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Quarter Century of Compassion
Education (1989-1997)
Tzu Chi in the USA
1989 – 2014

zu Chi’s goal in education is not only to instill knowledge and
skills, but more importantly to inspire loving hearts. When Tzu Chi
Twas still newly established in the United States, youth groups and
academies were among the first endeavors aimed at achieving these
goals.
In those days, many of the early volunteers had children in elementary
and junior high school, so they decided to organize their children and give
them a group to belong to while learning the Tzu Chi spirit of kindness,
compassion, joy, and giving. On April 14, 1991, the Tzu Chi Youth Group
was established to provide them this opportunity.

As Tzu Chi’s missions expanded, so too did the activities of the youth
group members. Accompanied by adult volunteers, they soon began
to perform at homes for the elderly, sweep the streets in Chinatown,
distribute sleeping bags to the homeless, and sing and perform for
young children in shelters. They also held recycling events to bring new
life to old items, attended care visits and community relief distributions,
and much more. Inspired to support their elders, they started holding
fundraising activities for Tzu Chi’s charity work, including charity concerts
and carwashes. At this time, they raised more than $40,000 to support Tzu
Chi’s famine relief efforts in Mongolia in 1992 and 1993.
The first Tzu Chi Academy outside Taiwan held its first class on
September 11, 1994, offering weekly Chinese language and character
education classes every Sunday at a middle school in Monrovia,
California. Through Jing Si Aphorisms Education and activities, teachers
emphasized character education and life skills in order to wholly develop
their students’ minds, bodies, and souls. This positive environment
and focus on putting lessons into action attracted many parents to
the program. Another key characteristic of the Tzu Chi Academy was
that volunteer room mothers in each classroom cared for students and
supported teachers while volunteer room fathers maintained security for
the campus.

Such classes quickly sprouted up at Tzu Chi locations all across the
country. Within the next two years, New York, Texas, and Hawaii had each
established Tzu Chi Academies, and in October 1996, Tzu Chi’s education
team held the first national conference to gather together leaders of all
Tzu Chi Academies to share experiences, exchange ideas, and develop
curriculum. Through their close collaboration, academies grew and
flourished throughout the nation.

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