Most of the primary and secondary school campuses in Bishan District, Chongqing have a "tree hole mailbox" on a simulated tree, if the children have troubles, difficulties and doubts in their hearts, they can write a note and put it in the "tree hole", and then there will be a "tree hole sister" to solve their worries and protect their healthy growth. Zhang Yaoyuan, an instructor of the Internal Security Brigade of the Public Security Management Detachment of the Bishan District Public Security Bureau of Chongqing Municipality and an honorary "Most Beautiful Chongqing Police Model" in 2023, is the initiator of the "Tree Hole Pocket" activity.
Since November 2021, Zhang Yaoyuan has innovatively carried out the "Tree Hole Pocket" activity in primary and secondary schools in Bishan District to collect and solve students' "troubles", actively establish studios, and form a "Juvenile Protector Alliance" with relevant departments.
Since the launch of the activity, a total of more than 3,000 "letters from tree holes" have been received, 998 WeChat telephone consultations have been received from students' parents, benefiting 34,412 students, a total of 672 problems related to campus, family and psychological hazards have been solved, 95 campus conflicts and disputes have been resolved, 10 suspected dropouts have been persuaded to return, 32 students with violent tendencies have been educated and probationed, and 14 students with serious suicidal tendencies have been rescued.
The "tree hole pocket" originated from the police situation of the girl running away from home
In 2021, Zhang Yaoyuan was transferred to the Daxing Police Station in Bishan District as a community policeman. Late one night in August of that year, a little girl about 7 years old was wandering the street alone, and was found by a citizen and called the police for help. When Zhang Yaoyuan rushed to the scene, no matter how she asked, the little girl refused to communicate with anyone.
She took the little girl to the duty room of Daxing Primary School next to her, and the child suddenly cried "wow", threw herself into Zhang Yaoyuan's arms, hugged her and said: "Mom and Dad are divorced, Dad goes to deliver food at night, I haven't eaten my father's cooking for a long time, he has a bad temper and will beat me and scold me." ”
In many subsequent police visits and visits, Zhang Yaoyuan found that children's psychological problems are easily ignored by adults, and most of them are sensitive and fragile inside, and they are unwilling to reveal their hearts to the outside world. What does it take to get children to open their hearts? An article about "tree hole culture" sparked a flash of inspiration for her. Subsequently, Zhang Yaoyuan consulted a large amount of information on the mental health of minors, and after conducting extensive investigation and research in the jurisdiction, he decided to use his position as the vice principal of the rule of law to try to carry out the "tree hole pocket" activity in the school.
One day in November of that year, Zhang Yaoyuan and a teaching team composed of psychology teachers walked into the school and encouraged the children to write their "hearts" on colored paper, put them in colorful paper pockets, and then put them in "tree holes". "Maybe it's because of the children's trust in the people's police, almost all the students in that class left me notes, and some even had seven or eight notes in their pockets, and the children really have too much to tell us!" Zhang Yaoyuan said.
Gradually, she became the most trusted "sister" of the children
More and more children are willing to confide in "Sister Tree Hole", and children also trust "Sister Tree Hole" to help them and keep secrets.
"I want to gain weight and become stronger" "There will be boys bullying me at school" After seeing the note left by Xiaohua (pseudonym), she learned that Xiaohua wants to become strong, not only because she was bullied, but also because she always felt that her parents "didn't care too much about herself" because she lived in a restructured family. She talks to Xiaohua's parents, talks to several male classmates who have conflicts with Xiaohua, and designs a special "reconciliation ceremony" for several boys and Xiaohua.
In order to keep the children's secrets, Zhang Yaoyuan and the psychology teachers took great pains. Children who do not want to be named can leave a "password code" on the letter, and "Sister Tree Hole" will reply in the form of a "password code" written on the envelope; In response to major issues involving campus violence, self-harm and suicide, Zhang Yaoyuan will use handwriting and campus monitoring to quietly find students to verify the authenticity of the matter, find a feasible way to intervene, and try his best to achieve "anonymity, privacy, and hidden dangers".
More than two years of attention has made her a "mother" to her children
"Sister, smiling and listening to me carefully is like a beam of light, warming the sadness in my heart...... I'd love to give you a shout...... Mom!" This is a text message from Xiaojuan (pseudonym), Xiaojuan's mother died of a sudden illness, and in the past two years, Zhang Yaoyuan, who has been paying attention to Xiaojuan's growth, has become the "mother" in the child's heart.
Zhang Yaoyuan told upstream news reporters that she received a request for help from a parent when she was on duty, her daughter ran away from home, and deleted her family's WeChat. When Zhang Yaoyuan learned the girl's name, he immediately found her from his QQ, and the girl's mother was surprised by the child's trust in Zhang Yaoyuan. The girl was a student that Mr. Zhang had helped and with the help of Mr. Cheung and her colleagues, the girl eventually returned home. Later, the girl's mother fell ill and died, and the sentence "I want to go to my mother's world to see" in the child's circle of friends made Zhang Yaoyuan sleepless all night. Based on the photos of her mother in the girl's circle of friends, she pinched a clay sculpture of a mother for the child, hoping that this "mother" could accompany and protect her forever.
"I've pinched a lot of dolls for kids, but this is the first one for adults. According to the characteristics in the photo, I specially made this doll to look like a mermaid, and I also pinched a star on my clothes. is the hope that whether her mother becomes a mermaid in the sea or a star in the sky in the future, she can always guard her. Zhang Yaoyuan said. For more than two years, Zhang Yaoyuan often chatted with the little girl through WeChat, giving correct guidance when she was confused, and now Zhang Yaoyuan has a good relationship with the girl, and the little girl also came to Zhang Yaoyuan to consult some suggestions about applying for the school.
Now more and more students are actively participating in the "Tree Hole Pocket" activity, more and more units have become "collaborators" of the escort action, and more "Sister Tree Cave" are also waiting for the healthy growth of children.
Upstream news reporter He Yan Photo courtesy of the interviewee