YMCA 2023 Feburary Perspective
23-02-2023
Cover Story
Collaborating with Stakeholders Around the World for a Better Future
For more than 12 decades, Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong (the Association) has been committed to collaborating with stakeholders from across society and around the world to respond to the various needs of the times, promoting care for the disadvantaged and cultivating a positive mind set in teenagers through diversified services.
Last year, the 20th YMCA World Council announced the four Vision 2030 key pillars. This vision will enable YMCAs across the planet to connect with each other and contribute to sustainable development. Together with other YMCAs, the Association will continue to strengthen our support and turn the lofty goals of YMCA’s Vision 2030 into lasting positive changes. Putting this spirit into action, on 17 January, our General Secretary, Mr Karl Lau Chun-chuen, made a special trip to Thailand where he met with the President / Acting General Secretary of the YMCA of Bangkok, Mr Danuch Yon-tararak and various committees. Together, they enthusiastically shared their respective working experience and discussed potential opportunities for future collaboration.
Meanwhile, at home, we also sought to advance our sustainable strategies. On 19 January, the Association and the Chinese Manufacturers’ Association of Hong Kong (CMA) signed a memorandum of understanding regarding joint cooperation in support of social services, education and sustainable development. Under this two-year collaborative agreement, we hope to co-create solutions and maximise synergies through various partnerships. Witnessed by the CMA’s Vice President and Chairman of CMA Exhibition Services Limited, Mr Ivan Sze Wing-hang, BBS, JP and the Association’s President Dr Cheng Cheuk-sang, the MoU was signed by CMA’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ralph Chow Shui-sang, and the Association’s General Secretary, Mr Karl Lau Chun-chuen. After the signing ceremony, all the representatives visited the Kowloon Centre and The Cityview.
What's New
“Listen to S.U.M-one You Love at the Lantern Festival”
In early February, a two-day, one-night camp called “Listen to S.U.M-one You Love at the Lantern Festival” was organised by the Association’s Family Working Group. Forty families had a wonderful time at the camp thanks to an array of mindfulness experiences, workshops and outdoor activities. “S.U.M.”, short for “support”, “understanding” and “mindfulness”, were key outcomes of the activities. Parents enjoyed moments to themselves to rekindle their romance, which often takes a back seat to hectic modern lifestyles; while children learned to manage stress and boost their emotional health through mindfulness activities that took the focus off exams and their busy school lives. Ultimately, these mindfulness-based activities offered downtime where everybody could support and listen to each other.
Activities included “Moon Walk: A Romantic Getaway” on the eve of the Lantern Festival that encouraged parents to relish simple moments: a romantic wander, a genuine hug, a quiet, sincere talk. These memories were captured and recorded in a love letter to their significant others, which will be read when they are in their 60s. At the same time, we held the “Adventure in the Dark” activity, a multi-sensory experience for children, and the “LOVE Art Square” and “Tuen Tuen Yuen Yuen” workshops in which children expressed gratitude to their parents by making roses and special glutinous rice balls. The camp also underlined the value of quality family time through a number of stimulating parent-child activities, such as meditation, Nerf gun shooting and “number ball” which were put on to help families strengthen their bonds through having fun together.
Featured Programme
Imagining a sustainable future through video
The Association’s Y-Care corporate partner, Arup Group, recently launched a video competition called “Reimagining a Sustainable Future: Our Lives, Our Community, Our Hong Kong”. The competition encourages Hong Kong secondary school students to create and submit a one-minute short video on the theme of sustainable development in Hong Kong. The winning entry will receive a $15,000 cash coupon. Other awards the participants can strive to achieve include The Most Creative Video, The Most Popular Video and The Most Active Participating School Award. The Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong is the competition’s supporting organisation, and we cordially invite all our members to encourage the secondary students in their lives to take this opportunity to make a contribution to ESG and sustainability.
Deadline for Registration: 3 March 2023
Deadline for Submission: 23 April 2023
Briefing Sessions: 11 March 2023
- Competition details
- What are sustainable development goals
- How engineers promote sustainable development
- Professional video production and editing
Any further details/inquiries about the competition, please visit: www.arup.com.hk/marketing/ArupSchoolProgrammeHK/
ESG Focus
Ever since 2019, the Association has been actively basing on following the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, making investments that follow implementing sound environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles investing. Since 2022, we have also been and following “the YMCA Vision 2030” to promote sustainability in Hong Kong. In addition to publishing our ESG Impact Report, we are working to hope to resolutely integrate ESG principles into all levels of our operations. We will continue to share significant Any updates onto our ESG work will be regularly shared with our members in this column.
Experiential Learning and Environment Day for Parents and Children
On 5 February, Chinese YMCA Environmental Working Group held an Experiential Learning and Environment Day for parents and children, aiming to encourage people to adopt a low-carbon lifestyle. The centrepiece of the day was a walk in which more than 100 family participants ambled along the coastline of Central and Western District, passing Belcher Bay, Fung Mat Road Promenade and Sun Yat Sen Memorial Park. Walking, rather than driving, allowed the participants to enjoy the seaside breeze and take the time to downshift. Everyone then attended a “cherish food” talk at The Harbourview and then participated in a food art competition themed “I Really Love You”, that encouraged families to unleash their creativity while learning to reduce food waste.
PAIN Kick Zone
As city dwellers who often work overtime and frequently perform repetitive motions, we are more susceptible to joint pain or sports injuries that can affect our quality of life. The Association’s Health Care Professions Department is launching a regular monthly column and publishing short articles about self-care. Topics covered will include arthritis, joint pain and self-healing. For more detailed health-related information, please visit our website www.ymca.org.hk/hcp or call 2783 3616 for inquiries.
Lower Back Mobility Exercise
To kick away back discomfort, it is vital to have a good muscle control and flexibility of back. Here we will show you a Pilates exercise to relieve your back discomfort.
Pelvic curl
1. Lay on a yoga mat and bend your knees.
2. Put your feet flat on mat with hip-width apart.
3. Keep your spine in neutral (1 – 2 fingers width distance between back and mat).
4. Extend both head and legs to relieve back pressure.
5. Imagine your pelvis is a basin. Exhale, and tilt the basin toward the head to flatten your back. Hold this posture for 2 seconds.
6. Inhale, and tilt the basin toward the legs to arch your back but maintain your ribs on the mat. Hold this posture for 2 seconds.
7. Repeat step 5 & 6 eight to ten times.
8. Align both legs during exercise. Allow the thighs to move front and back during exercise pelvic tilting.
- Pelvic tilting backward, lower back flattened
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Pelvic tilting forward, lower back arched
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