Big Brothers Big Sisters is based on the simplicity and power of friendship．It is a program which provides friendship and fun by matching vulnerable young people (ages 7-17) with a volunteer adult who can be both a role model and a supportive friend.

    Volunteer tutors come from all walks of life—married, single, with or without children. Big Brothers and Big Sisters are not replacement parents or social workers. They are tutors: someone to trust, to have fun with, to talk and go to when needed.

    A Big Sister and Little Sister will generally spend between one and four hours together three or four times each month for at least twelve months. They enjoy simple activities such as a picnic at a park, cooking, playing sport or going to a football match. These activities improve the friendship and help the young person develop positive self-respect, confidence and life direction.

    Big Brothers Big Sisters organizations exist throughout the world. It is the largest and most well-known provider of tutor services internationally and has been operating for 25 years.

    Emily and Sarah have been matched since 2008. Emily is a 10-year-old girl who has experienced some difficulties being accepted by her schoolmates at school. “ I was pretty sure there was something wrong with me.”

    Emily's mum came across Big Brothers Big Sisters and thought it would be of benefit to Emily by “providing different feedback (反馈) about herself other than just relying on schoolmates to measure her self-worth.

    Sarah wanted to get involved in a volunteer program. “I googled it and found out how to be a part of it. I thought it would be fun for me to get involved in making time to do something because sometimes it is all work and no play.”

    Big Brothers Big Sisters has been of great benefit and enjoyment to both Emily and Sarah. They love and look forward to their time together and the partnership has certainly helped Emily be more comfortable in being the wonderful, happy and unique girl she is!

    Many Years ago three soldiers,hungry and tired of battle,came upon a small village.The villagers,suffering a bad harvest and the many years of war,quickly hid what little they had to eat and met the three in the village square, shaking their heads and sighing,"Well,we are starving."The soldiers communicated with each other quietly and then the first soldier turned to the villagers.“Your poor fields have left you nothing to share,so we will share what little we have: the secret of making soup from stones.”

    Naturally the villagers were intrigued and soon a fire was built to the village's greatest pot,and then the soldiers dropped in three smooth stones.

“Now this will be a fine soup,”said the second soldier,"but a handful of salt and some parsley（香芹）would make it wonderful!"Up jumped a villager,crying “What a piece of luck!I've just remembered where some has been left!”

    And off she ran,returning with parsley.As the pot was boiling,the memory of the villagers improved: soon carrots,beef and cream had found their way into the great pot.They ate and danced and sang well into the night, thrilled about the feast and their new-found friends.In the morning the three soldiers awoke,finding all the villagers standing before them.At their feet lay a bag of the village's best bread and cheese.“You have given us the greatest gift,”said an elder,“and we shall never forget.”The third soldier turned to the crowd,and said,“There is no secret,but this is certain: people working together can accomplish great things.”At last the light dawned on villagers.Off the soldiers wandered,down the road.

    I've learned that you have to make the choice if you want to get anywhere. If you just let other people decide what is going to happen for you, then all your goals and dreams may never be achieved.

    Everyone always says that studying abroad in college can change your life. I made the decision to experience it for myself during my junior year. I chose to study in the Dominican Republic. As it got closer to the deadline, an advisor told me I had received a scholarship from an alumni (校友) family foundation.

    During my first semester in the country I fell in love. I was becoming bilingual (双语的) but also learning so much about a new culture. I had begun working with a local grassroots organization, taking part in a project supporting an underdeveloped community just outside the city. My main role was to become aware of the issues facing populations such as these and support community education. I was in no way ready to leave this new life. I felt as if I needed more time to get what I wanted.

    As the next semester began, I realized again that I needed to take a chance. I got involved with a local boarding school for girls living in poverty. I first approached the head of the school to volunteer to teach music classes, asking for money from my college church. I could have never predicted the results of this small action. Another volunteer and I were able to put together a benefit (义演) to show off what the students had learned. We invited community members, friends and other students from local universities to support the girls. We also sold art that the students themselves had created to increase the funding (资助) of the arts program. I felt good when I left, knowing that I had laid the foundation for a good cause and bettered the lives of young girls.

    There will always be people that think they know what is best for you, but you ultimately know what you want in life. My time in the Dominican Republic changed my life by giving me the realization of how fortunate I am and the fact that there is always a chance to give back. You have to go after anything and everything you desire or there may be a missed opportunity. My trip to Santo Domingo taught me to take advantage of new possibilities.

