ABCWebSite

Index

　The America Bridges China (ABC) Mission and History

   The America Bridges China (ABC) program combines language immersion with community service. In addition, ABC takes the big brother/little brother approach to provide youngsters an opportunity to learn, give and have fun while traveling and living in China for 5 weeks during the summer.
   This noble idea was initiated by Allison Lee in 2003. She is a retired Mandarin teacher. The pioneer adventure took place in 2004 with 2 adult teachers and 5 youngsters in Yunnan Province teaching English to Chinese kids. Funding came from Allison's father who supported his daughter's passion. All youngsters from 13 to 16 years of age returned from China with a positive attitude. The experience not only inspired them to excel in Mandarin learning but also boosted their confidence, independence and leadership qualities. Allison knew ABC was a worthwhile program to pursue.
   ABC members were able to recruit six more teenagers to join in 2005. Destiny brought them to stop in Qiaoqi, Jiangyin, Jiangsu before going to conduct another English summer camp in Kunming,Yunnan. The following year in 2006 Allison decided to move her teaching destination to Qiaoqi. ABC then grew to offer an English summer camp to 120 Chinese students in 2007. The teachers' workshop has had enthusiastic participation ever since. Children are engaged in English through art, music, and games. The ABC teachers and student teachers take classes as well, Chinese chess, ping pong, and brush painting are just a few, and travel to places of interest.
   It was in 2007 that Alice Woo, founder of the Vincent V.C. Woo Foundation, began her enthusiastic support of Allison and the ABC program. Alice's father, Vincent V.C. Woo, grew up in Qiaoqi. Alice and her family generously support many programs supporting English learning in Qiaoqi.

Each year, the 1990 Institute's Magic Moments Fellowship (link below) offers a fellowship opportunity for one teacher to join the ABC program. The program takes place each July for a full month. The teacher who receives the fellowship is mentored by Allison Lee and the other veteran ABC participants. They will learn all the basic elements required to bring a group of teachers and youths to China. They also spend one month teaching Chinese students the English language through art, music and reading. Magic Moments Fellowship:
http://e-planet.org/magicmoments.html

Alice Woo Vincent V.C. Woo Foundation, Founder
The Qiaoqi school and I are most appreciative of the ABC program under Allison Lee's leadership. Allison is most inspirational. She sets a great example for the Qiaoqi teachers.Qiaoqi,Jiangyin is now on the map. The teachers and students not only improved their English and broadened their scope, they opened up their minds to the world! The 2007 and 2009 visits to San Francisco further reinforced the language and cultural exchange. The Qiaoqi school is now designated officially as a bilingual school, all due to the credit of the ABC program. ABC's impact on the school is tremendous. Supporting the ABC program has been a most rewarding experience for me. Everyone is so dedicated, enthusiastic and eager to teach and learn. Both sides benefit; it's a wonderful program.

Karen Chu - Magic Moments Fellow 2007 5th Grade teacher from West Portal School in San Francisco, California
My teaching in Qiaoqi is definitely not limited to just helping their students; it is also a wonderful opportunity for me to grow as a better facilitator. During the closing ceremony, students and teachers from Qiaoqi make presentations on the stage. Students sing songs, read poems and share their art projects - all in English. I did not realize we could accomplish so much together in a month. At that moment, I finally understood the reason why Ms. Allison Lee has been coming here for several years. It is truly inspiring and magical for me.

Anita Sung - Magic Moments Fellow 2010
Math teacher from Randolph High School in Randolph, Massachusetts

I find this is like a mission trip. Everyone works with one accord – building community, teaching English, exchanging and respecting different cultures, and at the same time having fun regardless of the hot weather. It is also rewarding to see the big improvements the children have achieved in a short period of time.

Jilma Ortiz - Magic Moments Fellow 2011
2nd Grade Teacher from Alvarado Elementary School in San Francisco,Calitornia

Thanks to the Magic Moments Fellowship, I was able to have a unique and wonderful experience in Qiaoqi, Jiangyin, China. My mentor, Allison Lee took us on tours throughout Shanghai, Hangzhou, Jiangyin, and many other places. She organized a group of students and teachers to teach and tutor children in English for four weeks. Our focus this year was nutrituion and health. I had a great time using my teaching skills and strategies to teach students English through songs, art and physical activities. In a short time, I was able to get a glimpse of life in this area of China. I was able to learn a little bit of language, culture and customs while teaching English. Although I came to teach, I have learned and have been given much more.

Michelle Nicosia Stauffer Consultant, Digital Foundry, Inc. San Francisco, California
My son and I were very excited to have the opportunity to come to China with the ABC program. We had housed one of the teachers from Qiaoqi in our home in San Francisco for a month while she was studying English and we looked forward to seeing what her life was like here in Qiaoqi. I have been working on the reading program during the four week summer English camp and it has allowed me to work in small groups with the students and really see them make progress. At the same time my son works on his Mandarin in after school classes and home stays. I have never met a kinder more generous group of people than the teachers and staff in Qiaoqi. We have been back twice and look forward to coming again.

James Powell Cathedral School for Boys, 2010 graduate
The ABC English Summer Camp has taught me many lessons that I will treasure and use for the rest of my life. The program has taught me the lesson that communication with other countries is important and this has lead me to further continue my learning in Chinese at my future high school. It also has taught me that the harder you try at something the more knowledge and experience you get out of it. Furthermore, I have had the wonderful opportunity to not only obtain some of the Chinese culture and language around me, but to also teach and surround the students with fluent English. I am overall enthusiastically grateful for the China trip because it allows different cultures to come together as one.

Ned Geeslin Cathedral School for Boys, 2010 graduate
For three years now I have been taking part in the ABC English Summer Camp. Each year I have been able to develop relationships with the students and teachers of Qiao Qi, expand my knowledge of Chinese culture, and improve my Chinese immensely. I have also made friends with the other students who go on these trips with me. This trip has been a great experience for me and I will continue to participate in it for as long as possible.