Breaking Barriers Initiative (BBI) is a student government-led organization with the purpose of bringing our diverse NYU Shanghai setting together and easing the difficulties that arise in such a multicultural setting. It aims to help students integrate into the community and become global citizens; students from over 45 countries are involved in BBI. Last Thursday, Breaking Barriers Initiative hosted its first 大&小 Mixer at the B1 Cafeteria. There were ice-breaker games and snacks to help students get to know each other. Over a hundred students gathered to celebrate this event with their siblings. BBI has three major initiatives -- Brothers & Sisters (大&小), La Familia, and the Language Awareness Campaign. The Brothers & Sisters program aims to create a better sense of community between freshmen and sophomores. BBI pairs freshmen with older siblings who will help them transition to life at NYU Shanghai and the greater Shanghai area. Sophomores are responsible for providing guidance and support to their younger siblings. La Familia is designed to strengthen the NYU Shanghai community with the NYU Global Network. The program focuses on strengthening our bond with the global sites and offering more opportunities for cross-cultural interactions. The Language Awareness Campaign is a project designed to embrace the diversity of languages at NYU Shanghai. To participate in the LAC program, students are welcome to donate a book (regardless of size or genre) from their home country. LAC is welcoming donations to the World Library, located in the second floor student lounge. The World Library consists of diverse books donated entirely by NYU Shanghai students. Several students who were members of BBI’s Brothers & Sisters program last year have stepped up again this year. Murphy Li (Class of 2018) said that after last year’s positive experience with his older sibling, he was inspired to be a mentor himself this year. He also noted, “I joined BBI in the fall of 2014. I loved the idea of breaking barriers for students between different years, different cultures, and different countries. NYU Shanghai is a hugely diverse community, with students from more than 50 countries. It is difficult but essential for us to step out of our comfort zone and chat. Also, I think BBI is a great chance to meet new people and hear their stories.” Hobin Kim (Class of 2019), as Assistant Director of Internal Affairs, helped organize BBI. “I joined BBI because especially at a place like NYU Shanghai, where the half of the population is from different parts of the world, I personally wanted to be a part of an organization that helps students integrate into our community and enable them to learn about others by breaking barriers within themselves. I am really honored to be part of this organization that is filled with people with passion. I am looking forward to help plan our future events.” Click here to find out more about the Breaking Barriers Initiative.

老姐老弟“浪漫史”：Breaking Barriers 计划 上周四，Breaking Barriers Initiative (BBI)在B1咖啡厅举办了第一次大&小见面会。本次活动由上海纽约大学学生会举办， 破冰游戏过程中还提供精美小食以便增进学生友谊，逾100名学生通过此次活动逾他们的“兄弟姐妹”欢聚一堂。 BBI是一个以学生会为主导的组织，旨在让上海纽约大学的多元文化能够更好融合，消除多文化背景下的隔阂。来自超过45个国家的学生已经成为了BBI的一员。 BBI有着三个主要项目：大&小，La Familia, 和 Language Awareness Campaign。 大&小项目旨在促进大一新生与大二学生的联系。一旦大一新生提出了加入申请，BBI便会自动将他们与一个大二学生配对，以帮助他们更好地适应在上海纽约大学地过渡期，并熟悉上海这个城市。在此期间，大二学生将会全程提供指导与帮助。 La Familia是为增强上海纽约大学与纽约大学世界教学点的合作联系而诞生的，旨在为跨文化交流互动提供机会。 The Language Awareness Campaign是一个为上海纽约大学多语种学习环境而打造的项目。LAC项目的内容之一就是欢迎参与的学生捐献一本来自他们国家的书籍，内容、大小不限，但是必须是母语。 LAC捐赠书籍的地点坐落在二楼学生休息区的世界图书馆，那里供学生借阅的各种书籍都完全由上海纽约大学学生捐赠。 不少去年在BBI项目中受益匪浅的大一新生在今年成为了大二的“大哥哥，大姐姐”。比如2014届的学生Murphy Li就坦言， 去年自己愉快的经历启发了自己成为一个“大哥哥”。“我在2014年的秋天加入了BBI这个大家庭，并深深爱上了这个薄冰之旅：它融聚了不同年龄，不同文化，来自不同国家学生，因为上海纽约大学是一个集50逾国家学生为一体的多元社区。在这里与他人交谈难免会遇到困难，但是我们必须要挑战自己与他人沟通。 同时，我认为BBI让我们能够有机会与新鲜的面孔接触，倾听他们的故事。我去年的‘大姐姐’是一个基础科学课程的学生，因此十分繁忙，但是我十分感激在去年一整个学年里她给我提供的帮助。” 2015届的学生金洪彬是BBI组织的内部事务助理。他这样告诉本报记者，“我之所以加入BBI，是因为我意识到上海纽约大学有将近一半的学生来自世界各地。 因为这个特殊的背景，让我想要通过这个组织帮助学生们更好地融入这个大家庭，并通过破冰活动让大家彼此更加熟悉、了解。我很荣幸能够成为组织的一员，并被大家的热情所感染。说实话，我对未来后续的活动十分期待。” 如果想要了解更多BBI项目及其后续活动，请关注Orgsync https://orgsync.com/86716/events This article was written by Joanne Chun and translated by 宾雪 (Miki Xue). Send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: BBI