Chunyu Community in Chunjiang Subdistrict, Fuyang District, is home to a large population of migrant families. Many children in the community experience a lack of parental companionship and education due to their parents’ busy work schedules. To address this, Chunyu Community has built on its existing environment and resources, integrating professional support, community wisdom, and children’s perspectives to create a supportive environment for children’s healthy growth. This is achieved through three “one-meter” initiatives: the “One-Meter Scroll” with educational murals, the “One-Meter Community Classroom” for learning and interaction, and “One-Meter Collaborative Care” involving coordinated efforts to care for children. Together, these initiatives aim to provide comprehensive support for the well-being of children in the community.

Creating the “One-Meter Scroll”

Walking through Chunyu Community, passersby are often drawn to the charming children’s artwork adorning the walls. Themes like “Building Dreams with a Child’s Heart: The Ideal Future Community,” “Underwater World,” “Happy Spring,” “Dinosaur World,” “Little Rooster in a Floral Outfit,” and “Beautiful Autumn” bring a vivid, fairytale-like atmosphere to the area.

These murals are part of the community’s “One-Meter Scroll” initiative, designed to make the environment more engaging from a child’s perspective, filled with youthful imagination. To achieve this, Chunyu Community hired professional art designers for expert guidance while also leveraging the “Zero Distance Deliberation” platform. This platform invites representatives from Party-building units and local businesses to join community meetings, offering suggestions and multifaceted support for the project.

Now, the vibrant colors and delightful images aren’t limited to the community’s perimeter walls and walking paths—they extend to indoor spaces as well. The community has added children’s reading corners and walls showcasing kids’ artwork. Hallways and stairways are lined with creations from the community’s “Little Artists” painting class, making the entire space a gallery of youthful expression.

The “One-Meter Scroll” serves as a window into the world from a child’s perspective and has become a favorite spot for parents and children alike, providing a perfect setting for strolls, conversations, and quality time together.

Establishing the “One-Meter Classroom”

Over 80% of Chunyu Community’s residents are newcomers to Chunjiang, with many families of long-haul truck drivers. Due to parents frequently being away, children in the community often lack parental companionship and support in their education. To address this, Chunyu Community has integrated various resources to provide children with enhanced extracurricular education, ensuring they have opportunities to learn, enjoy learning, and excel in their studies.

The community has partnered with nearby enterprises, local talents, and other organizations to launch the “Little Chun Kids” series of educational programs. The “Little Chun Kids” classroom offers eight types of courses, including science education, safety awareness, life skills, red culture education, and social practice. In red culture education, the community hosts “Inheriting Red Spirit, Becoming the New Generation” events, sharing stories of anti-Japanese resistance and the history of the Communist Party, and organizing screenings of historical films.

In safety education, the community collaborates with higher-level women’s federations, maternity and child health hospitals, and the power supply station to provide comprehensive classes on topics like preventing abduction, deception, and personal safety. For social practice education, Chunyu Community makes use of outdoor spaces such as the Chunri Grassland and Chunggeng Art Valley for outdoor training sessions.

At the Chunri Grassland practice base, community children participate in soccer activities with the school soccer team from Fuyang Chunjiang Middle School, a national youth soccer program school. They enjoy holiday soccer meet-ups, community soccer lessons, and friendly matches. At Chunggeng Art Valley, local schools—including Chunjiang Middle School, Antong Childcare Center, and the Hangzhou School Affiliated with Shanghai International Studies University—have collaborated to create a new labor education base. There, children engage in nature classes, farming activities, and rural arts workshops.

Additionally, the community broadens children’s horizons and enhances their skills through interregional exchanges. In tandem with its pairing for poverty alleviation with Enshi, Chunyu Community organizes interactions between local children and those from Jingfenbao Community in Laifeng Town, Enshi Prefecture, Hubei Province. Children from Chunyu Community have donated books to their peers in Enshi, while teachers from Enshi have delivered online lessons about their region’s cultural heritage to Chunyu’s children. These exchanges foster love, friendship, and mutual growth.

Gathering the “One-Meter Care”

Recognizing the high proportion of new migrant residents and the relative lack of parent-child time in the community, Chunyu Community has pooled resources from both within and outside the area to collectively support child care efforts.

The community has established a Children’s Care Public Service Alliance, featuring initiatives such as the Children’s Council, Junior Librarians, Red Scarf Lecturers, and the Rainbow Sister Mailbox. Guided by the principle of “Caring Together, Realizing Children’s Dreams” and aiming to “Support Children’s Growth and Promote Their Development,” the alliance organizes a variety of targeted care activities. These include weekly community activities, where Red Scarf Lecturers teach children about legal knowledge, traffic regulations, self-rescue, and social rules. The alliance also promotes branded activities like “Walking with Children” and “Parent-Child Reading, Passing on the Love of Books.”

The community provides donations and support to left-behind children and those with disabilities, offering companionship and psychological services. During traditional festivals such as Mid-Autumn and Chongyang, activities are held to instill values of care and gratitude in children. Each volunteer mentor is assigned to one or two children in need, regularly visiting and communicating with them to assess their well-being and provide timely assistance. Additionally, ongoing support is extended to children from low-income or disabled families.

These efforts, which include offering services and warmth to children, have fostered a strong atmosphere of care and compassion throughout the community.