The Boundless Girls program has recruited university volunteers to host summer camps that help young girls in remote areas to tap their potential. [Photo provided to China Daily]
The summer camp in Dali was part of the female empowerment project, Boundless Girls, which aims to encourage more teenage girls to get involved in sports.
Before Ye and her fellow volunteers arrived in Yunnan, they underwent rounds of training to prepare.
"Initially, I was too self-conscious to speak up in front of people, but after the training sessions, something changed," she says.
"I've now found my confidence. It hit me that I'm actually OK with expressing myself and sharing stuff."
During the summer holiday, 22 schools were turned into campsites as part of the Boundless Girls project, attracting more than 300 university students from across the country to volunteer.
There are even male volunteers involved in this project centered around the growth and mutual support of teenage girls.
One of them was Zhao Chachen, a physical education major at Zhejiang University.
"Before taking part in the summer camp, I didn't really want to become a teacher," he says.
However, the experience has sparked a deep interest in education.
"I've come to realize that teaching isn't just about giving one-way lectures, rather, it's more like a twoway healing journey."
