A group of tertiary students were rewarded for their enthusiasm in community service at a ceremony last month.
Twenty students received the 2006-2007 Outstanding Service Awards, aimed at recognising young people's achievements in voluntary work.
Launched in 1991, the awards are jointly organised by the Hong Kong Student Services Association and the Hong Kong Outstanding Tertiary Students' Services Association.
There were 169 nominations this year, and 41 were shortlisted for interviews.
The 20 award-winners, from nine tertiary institutes, attended a ceremony at Hong Kong Baptist University last month.
Kenny Chan Ngai-kan, a Year Two student from the Hong Kong Institute of Education (HKIEd), was one of the award recipients.
Mr Chan inherited his passion for helping others from his late grandfather. "He always told me that one's achievements cannot be measured by money. It's how much you contribute to society that matters," the mainland-born student said.
Mr Chan, who came to Hong Kong when he was 12 years old, said he encountered many difficulties at the beginning.
Fortunately, he met a group of university students who helped him adapt to the new environment.
In secondary school, he set up programmes to help new immigrants. "Some of the children I helped became volunteers. I'm so happy that I had a positive influence on them," he said.
Mr Chan, a committee member of the HKIEd Student Union, actively promotes volunteering in primary and secondary schools. He is also working hard to raise young people's civic and political awareness.
Another award-winner, Georgina Lau Kit-gee from the University of Hong Kong, has been doing voluntary work since secondary school.
After returning from a one-month trip to Cambodia last summer, she decided to become more active. "The trip was a life-changing experience. I met a starving child who begged me for food. This made me more aware of the problem of poverty," Ms Lau said.With four other students, Ms Lau set up Humanity in Focus, which aims to raise young people's awareness of global issues, such as Aids and fair trade.The organisation has received HK$80,000 from Oxfam to run a summer programme in Cambodia, where volunteers will help build dams and train English teachers in poor villages. |
