Suppose you become a leader in an organization. It's very likely that you'll want to have volunteers to help with the organization's activities. To do so, it should help to understand why people undertake volunteer work and what keeps their interest in the work.

    S Let's begin with the question of why people volunteer. Researchers have identified several factors that motivate people to get involved. For example, people volunteer to express personal values related to unselfishness, to expand their range of experiences, and to strengthen social relationships. If volunteer positions do not meet these needs, people may not wish to participate. To select volunteers, you may need to understand the motivations of the people you wish to attract.

    S People also volunteer because they are required to do so. To increase levels of community service, some schools have launched compulsory volunteer programs. Unfortunately, these programs can shift people's wish of participation from an internal factor (e.g. “I volunteer because it's important to me”) to an external factor (e.g. “I volunteer because I'm required to do so”). When that happens, people become less likely to volunteer in the future. People must be sensitive to this possibility when they make volunteer activities a must.

    S Once people begin to volunteer, what leads them to remain in their positions over time? To answer this question, researchers have conducted follow-up studies in which they track volunteers over time. For instance, one study followed 238 volunteers in Florida over a year. One of the most important factors that influenced their satisfaction as volunteers was the amount of suffering they experienced in their volunteer positions. Although this result may not surprise you, it leads to important practical advice. The researchers note that attention should be given to “training methods that would prepare volunteers for troublesome situations or provide them with strategies for coping with the problem they do experience”.

    S Another study of 302 volunteers at hospitals in Chicago focused on individual differences in the degree to which people view “volunteer” as an important social role. It was assumed that those people for whom the role of volunteer was most part of their personal identity would also be most likely to continue volunteer work. Participants indicated the degree to which the social role mattered by responding to statements such as “Volunteering in Hospital is an important part of who I am.” Consistent with the researchers' expectations, they found a positive correlation(正相关) between the strength of role identity and the length of time people continued to volunteer. These results, once again, lead to concrete advice: “Once an individual begins volunteering, continued efforts might focus on developing a volunteer role identity....Items like T-shirts that allow volunteers to be recognized publicly for their contributions can help strengthen role identity”.

    Language Learning and Immersion programs Worldwide for Teens

    Language skills and inside knowledge about other cultures through immersion are becoming more and more important in the globalized world.

    Accademia Europea di Firenze

    The Accademia Europea di Firenze is one of the main Italian language, culture, and music school in Italy. Our method allows students to learn and practice Italian language through their subjects of greatest interest, whether art, music, or culture.

    Dates: Starts every Monday the year round except on holidays

    Contact: Isabel Berger, Accademia Europea di Firenze, Via Cavour,37.50129

    Website: www.italianlanguageflorence.com

    Spanish Immersion Programs for Teens in Costa Rica & Peru

    Take your Spanish to the next level while experiencing Costa Rica's breathtaking biodiversity (生物多样化) or the cultural tapestry (织棉) of Peru. GLA integrates (使融入) Spanish language learning into many aspects of the program, providing students opportunities to take away more of the culture, and also leave more behind.

    Dates: Summer (June, July, August); spring break

    Contact: Global Leadership Adventures, 10509 San Diego Mission Road, Suite A, San Diego, CA 92108

    Website: www.experiencegla.com

    Homestay French Summer School Program in Cannes, France

    If you are looking to learn French, then there is no better option than a language homestay learning program in France. Live like a local with a French family, learn French and culture, have fun, make new friends, and get a head start on your academic (学院的) /university year !

    Dates: Summer (June, July, August)

    Contact: Passeport pour les langues—French Summer Classes

    Website: www.frenchsummerclasses.com

    Mandarin & Cultural Immersion Programs for Teens in China

    Take your Mandarin to the next level while experiencing China's two worlds: one rural and traditional, the other fast-paced and urban. GLA weaves Chinese cultural immersion with language learning and adventure to provide students with a deeper, more meaningful experience.

Dates: Summer (June, July, August)

    Contact: Global Leadership Adventures, 10509 San Diego Mission Road, Suite A, San Diego, CA 92108

    Website: www.experiencegla.com

    They say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well, there is one lady who believes that it's actually chocolate. At 102 years of age, she's living proof.

    According to Boonville, Indiana's Eunice Modlin, a daily dose of chocolate has been the key to a long and healthy life. Specifically, two pieces of dark chocolate. It's not just Eunice who believes this.

    Many scientists have attributed the sweet to health benefits such as lower chances of cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.

    However, researchers believe that Eunice might be overlooking the fact that she has never smoked or drunk alcohol in her long life, and that chocolate might not be the significant cause of her longevity.

    "There are so many other factors to her long life and chocolate isn't the only one," nutritionist Vanessa Rissetto said. "Genes, her diet in general…are probably the main reasons."

    At any rate, Eunice is still alive and kicking. With four children, seven grandkids, 14 great-grandkids and 11 great-great grandkids, this lady has a big family.

