On March 28, ahead of the 19th World Autism Awareness Day, 15 international students from Donghua University took part in a community walk at West Bund Nature Art Park in Shanghai.

The event brought together over 400 people from local businesses, nonprofit groups, and volunteer organizations—all walking side by side to show support for individuals with autism.

The Donghua team called themselves the Star Shine Squad. They came from Vietnam, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, Russia, Pakistan, Kenya, Mongolia, Cambodia, and beyond. Along the route, they walked with local volunteers and families, crossing language barriers one step at a time. No speeches. No slogans. Just people moving together for something that mattered.

The walk itself mixed light education with simple interaction. Information stations dotted the path. Small activities broke up the route. And all around them, the park was coming into spring. The idea was straightforward: spend a morning walking, and leave understanding a little more than when you arrived.

Along the way, walkers stopped to answer quiz questions about autism and piece together puzzles. At one station, everyone picked up a pen and wrote short notes to the children. Simple wishes. Kind words. The kind of thing you write when you want someone to know they are seen.

By the time the walk ended, the park was full of spring. The international students had done more than cover a few kilometers. They had shown up. They had listened. They had reminded everyone there that caring doesn't need a shared language. It just needs people willing to walk together.

Source: Donghua University