This project includes the diverse forms of volunteer service activities in the years leading up to the Olympic Games. These activities are designed to practice the concept of "New Beijing, Great Olympics" and the idea of "Green Olympics, High-tech Olympics and People's Olympics", aiming at creating a strong social atmosphere of all people welcoming the Olympic Games, and mobilizing as many residents as possible to participate in the Olympic volunteer projects .

During the Games time, the "Towards Olympics" Voluntary Activities Project will provide voluntary services to serve the Olympic Games volunteers and support the routine operation of the city. It will offer fine services to visitors from various countries and extend the warmth and hospitality of the city. This project will provide a platform for the "Public-good Practice Plan" of the Olympic Games volunteers before the Games. Through the pre-games volunteer service activities, BOCOG will select qualified volunteers and turn them into Olympic Games volunteers by providing necessary training programs.

1. Main Tasks

The main tasks of the project include popularizing the Olympic Movement and the concept of volunteer service, boosting public recognition and involvement, encouraging city residents, social groups, enterprises, public institutions and personalities from all walks of life to give support and participate in the cause of voluntary service, promoting the coordination of personal development with care for other people and dedication to the society, improving the quality of the volunteer services, establishing mechanisms for mass participation in voluntary service activities, enhancing civic quality, building up Beijing's new image, and promoting harmonious social development.

2. Sources of the Volunteer

Individuals, families from various ethnic groups and all walks of life and units in various trades and industries can participate in the "Towards Olympics" voluntary activities as long as they are interested in the Olympic Movement, eager to work for public welfare undertakings and willing to contribute to the Olympic Games.

3. Main Activities

Serial activities such as voluntary lectures, forum speeches and classroom teaching will be organized, through various media, to disseminate Olympic culture, popularize Olympic knowledge, advocate the concept of volunteer service and boost volunteer spirit.

Diverse approaches will be taken to encourage the public to work for various public welfare organizations and neighborhood communities in volunteer service activities such as environmental protection, science popularization and social welfare provision. These activities are aimed at integrating the public participation in volunteer service with Olympic preparations.

Activities highlighting the theme of "volunteers welcoming the Olympics" will be held to coincide with the important moments of the countdown to the Olympic Games. Activities will also be held on important commemorative days, such as the "March 5, the Chinese Volunteers' Day", the "May 4, the Youth Day", the "International Day of Assisting the Disabled in May" and the "July 13, the day Beijing was awarded the 2008 Olympic Games", and "December 5, the International Volunteers Day", in order to stimulate public enthusiasm to participate in the Olympic volunteer service.

The "Beijing 2008 Olympic Voluntary Publicity Team" and the "Youth Olympic Voluntary Service Team" will be the organized for the volunteers to participate in the Beijing Olympic Cultural Festival, the Youth Warm-heart Activities and other activities. These activities are designed for the building up of the international image of openness and progress for Beijing and China.

Various volunteer service teams will be established, encouraged and helped to join in the activities of the "Towards Olympic" Voluntary Service Project. The drive to develop "volunteer service families" will be promoted to popularize family-based volunteer service. Activities such as establishing volunteer theme parks, organizing volunteer international forums and opening volunteer websites will be conducted, the exchanges between Chinese and foreign volunteers will be carried out. All these activities will serve as a platform for the volunteers to exchange and share their experiences.

4. The Olympic City Operation Volunteers

During the Olympic Games, a volunteer team for host city operation will be selected from the residents involved in the activities of "Towards Olympic" Voluntary Service Project. They will provide a range of volunteer services such as civic supervision, traffic control, public order maintenance, way finding, interpretation and reception, tour and shopping guiding , and medical care and first aid at all major transportation hubs, tourist attractions, hotels, shops and other places.