May 14 marked the 8th annual Global Community Day, the biggest and most talked about event on the YCIS Beijing campus. Organized by our dedicated Parent Organisation, the Global Community Day’s mission is to have fun celebrating international culture while raising money for a worthwhile cause. Despite an unexpected downpour, spirits were high and in the end, the day was an undeniable success, raising a whopping 79,721.92 RMB for the YCIS Seeds of Hope Charity!

While traditionally an open-air outdoor event, “plan B” was enacted due to the weather, seeing all participants move to selected indoor locations to make full use of YCIS Beijing’s sheltered facilities. Food stalls took over our spacious cafeteria and offered guest sumptuous delicacies from around the globe. From hotdogs to curry, braised pork rice to gelato, the treats on offer satiated even the pickiest of eaters. Our gym became a proverbial hotbed of exotic stalls and interactive games, keeping the children entertained while giving the adults a chance to pick up special gifts as well. The always fashionable Japanese Yukata booth was once again a great hit and the egg smashing lucky draw had children coming back for more.

It wouldn’t be a true YCIS Global Community Day without fantastic performances. To avoid the rain, our auditorium became the place to be for concert lovers. Captivating violin performances by our Primary students, moving renditions by the school orchestra, and a myriad of solo, group, and class performances all struck a chord with our spellbound audiences. Of course, no Global Community Day celebration would be complete without the Parent Organisation’s own dance troupe offering a riveting dance performance. This year the PO left the audience begging for more with their mix of Bachata and Salsa style dancing, resulting in an encore performance immediately after.

New to this year’s festivities was the student organised charity “Fun(d) Run” marathon in our neighboring Honglingjin Park. Initiated by Year 12 student David Tso, participants took part in either a 2.5 km or 5 km race to raise money for the Yu Hua Charity group. In total, the “Fun(d) Run” raised an impressive 10,000 RMB and was unanimously hailed as a fantastic addition to this year’s event.

A sincere thank you to everybody involved who once again helped to make the YCIS Beijing Global Community Day an unmissable celebration of international diversity. Be sure to visit our Flickr page to relive the festivities and we look forward to having you all back on the YCIS Beijing Campus for another unforgettable event next year!

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