THE Beijing Youth League(北京团市委) and Beijing Volunteer Association（北京志愿者协会） started the first group of 138 programs for volunteers on April 20.

　　All citizens are welcome to take part in these programs, which include, charitable activities(慈善事业), translation, culture and education, assisting（帮助）the disabled, environmental protection and tourism. The volunteer service programs cover the 18 districts（区）and counties（县）of Beijing.

　　The Beijing Olympic Games and Paralympic Games（残奥会）in 2008 will need 100,000 volunteers. More than 450,000 applicants（申请人）had registered（注册）by April 8, according to Beijing Olympic officials.

　　"The applicants include 287,000 people from the Beijing area, 156,000 from other provinces and 13,000 from Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas," said Liu Jian, an official of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad（北京奥组委）.

　　The volunteer program has three phases: the one for Beijing people started in August 2006; the one open to the provinces，municipalities（直辖市）and automonous regions（自治区）outside Beijing, started on January 19, 2007; the one for people of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan and overseas Chinese as well as foreigners, started on March 28.

　　Another 400,000 city volunteers will provide information, translation, first-aid and other services in Beijing and other co-host cities（协办城市）of the 2008 Games. This program will begin in June this year.