From July 18 to 23, 2026, a six-day and five-night summer camp, co-hosted by Chunhui Children’s Foundation, Bijie Civil Affairs Administration and Qianxi Civil Affairs Administration, kicked off at Fangjiaping, a scenic spot amid green mountains in Bijie city, Guizhou Province. 72 disadvantaged children attended the camp.
Experiences in a “mini-society”
Enable self-directed growth
Growth cannot be achieved through simple lecturing. It comes from what we live through. Inner resilience is not born with us but grows through successive experiences and reflections.
To boost the children’s physical and mental development, help them achieve their best potentials, build up their positive self-awareness and nurture their inner strength, Chunhui Children’s Foundation revamped the operation model of its its 6th summer camp and pioneered a simulated mini-society. In this intriguing setting, the children experienced the fun of supporting themselves with play money, which enabled them to learn, gain confidence and grow.
This summer camp featured a mini-society with its own rules. With the play money system as its core vehicle, the little society reproduced the life of the real world.
In the camp, the play money served as the children’s "passport to growth". Instead of receiving care from others, they took charge of their own lives. They gathered play money by taking up group tasks and volunteering to support peers.
The play money may be used to pay for favourite goods at the camp shop. The camp encouraged trials and errors. It allowed the children to be themselves rather than strive for perfection. While earning and managing the play money, they understood the value of work and the importance of giving, and they learned to discipline themselves and plan for their life.
The children tried their best to live an independent life, cooperate with each other, confront challenges head-on, resolve conflicts and learn to embrace imperfections. Through these experiences, they built up their confidence and inner fortitude.
Three core principles
Promote growth
Based on the children’s needs and challenges, the camp developed three core principles to support their growth. The principles encouraged the children to cast off prejudices, develop positive self-image, and accept themselves.
Principle 1
Tell facts apart from opinions and refuse to be defined by others
Children are often hurt by thoughtless remarks, biased comments and groundless prejudices. The camp offered courses that helped the children separate facts from opinions and distinguish kind comments from negative judgement. In the activity themed “the impact of language”, the children reviewed the variety of comments they had received, and learned to dismiss negative voices, shake off self-denial and talk in a gentle, positive way. Inspired by what they learned, they will refuse to be defined by prejudices and stand by what they believe is right.
Principle 2
Understand emotions and respect boundaries
Emotional confusion, hypersensitivity, inability to refuse others and poor emotional regulation plague numerous children. The camp delivered activities with themes such as “Honor our boundaries”, “My boundaries” and “Resist prejudices and harm politely” , which equipped the children with skills to manage their emotions and protect their boundaries. Through these activities, the children learned to recognize their emotions, relieve their mental exhaustion, acknowledge themselves, protect their boundaries, understand others and respect differences. This will empower them to build positive relationships.
Principle 3
Learn to distinguish wants from needs and accept who you truly are.
Feelings of insecurity, anxiety and self-doubt often stem from inappropriate knowledge about life. The “Auction of Life” activity at the camp showed the children how to differentiate their needs from wants. They faced up to their disadvantages and family background, understood the importance of making choices, and learned how to manage peer pressure. By recognizing and accepting themselves, they will develop strong and firm self-identity.
True growth comes from experiences, reflection and inner strength.
Adopting an innovative mini-society model, the camp rejected indoctrination. Professional, gentle and inclusive support nurtured the children’s independence, self-discipline, empathy and resilience.
We believe each experience sparks transformation, and each independent endeavor builds inner resilience. May all the children that attended the camp blossom and stride forward towards the bigger world with confidence.