only the 2nd level of risks level out of 4 levels, 4 being the highest level (avoiding all travel).
• Read more detail information from Government of Canada website about travelling to China here – https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/china

Do I need a criminal record check?

• Yes, a “vulnerable sector screening” criminal record check is required for Canadian applicants because:
  • you will be teaching minors (students in China) and
  • with the recent changes in travel advisory for Canadians to China, it is crucial for CRRS to know about this info before acceptance to the team.
• More detail information will be given to you after you are accepted to the team.

CRRS Basic Education Sponsorship”  –  underpriviledged students in rural China 

The family members of the students living in rural regions in Guangxi are usually farmers and have lower income. The families usually live in the mountainous area and it may take the students 2-3 hours to bus to school every day. Therefore many students must live in the dormitory within the school. Students have free education only until junior high because the Chinese government have implemented the “Nine year free education” policy. Therefore Senior High students have to pay for the cost for school fees, school uniform, text books ,meals, room & board and stationary supplies. For students that grew up in the village and poverty, the cost for attending senior high is a heavy burden for their family. In particular at that time the Chinese government identified 132 Poverty Stricken counties, and 49 of them are in Guangxi. That is why CRRS Canada branch mainly supports the Senior High students in Guangxi.

Since 2002, CRRS began the “Basic Education Sponsorship” helping many ethnic minority students to finish their dream of education. Helping the students finish their education also means breaking the cycle of poverty for them. With better education, they now have opportunities to find better jobs compared to before. For over 15 years, CRRS has sponsored over 15,000 students and teachers in several provinces including: Guangxi, Yunnan, Tibet, Sichuan, and Lanzhou.