California Teen’s Cultural Exchange Program Promotes Curiosity, Inclusivity and Mutual Understanding in a Divided Time

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Sanja Jing. Read her story, and nominate an outstanding volunteer or family as a Daily Point of Light.

Sanja Jing grew up with her grandmother, a refugee from the USSR who escaped to Mongolia with her family as a child in the 1950s and eventually settled in China. Steeped in both the Russian and Chinese cultures, Sanja moved to the U.S. when she was 8 years old. The stories about her grandmother’s challenges with the cultural divide made Sanja uniquely appreciative of her own circumstances. It moved her to look for similarities and ways to connect, a practice that served her well as she began learning English in her new home.

Sanja moved close to the Mexican border in a multi-cultural environment that fed her curiosity for exploring different food, traditions, languages and more. That interest led her to create GlobalVisioneers (GV), a 501(c)(3), with three friends, to promote cross-cultural understanding and empower youth to become global citizens. The organization offers language workshops in more than 10 languages plus cultural exchange events.

Today, her executive team consists of 10 student directors with over 1,000 members, all of whom help teach at events and workshops. Her partnerships span 30 educational organizations and international charities. Sanja now speaks English, Mandarin and Cantonese, Russian, Spanish and French, which allows her to connect with people worldwide.

What was your language-learning experience like when you came to the U.S.?

It was my first time here, and I didn’t know English as well. At first, it was pretty isolating. I went to our local language school, and that was where I found my first sense of community. There were a lot of other immigrant children from Mexico who also hung out there, and together we were learning English.

What inspires you to volunteer?

I’ve been involved with that language school since I was 8. In middle school, I started taking more initiative with community performances, like dances. I would help emcee. Once, we did a Chinese New Year performance at SeaWorld. That was the first big event that I helped host. I do the work that I do because I see the importance of fostering community.

We create an atmosphere of compassion and sharing. We make it fun for students to learn about or reconnect with their culture. What motivates me is community, people and the individual stories that we each have. That’s something I came to value early on and want to share with others.

Tell us about your volunteer role with GlobalVisioneers.

Three friends with diverse backgrounds, like myself, joined me to start the organization. I’m the executive director, and I work on expanding our impact and overseeing initiatives.

We started with a free Spanish language workshop hosted at our community center for children ages 6-14. We focused on providing language education, but we also incorporated arts and crafts to make it even more fun. Lessons are developed around the season or a cultural event. In November, we had another Spanish workshop celebrating Día de los Muertos.

We were eventually able to involve other schools around our community. Now, we have over 15 international chapters and multiple within the US. It’s become a large global community. I help organize our pen-pal program and various fundraisers and events. I also develop new programs and build partnerships with local and global organizations.

What is “GV Around the World?”

It’s a video series where students from around the world share landmarks, stories or facts about their lives and countries. For example, a student in Japan talks about the significance of different shrines. A student who works at her family’s taco shop talks about what it’s like to manage a restaurant. It’s a way for people to see what life is like in different parts of the world.

How did you start expanding internationally?

As more chapters started around our community, we wanted a way to communicate and share events, so we started using Instagram. Not two months in, we got a DM from a student in Hong Kong who was passionate about cultural exchange and wanted to get involved. Hong Kong was our first international chapter.

What are some of your long-term plans or goals for the organization?

We’d like to build a digital platform to facilitate students publishing stories from all corners of the world. I want to make GV a safe place where anyone can showcase their voice and advocate for causes that are important to them.

We would also love to provide free ESL lessons for children to learn English in a more structured setting vs. our workshops, which are designed for learning a few words and phrases to promote cultural exchange more than bilingualism.

What’s been the most rewarding part of your work?

First, the community, my team and the amazing students who take part in this organization – they are just as passionate as I am. I would also add the events that we’re able to do. I often see myself in the younger participants, and I love seeing them enjoy their experiences.

Our workshops, pen-pal exchanges and community events create space for conversation. I’ve met many people and have been able to collaborate with amazing organizations. I’ve even been able to talk with our mayor and put on a big event with his office called the City Hall Art Gallery.

What have you learned through your experiences as a volunteer?

I’ve learned how important it is to have a vision or goal that resonates with people. Once you start building towards it, others will find you. They’ll want to be a part of it because of how meaningful it is. Our biggest strength as humans is our empathy and compassion for others.

What do you want people to learn from your story?

Talk to people. In person. We’ve grown to be more isolated with social media and technology. Have conversations with strangers and be open-minded. You can learn so much from others, because everyone has their own experiences that they draw from. It not only makes you more perceptive and aware, but it makes you kinder and more empathetic. I think that’s the root of everything.

Do you want to make a difference in your community like Sanja? Find local volunteer opportunities.