Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong

In Hong Kong these days, there is a noticeable and growing disparity between rich and poor. High rents, expensive commodities and many other factors are pushing people into homelessness at an unprecedented rate.

To stem this unfortunate tide, the “Grasswood” initiative, a wood recycling programme founded by students of the Baptist University of Hong Kong who care deeply about homelessness, aims to help street sleepers rebuild their self-confidence, re-integrate into the community and increase their income – all at the same time.

These students recently won the UItimate award at our “Be a Global Citizen: Ultimate Tour” competition and received a subsidy of HK$100,000 as their grand prize. They will use this money to fund a visit to the UK where they will conduct a study on potential services that can be offered to street sleepers in Hong Kong.

For nine consecutive years, Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong has organized the “Be a Global Citizen” campaign. The campaign’s objectives are to broaden the horizons of young people and help them gain a better understanding of what global citizenship means through learning about and experiencing important topics like poverty, peace, multiculturalism, the environment and sustainable development. This year’s campaign drew 216 participants who competed for the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Ultimate awards, with 180 participants winning Gold awards – a record high for the campaign.

Taking home the Ultimate award was a dream come true for the Hong Kong Baptist University team, who now plan to study services offered in the UK for street sleepers by the British government and various NGOs. The winners received a subsidy of HK$100,000 which will fund their visit to the UK. Ms Chan Wai Man, one of the members of the winning team, shared her thoughts with the guests at the awards ceremony, telling the crowd that, “Many street sleepers have families and homes that they can go to, but they are sometimes reluctant to go home for various psychological reasons. We believe that there is a need for a platform to help these street sleepers rebuild their self-confidence and re-engage with society. Our plan is to visit the UK to observe and learn how they are being helped through the combined support of the government, social enterprises and the business sector.” After her team won the Ultimate award, Ms Chan continued, “it’s important to have curiosity and a caring heart, but don’t forget to seek every opportunity to create a better life. We hope you all can realise your dreams through competitions like the Ultimate Tour!”

This year’s ceremony was held on 22 June. In addition to the Chairman of the our Global Citizenship Steering Committee, Mr Tsang Wai-hung, JP, GBS, PDSM, PMSM, and Mr Yau Chung Wan, Vice President of Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, we also invited a number of people who are leading examples of ‘taking global responsibility for their actions’ to the ceremony. These included representatives of Mission Until Dawn, a professional volunteer team which has built playgrounds for local children in the Philippines and Cambodia. A street performer, Miss Cheung Man Ting and an up-cycling product designer, Mr Kevin Cheung Wai Chun, also came along to share their experiences and stories in the hopes of encouraging students to pursue their dreams.

During the ceremony, Mr Tsang mentioned in his remarks that, “I’ve witnessed how the awareness of local youth about global issues has been growing over the past nine years. The Global Citizenship campaign is now approaching its tenth anniversary and we hope to inspire more youngsters to have love, hope and faith in the future so that they will be able to shoulder the responsibilities associated with being global citizens”. Mr Yau also mentioned that, “We are living in an ever-changing world and it is important to keep learning and broadening our horizons so that we are able to keep pace with this fast-changing society. We hope that the winners of this award will continue to work together to promote the ideals of global citizenship”.

The “Be a Global Citizen” campaign welcomes young members between the ages of 15 and 25. Participants in the campaign are required to complete specific tasks and take part in themed activities as they work towards winning the Gold, Silver, Bronze and Ultimate awards.

The winner of the Ultimate award receives a subsidy of up to HK$100,000 for use in an overseas project. All participants are required to develop a proposal in one area – either poverty, peace, diversification or environmental sustainability.

For more information on the campaign, please click here.

Recently, our “Guinnerun – Joint University Charity Night Race 2017” was entered in the “Best Student and Youth Volunteering Project Competition” organized by Hong Kong’s Social Welfare Department. This unique event won first prize in the competition, beating several worthy competitors.

This fun and engaging charity race brings together several elements: a night race, an outdoor adventure and problem-solving challenges. Together, these elements are designed to strengthen the independence, resilience and self-confidence of the participants. Most importantly, the proceeds raised from the Guinnerun this year were used to fund children from low-income families’ participation in an overseas trip called “Adventurous Tribe in Penang”, helping to create unforgettable memories for all participants.

To learn more about the Guinnerun and other volunteer-based programmes, please check out issue 28 of our ‘Volunteer Movement,’ published in May 2019.