Published: 16:08, October 10, 2024 | Updated: 17:02, October 10, 2024
Voluntary work enables newly admitted mainland students to explore HK
By Lu Wanqing in Hong Kong
Song Encheng (front row, eleventh from right), together with some other 30 newly admitted Chinese mainland students who attend Hong Kong Metropolitan University and members of The Shatin Care Team, pose for a photo on Student Community Service Day organized by China Daily Hong Kong. (LU WANQING / CHINA DAILY)

Song Encheng, a recent high school graduate from Shenzhen who waved farewell to his parents at the border checkpoint to embark on a fresh learning journey at the Hong Kong Metropolitan University in September, felt newfound enthusiasm to explore the city following an immersive experience as part of the local community care team.

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Joining him were some 30 newly admitted Chinese mainland students attending Li Ka Shing School of Professional and Continuing Education under Hong Kong Metropolitan University, who went on an educational tour of Sha Tin Town Hall and then participated in home visits to elderly residents on Student Community Service Day last week, organized by China Daily Hong Kong, with support from the Shatin Care Team and the Hong Kong Professional Association of International Education.

A group of students join the care team to visit the home of a senior resident in Shatin, and listen attentively as she describes some of her fondest memories. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Tang Siu-fung, a member of Sha Tin District Council, led the tour as the captain of the care team, and said that such immersive and interactive activity is a commendable way for the new mainland arrivals to better familiarize themselves with Hong Kong, helping them to adapt and integrate; it also enhances the local community’s appreciation of the nation by establishing bonds of care and friendship.

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To his pleasant surprise, many of the students could give precise answers to his questions regarding Hong Kong’s history and current affairs. Equally gratifying was that the students managed to broaden their knowledge of the city through the civic lens provided by the guided tour, said Tang.

During the home visits to elderly residents, Song was particularly moved when one elderly person encouraged him to be “the future pillar of society”, after hearing of his aspiration to achieve academic success. “Their words and demeanor reminded me of those of my grandparents, full of comforting warmth and affection,” he said.

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Song also said that, despite all the difficulties that newcomers encounter, such as the language barrier and the anxiety of having to navigate within unfamiliar environments, it was the shared values and connections he discovered with local Hong Kong people on the trip that motivated him the most to cultivate a positive mindset toward building his life as a student in the city.

Tang Siu-fung (right), Sha Tin District Council member, and members of the care team introduce new billboards on streetlight poles to the students, featuring 34 province-level administrative regions. The billboards are one of the latest efforts of the District Council to enrich residents’ understanding of the nation. (LU WANQING / CHINA DAILY)

He added that he would like to continue participating in voluntary work in the future, especially that which provides caring services to senior residents. “It turns out that what the hidden elderly need is truly universal — good company to alleviate loneliness.”

The keen propensity of young people to support the elderly coincides with the care team’s priority to provide community support services for the elderly, which is increasingly pivotal as Hong Kong’s demographic shifts toward an aging society.

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The Shatin Care Team was set up following the pledge made by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in his 2022 Policy Address to roll out the two-year care team pilot program across the 18 districts of Hong Kong. Ongoing initiatives concerning elderly care include organizing regular home visits, on-site repair services, creative workshops, and senior-friendly tours in Hong Kong and other cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

Contact the writer at wanqing@chinadailyhk.com