    It must be noted that Eunice was also very athletic, being an archer in her 20s .Amazingly, she has lived through tough times such as the Great Depression and World War II .Also, the healthy blood runs through the veins of other family members. Eunice's brother is also still alive, at 101 years of age.

    No matter what you might think, Eunice's consumption of chocolate can't be ignored. In 2015, a BMJ study showed that a daily treat of one small bar would give the consumer 23% less chance of having a stroke (中风).

    What is in the sweet that makes it so beneficial? Apparently, cocoa beans have flavonoids, plant nutrients that have useful antioxidants (抗氧化剂).

    "Not all chocolate is created equal," Rissetto warns. "Dark chocolate has more flavonoids than milk chocolate, and white chocolate—which does not actually contain chocolate—is not a good source of flavonoids."

    Fireworks are exciting, but also hard to control. The Chinese artist Cai Guoqiang, though, has developed a way to harness the visual and physical power of fireworks to make art He recently used them to create a burning sculpture that stretched high into the sky. Guoqiang fittingly named the work Sky Ladder.

    Guoqiang built Sky Ladder by making a frame out of metal. He coated the frame with gunpowder, the main chemical material in fireworks.

    The artist tried one end of the frame to the ground and attached a large weather balloon to the other end. The balloon was filled with helium — a gas that is lighter than air. When released, the balloon floated upward, pulling the top of the ladder 500 meters into the sky. That's higher than the top of the Empire State Building.

    Guoqiang set fire to the bottom of the ladder, and the crackling（啪啪作响） flames raced skyward up the frame. The sculpture burned for two-and-a-half minutes before its flames began to die out from the bottom up.

    Dealing with explosive (炸药）is challenging, and conditions had to be perfect for Guoqiang to achieve his desired effect. He first attempted Sky Ladder in 1994, but bad weather prevented him from successfully completing the work. Guoqiang put Sky Ladder aside so that he could work on other projects, perhaps most famously the fireworks display that opened the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

    Finally, after two more failed attempts, Guoqiang successfully sent his flaming ladder skyward last year. He presented Sky Ladder in his hometown, a quiet fishing village near Huiyu Island, Quanzhou. He offered the work as a gift to his 100-year-old grandmother, other family members, his friends and his town.

    “Behind Sky Ladder lies a clear childhood dream of mine, "Guoqiang explains. “Despite all life's twists and turns, I have always been determined to realize it. The ladder rose toward the morning sun, carrying hope. For me, this not only means a return, but also the start of a new journey."

    I can hear the sound of insects and feel autumn is nearing. This means my year of study at Nara University of Education is coming to an end.

    The time I've spent here has flown by so quickly. It seems as if I came here a month ago, but in reality I have to go home soon. When I came here, I missed my family and friends back home and found it hard to overcome loneliness, but on the other hand, I was interested in the new environment and had a lot of fun.

    I had visited Japan three times before coming to study at this university, but when I started living in Japan, many days were filled with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. I sometimes made silly mistakes, but I thought this was the best way to learn about Japanese culture. I was not the only one that was not accustomed to the different customs of Japanese people.

    My plan before coming to Japan was to make friends with some Japanese students in universities. However, I found my best friends were those who came from other countries. I didn't know much about other countries but I came to be more interested in them through making friends from different places, which made me aware of many different and sometimes hard-to-understand customs. Furthermore, I was surprised to see myself thinking more about my own culture and realized I should come to know it better.

    I am really happy that I came to Nara. During my stay, I felt the closer connection between humans and nature here than in Europe.

    Consider the tomato: easy to grow, healthy to eat, tasty in just about any dish and pleasant to look at. And come late summer, in steady supply. Though you can find it during the coldest winter months.

    August is the tomato's season to shine. Farmers' markets and stores are bursting with less known but tastier varieties, including purple cherries and big heirlooms.

    "Heirlooms ripened on the vine(藤) are the tastiest of all tomatoes," says Amy Goldman Fowler, author of The Heirloom Tomato. "I think their beauty is more than skin-deep." Heirloom seeds have been around for at least 50 years, often passed down from generation to generation. You may hear cherry or heirloom used to describe a tomato at hand, but there are many different kinds of tomatoes, and growers have fun giving fancy names to varieties: Mortgage Lifters, Beefsteaks, Oxhearts, Early Girls.

    And all of them come with health benefits. Tomatoes are a good source of the antioxidant lycopene (抗氧化番茄红素), which is thought to help lower a person's risk for heart problems and cancer. Tomatoes also contain healthy vitamins A and C. For the best fruit, choose tomatoes with shiny, firm skin and a little give, and store them at room temperature away from direct sunlight. Keep them out of the fridge, since cold temperatures can affect the original taste.

    "They satisfy something more than just taste," says Fowler. "Tomatoes feed your soul."