    That cold January night, I was growing sick of my life in San Francisco. There I was, walking home at one in the morning after a tiring practice at the theater. With opening night only a week away, I was still learning my lines. I was having trouble dealing with my part-time job at the bank and my acting at night at the same time. As I walked, I thought seriously about giving up both acting and San Francisco. City life had become too much for me.

    As I walked down empty streets under tall buildings, I felt very small and cold. I began running, both to keep warm and to keep away any possible robbers. Very few people were still out except a few sad-looking homeless people under blankets.

About a block from my apartment, I heard a sound behind me. I turned quickly, half expecting to see someone with a knife or a gun. The street was empty. All I saw was a shining streetlight. Still, the noise had made me nervous, so I started to run faster. Not until I reached my apartment building and unlocked the door did I realize what the noise had been. It had been my wallet falling to the sidewalk.

    Suddenly I wasn't cold or tired anymore. I ran out of the door and back to where I'd heard the noise. Although I searched the sidewalk anxiously for fifteen minutes, my wallet was nowhere to be found.

    Just as I was about to give up the search, I heard the garbage truck pull up to the sidewalk next to me. When a voice called from the inside, "Alisa Camacho？" I thought I was dreaming. How could this man know my name？ The door opened, and out jumped a small red-haired man with an amused look in his eyes. "Is this what you're looking for？" he asked, holding up a small square shape.

    It was nearly 3 a. m. by the time I got into bed. I wouldn't get much sleep that night, but I had got my wallet back. I also had got back some enjoyment of city life. I realized that the city couldn't be a bad place as long as people were willing to help each other.

    One afternoon I toured an art museum while waiting for my husband to finish a business meeting. I was looking forward to a quiet view of the wonderful works.

    A young couple viewing the paintings ahead of me chatted nonstop between themselves. I watched them a moment and decided she was doing all the talking. I admired his patience for tolerating her constant words. Disturbed by their noise, I moved on.

    I encountered them several times as I moved through the various rooms of art. Each time I heard her constant talking, I moved away quickly.

    I was standing at the counter of the museum gift store doing some shopping when the couple approached the exit. Before they left, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a white object. He turned it into a long cane (手杖) and then tapped his way into the coatroom to get his wife's jacket.

    "He's a brave man," the clerk at the counter said, "Most of us would give up if we were blinded at such a young age. During his recovery, he made a promise that his life wouldn't change. So, as before, he and his wife come in whenever there's a new art show."

    "But what does he get out of the art?" I asked, "He can't see."

    "Can't see! You're wrong. He sees a lot. More than you or I do," the clerk said, "His wife describes each painting so he can see it in his head."

    I learned something about patience, courage and love that day. I saw the patience of a young wife describing paintings to a person without sight and the courage of a husband who would not allow blindness to change his life.

    And I saw the love shared by two people as I watched this couple walk away arm in arm.

    Corals (珊瑚) are often described as undersea forests, but they are declining far more quickly than the Amazon. The coral reefs (礁) are likely to be among the first ecosystems to be wiped out by climate change.

    A temperature rise of just 1 to 2℃ can lead to the death of the algae (海藻) upon which corals depend, draining them of color and making the structure more fragile. These bleaching (脱色) events can be temporary if waters cool, but the more frequent they are and the longer they last, the greater the risk of damage is. But that's exactly what is happening. Bleaching was first observed in 1983. It was seen on a global level in 1998, then 2010, and then from 2015 to 2017. Most available scientific evidence tells us that unless we do something to limit warming to 1.5℃, we will lose 99% of the world's coral reefs in coming decades.

    But there are other threats beyond warming. Off the Philippine island of Palawan, its old reefs have been badly damaged by dirty water from the tourist holiday center, pollution from boats and overfishing. The area ought to be a shelter because it's one of the ocean regions most bearable to climate change. "Even here, we are losing our corals," said David Obura, chair of the Global Specialist Group in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. "We need to reduce stress from overfishing, coastal development, pollution and tourism."

    "I'm a generation of scientists watching them disappear. It's very depressing," Obura said. "Above 1.5℃, in about 50 years, they will be a treasure of historic movies and pictures, but very little to see in real life. Children born today may be the last generation to see coral reefs in all their glory."