China National BlueStar (Group) Co, Ltd., affiliated with the China National Chemical Engineering Group Corporation, is a chemical enterprise which specializes in new chemical materials and special-purpose chemicals. Since its inception, BlueStar has developed rapidly and grown into one of China's most successful chemical companies through constant innovations, mergers and acquisitions. Currently, BlueStar boasts 45 factories and 17 R&D centers around the world, covering 150 countries and regions. In 2010, its annual sales revenue exceeded 45 billion yuan.
BlueStar insists that "personnel sustainability" is an integral part of enterprise development, so it stresses a good working environment and career prospects for employees as well as the balance between job and family responsibilities. That's why BlueStar summer camp for the children of employees has been held for 22 years as a unique social responsibility brand integrating care for employees, adolescents education and culture.
Providing summer education for employees' children
In September 1984, the chemical cleaning company (predecessor of BlueStar Group), affiliated with the Chemical Machinery Research Institute of the Ministry of Chemical Industry, was established in Lanzhou-an ancient city in northwest China. Ren Jianxin, youth league secretary of the Chemical Machinery Research Institute at that time, took up the post of General Manager. He embarked on the pioneering work of BlueStar with six league members, one part-time accountant and a 10,000 yuan loan.
In 1990, many children of the employees were of the right age to attend school; meanwhile, BlueStar's industrial cleaning business extended all over the country, so the employees were traveling all over the place year in and year out. BlueStar took it upon itself to find a way to better schedule their employees' children's summer vacation. To help solve employees' troubles at home, make them concentrate on their work and let their children enjoy a meaningful summer vacation, Ren Jianxin advocated planning and holding the "First BlueStar summer camp" in person. There were 11 camp members, all of whom were BlueStar employee children. They went to Lanzhou and Gannan Prairie for study, sports training and a seven-day visit, thus unfolding the history of BlueStar summer camp.
After the first summer camp was a hit, the duration of summer camp extended from seven to 20 days with more activities from which children could foster collectivism, independent ability and extracurricular knowledge, strengthen physical exercise, form good study habits and cultivate various healthy interests in literature and sports.
Since its incarnation, 22 summer camps have been successfully held. From BlueStar to subsidiaries and group headquarters, BlueStar summer camp has dabbled in overseas enterprises and has been officially renamed BlueStar international summer camp with the everlasting theme of "BlueStar, our common home" since 2009. In 2011, over 1,100 children from 12 countries around the world took part in the summer camps that were held in 19 cities nationwide, including 53 foreign camp members from 11 countries, including France, Norway, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Initiate a systematic and sustainable social responsibility program
BlueStar summer camp is a social responsibility program supported by the specialized organization, sustained fund, professionals and themed operation. For the past two decades, BlueStar has contributed over 70 million yuan for summer camps. The summer camp activities are designed by the Department of Basic Courses of Beijing Municipal Commission of Education. Through cooperation with well-known elementary and middle schools, prominent teachers are invited as the instructors of summer camp; meanwhile, students from the normal universities serve as teaching assistants and physicians from professional hospitals. In a word, the forms of summer camp have gradually headed toward specializations.
The purpose of BlueStar summer camp is to "Care for the Growth of the Next Generation" and reserve strategic talents for a "centenary transnational enterprise". Every year, summer camps focus on "Homeland, BlueStar and Individual", along with themed activities closely related to the growth of teenagers. Moreover, various practices and propaganda are carried out in the theme of "Language Exchange, Practice & Visit and Participation & Cooperation", so as to foster the talents who recognize BlueStar's corporate culture and boast good personality and capability.
Pass on and integrate corporate culture
BlueStar summer camp is the only summer camp held for employees' children and has lasted for 22 years in China. It plays a vital role in practicing corporate culture, promoting generational transitions and blending Chinese and foreign cultures together.
BlueStar summer camp is an effective approach to support its corporate culture. The growth of an enterprise requires its staff to have a "can-do" spirit. How can this goal be achieved? One of the simple but important matters is to solve the employees' troubles at home and enhance their sense of identity and cohesion. The initiation of BlueStar summer camp reflects Ren Jianxin's human-based corporate philosophy, which is in line with his collective ideology, i.e:, "we can't exist without interpersonal dependence".
It is rarely seen for an enterprise to treat employees' children as a special group in the construction of corporate culture and to create a summer camp which has lasted for 22 years. BlueStar innovative experience tells us that the employees' children are one of the major stakeholders for corporate development, a driving force for the construction of corporate culture and a brand-new carrier of corporate image and culture.
The original intention of BlueStar summer camp was to solve employees' troubles at home. Since 1997, BlueStar summer camp has focused on the cultivation of successors. With the help of experts in children's education, BlueStar summer camp formed a complete and scientific, quality-oriented education scheme in 1999, which is regarded as a practical approach to foster successors.
BlueStar summer camp, a supplement to school education, is an effective method for quality-oriented education, which promotes "harmony in family", and further, "success in career". Some parents said their kids looked as if they were not the same person before and after the camp. They washed clothes themselves, voluntarily communicated with parents, cared about their parents and others, understood parents' jobs and enhanced collective and cooperative awareness.
In the wake of more overseas business, BlueStar summer camp has become an opportunity for the exchange of Chinese and foreign cultures. Since 2009, BlueStar has developed the summer camp into an international one. Children from overseas enterprises can take part in BlueStar summer camp as well. On the one hand, overseas employees can feel equally important in the big family of BlueStar; on the other hand, such cultural mix and exchanges among the next generation will help them set up profound friendships in childhood. Similarly, our overseas employees will further understand and love BlueStar when their children can join BlueStar summer camp.
BlueStar spares no effort in fostering children and knitting employees, enterprise and society together. Using the strength of corporate advantages, BlueStar is strives to fulfill its social responsibility as a corporate citizen and realize sustainable and harmonious co-development between enterprises and society.