Most people will ask，“What is GAP？”Let me explain briefly。GAP Activity Projects Ltd is a UK charity，which offers young people aged 18 and 19 the opportunity to do valuable work abroad after they leave school and before they start their university course。At the moment it sends about 1200 young people to 33 countries。GAP volunteers（also known as“GAPpers”）have been coming to China since 1990.They are sent to help students and teachers in Middle Schools to improve their spoken English。GAP Activity Projects Ltd is not a government organisation，and I（as the GAP Project Manager for China）work closely with the Provincial Education Departments in six provinces（Zhejiang，Jiangsu，Fujian，Sichuan，Guangxi，Yunnan）and one municipal educa-tion bureau（Qingdao）。We aim to send about 140 young people to China each year。Until 2001 all the GAPpers came to China from the UK，but since 2001 we have also sent Australian GAPpers。From September 2005 we shall send Canadian GAPpers as well。
What can these young GAPpers offer Chinese schools？Primarily，of course，they offer their skills in the English language。They are selected carefully to ensure that their spoken English is of a high standard。Because our policy is to send them to schools，which might not otherwise have the opportunity to have native English speakers，they are often the first native English speakers that students and teach-ers have met。The schools welcome them with open arms and make their life in China comfortable。In many schools the GAPpers prove to be as helpful to the Chinese English teachers as to the students。
Secondly，although they are not trained and experienced teachers，the GAPpers use different teaching methods from the traditional Chi-nese method。Their classes are active and often noisy because they encourage the students to participate fully in discussion and activity。In this way the students become familiar with everyday English rather than textbook English，and they gain the confidence to express them-selves in English。