Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong

When you hear the words “voluntary work”, what comes to mind? Most people just think about visiting elderly people in their home or selling flags on the street on flag days. But there are so many different ways to volunteer! Consider this: popular youth activities like escape games, VR technology or eco-playgrounds can also help people in need. By adding a little creativity, we can expand the reach of volunteer work, resonate better with service targets and ultimately benefit more people.

For years, Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong has espoused the spirit of “to serve, not to be served”, and every year we hold a number of volunteer projects with different themes in order to serve society and attract more volunteers who will bring love and care to those in need. Our YM Volunteer scheme, which encourages more people to join the ranks of our volunteer team, has been running for some time. This year, 2,124 volunteers from different backgrounds accumulated a total of 165,000 hours of service.

Several of these volunteers won a number of awards. Unfortunately, this year we could not hold our annual YM Volunteer Award Presentation Ceremony as scheduled. However, this does not diminish the value and importance of the award-winning volunteers. Let’s take a look at some of the winners!

In addition to the Highest Number of Hours Served award, this year, a total of five volunteer teams received Outstanding Volunteer Team awards. Their involvement ranged from building an eco-playground out of recycled materials to promoting the holistic development of children (the “Local Handmade Playground” team), to encouraging seniors to learn new things by establishing a support network (the “Miracle” team), to improving participants’ communication skills through escape games (the “Inspire” team). They were also involved in such projects as our Parent-child Volunteer Alliance, which focuses on strengthening parent-child relationships, and the “Brilliant Ambassador” project, which provides cognitive behavioural exercises to seniors. The awards’ judges believed that all of the winning teams used 100 per cent of their unique creativity and in-depth understanding of the needs of their communities during their volunteer work.

One of the winning teams, Inspire, is made up of girls in Form Four and Form Five. To tackle the urgent problem of increasing suicide rates among young people, Inspire initially focused on the design of emotional relief programme. They have called the counselling hotline to learn the counselling skills, after discussion, they decided to spread positive messages through activities that are actually popular with young people.

Ms Yau, a member of Inspire, recounted that “We did some escape game training at YMCA, so we know that communication and mutual trust are the keys to winning the game. After a discussion with some social workers, we decided to make interpersonal skills part of the escape game to help improve the participants’ listening skills”.

Ms Ching, another team member, said that “To enhance participants’ interest in the game, we specially designed some questions which required team collaboration. We also used some techy gadgets like UV lamps, cross locks and digital locks to unlock the props. The game was well-received by the young participants, and we subsequently developed a parent-child version as well. We are incredibly excited to see so many positive responses from our participants!”

Another winning team “Local Handmade Playground” that focused on childhood development was made up of graduates. Even though making time for volunteering as working adult is not easy; the team members still insist on serving society. Kelvin, a member of this team told us that “Being a volunteer allows me to reach out to children from third world countries. It was thrilling to see children enjoy our playground. The true satisfaction of volunteering comes from hearing the laughter and seeing the smiles of these children. These experiences have had a profound effect on my overall well-being and have benefited me as well.”

Kelvin and his teams added environmentally-friendly concepts to the playground by using old tires, cardboard paper and wood to make a see-saw and a balance board. The team also used shoeboxes and beverage cans to create capsule toys in local activities. “After seeing people whose basic needs are not even being met”, said Kelvin, ”I remind myself that we should certainly count our blessings, since we live in Hong Kong and have abundant resources at our disposal. We must also use our strength to help those in need.”

We encourages everyone to take part in volunteer work of some kind, and try to integrate the values of volunteerism into their daily lives. If you want to take part in the YM Volunteer programme and partner with Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong to serve society, you will want to click here to learn more about YM Volunteer!

Good news! Our “Realise Love” project has been added as a charity to Coin Dragon’s network of kiosks. When depositing your coins at a Coin Dragon kiosk, simply select “Charity Donation” and then Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong. You will then see the “Realise Love” project – select it and press donate! Every dollar counts. Your financial support goes a long way, and we encourage you to donate in order to help disadvantaged people realise their dreams.

To check the locations of Coin Dragon kiosks, please click here.
Click here for more details on the “Realise Love” project.
 

A teacher stress survey conducted last year revealed a concerning fact: 80 per cent of the respondents reported experiencing work-related stress, while five per cent said they suffered from moderate to severe depression. To help teachers relax, manage their workload-related stress levels, and become more in touch with their emotions, Our New Territories Centre is organising a “Mind Oasis’ course for teachers. The course features aerial yoga, dynamic cycling, massage, Zentangle, modern calligraphy, and “Six Bricks LEGO®”. The course is free, and teachers from primary and secondary schools are welcome.

“Mind Oasis” event details:
Date: October 2019 to February 2020 (every Friday)
Time: 5 pm to 6 pm
Venue: YMCA New Territories Centre, 32-40 Kwai Shing Circuit, Kwai Chung, New Territories
Enquiries: 2420 0266