Beijing's army of volunteers is expected to swell to 2 million within three to five years thanks to new measures to encourage more people to get involved, it was predicted this week.

The rate of participation among the capital's residents will hit 20 percent, with each providing no less than 50 hours of service, said the municipal government and Party committee in a joint notice.

The authority will boost investment in volunteer work and encourage enterprises and individuals to provide financial aid, reported the Beijing Daily on Monday, while firms will be urged to give preference to outstanding volunteers when recruiting.

The Beijing Volunteer Association, which falls under the Beijing municipal committee of the Communist Youth League of China, will also become the Beijing Volunteer League to serve as a pivot for the various organizations.

"We aim to build on the invaluable volunteer work during the Beijing Olympics, improve the public voluntary service system and perfect the long-term mechanism of voluntary service," the notice stated.

It is hoped the volunteer service will soon cover language services, technology promotion, psychological consultation, social assistance, rights protection, medical aid, careers guidance and international exchange, while schools and universities have been urged to promote the role of volunteers among students.

"I'm very glad to hear the city will encourage volunteer work," said Meng Xiaoyan, a postgraduate student at Beijing University of Chemical Technology who worked unpaid on the 2008 Games. "Voluntary service not only helps social development but also helps youths like me to live a fulfilling life."

Wei Na, a professor at the school of public administration for Renmin University of China and the deputy director of its humanistic Olympic studies center, told China Daily on Tuesday: "The goal of developing volunteer work is good but it will be a long process to achieve it. A society's voluntary service level is up to its social and economic development level."

Besides winning its greatest number of gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, China had the largest number of volunteers for any Games. Around 1.7 million signed up to help out last summer, with about 100,000 at competition venues, 400,000 at 550 tourist advice stations and around 1 million at bus stops, crossroads and parks to maintain order and protect the environment.

"The Olympics volunteer service experience will contribute a lot to the development of volunteering in China," Wei added.

(China Daily April 1, 2009)