In our modern society there are lots of things happening to our lives, often we get too hooked on matters like homework, social activities and trainings. Sometimes we just omit the insignificant things in our lives that may inspire us to think from a different perspective.

Hong Kong is a very sustainable and prosperous city. As citizens, we take a lot of things for granted, for example tap water, electricity, housing and a working education system. As a secondary student I constantly forget about how fortunate we are to live in this first-class society. I complain on issues like too much homework, too many things to memorize in Chinese history and to much to do in school, but in truth, I do not realise how lucky I am to receive a good education in a world where millions of children don't even have a fixed meal schedule.

There are many problems involving children rights, some may not have the right to go to school, some may not have sufficient food to eat , some may not even have clean water to drink.  What can we do to be part of the solution for these problems?

There are, actually, lots of things that we could possibly help to the less fortunate in the world. One of them is spreading awareness. In HK there are many organizations, like UNICEF HK, YMCA and YWCA,  that would actually provide infinite amount of opportunities for teenagers. These organizations provide platforms for youth to engage in meaning outreaches locally and/or internationally.

During the Christmas holiday in 2016 I went on a service trip, which was organized by YWCA, was in Sichuan (四川), Chengdu (成都), China that was badly hit by the 2008 earthquake. It is by far the most challenging volunteer outreach experience I have encountered. The trip's purpose was to help the children and families, who were facing some post-2008 earthquake problems. During the 5 days trip, my team and I had a chance to visit elderlies who lived in remote mountains with minimal utilities, organized carnivals for primary students, who always embraced us with warm smiles, and did some labour work, like painting the walls, for a school. In the short five days, I saw ruins of the houses which were left behind in memorial of the victims; I witnessed the elderly who had gone through the traumas of the catastrophic earthquake; and I learned to communicate with the locals under the circumstances of language barrier and comprehended that sharing brings joy to everyone, including myself.

Carnival at primary school

Ryan Hon --  27-12-2016

Carnival at primary school

Ryan Hon --  27-12-2016

One of the most memorable experiences I had during the trip was the carnival. It was encouraging to see the children's brightful smiles. I was told that the children had limited free time/play time, even during recess and lunch period. In Chengdu, education is viewed as the top priority, personal development including having fun and relax, is, sadly, take a less priority role in a child's life. Most parents want their children to success in life, but the situation in Chengdu is slightly different than usual. Most of the parents are villagers in rural areas, and they strongly believe that their children could live better in a urban setting. Hence they tend to pressure their children to  score well in school and in hope to get into university and/or get a job in the city far away from the rural areas. Our carnival aimed to bring joy to all the children and relieve them from academic pressure, at least for a while. I still remember one of the strong girl, who had arm amputation due to the earthquake, beat others easily at games like cup stacking. It was absolutely unbelievable to watch. A strong person is not the one who doesn't cry. A strong person is the one who cries & sheds tears for a moment, then gets up and fights again. I was moved by the braveness and strongness of the people, especially the children. 

After the carnival we gave a seminar to the parents advocating children play time. However due to the language barrier we needed a translator to translate mandarin to the Sichuan dialect. On the other hand, in places like Sichuan, resources are finite. The pressure of getting into a good school direct all of the children’s and parents’ focus and energy on academic issues. Having fun is a luxury. Hopefully, the seminar gave the children, as well as adults and school officials,  a new perspective on play. Play is like breathing, and it is one of the basic necessities of life. It should never be a luxury.

The trip helped me realize that we are all lucky to live in Hong Kong, and we should treasure it. In Hong Kong, most children are blessed to have a decent living environment, a stable family, access to food and good education. Although students in Hong Kong also face academic pressure, they usually have free time /play time at school and at home.  In conclusion, we have a decent livelihood, compare to children in Chengdu rural area .

We as the future forces of the society must strive hard to make sure that the future is bright for everyone locally and internationally! After all, the world as a global village. Though you may say that a pair of arms may be minimal help to the current situations around the world, together we can make a difference.

Our team!!!

Ryan Hon --  28-12-2016

Ryan Hon --  28-12-2016