Video by Chen Siqi

The Futian District Volunteer Service Innovation and Development Center officially opened its doors on May 29, marking the debut of Shenzhen's first district-level volunteer service hub centered on the core values of innovation, development and empowerment.

The new facility features real-time data displays of volunteer activities, an honor wall chronicling 30 years of Futian District volunteer history, professional training rooms, and an incubation space for creative public welfare projects. The center also serves as the long-awaited physical headquarters for volunteers in the district.

The journey of volunteerism in Futian traces back to 1996, when Shenzhen's first community volunteer service station was established in the Lianhua Beicun housing compound. Today, Futian boasts 460,000 volunteers and 916 volunteer teams, meaning that approximately one in every three residents is a registered volunteer. The number of service projects has increased more than fivefold, producing national and provincial role models including Wei Yanping, Gao Lili and Huang Guocheng. The district also earned two national-level and eight provincial-level honors for its home-grown initiatives.

The map of volunteer service now spans the entirety of Futian, from Huanggang Checkpoint and the National Mangrove Wetland Reserve to the Shenzhen Children's Hospital and the U-station at the Futian High-Speed Railway Station. Programs range from specialized assistance for children with cerebral palsy at Angel Home to campus legal education. Futian recently signed the Shenzhen-Hong Kong International Volunteer Service Exchange and Cooperation Agreement with the Hong Kong Association for Volunteer Service and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, and launched a new initiative focusing on team cultivation, project incubation, venue construction and Greater Bay Area integration.

The plan aims to establish a Futian International Volunteer Pioneer Alliance of over 1,000 members proficient in 18 languages, alongside eight specialized international service projects. Futian has also introduced the "Easy Futian" toolkit — comprising a map, a handbook, and a smart wristband. By combining offline physical support with online intelligent systems, the district provides multilingual and high-precision guidance, ensuring that warm and professional volunteer service is accessible to the international community.