ACTIVITIES

Project graduates’reflection on the showcase

Graduates who attended the ceremony were specially invited to act as CDF ambassadors for the ceremony to receive guests and take up different positions on stage or behind the scenes, including emcee, make-up artists, photographers, individual and group performances.

Project participants would like to share their thoughts after the ceremony and let’s review their great performances.

Performance

Guest emcee CHENG Lik-wai Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service (Kowloon City & Yau Tsim Mong)

"It meant a lot to me for being able to act as the guest emcee for a major event at the CGO. I felt really nervous the moment I stepped onto the stage. Fortunately, with the assistance of a professional emcee, the whole process was completed smoothly. I am generally satisfied with my performance and have found great satisfaction in the job. It is absolutely an unforgettable experience." CHENG Lik-wai

Band performance Music, Lyrics and Electric guitar： CHEUNG Tsz-kit Lyrics and Vocal：LIU Kin-ling Vocal： TSE Kong-fai Drum set：XU Wu-sheng Keyboard：SZETO Cheuk-hei Saxophone：NGAN Hoi-kin Hong Kong Children & Youth Services (Tai Po & North District)

"As the band performance involved the use of four types of musical instruments, together with the fact that the musical skills of my band members varied, I, being the band’s chief conductor, encountered huge challenges in music arrangement. I learnt that I had to accept different views, and needed more patience and greater tolerance when communicating with younger band members, so as to give them confidence and boost our team spirit." "Dream Chaser (《追夢人》) is the first song I have ever composed with lyrics also written by me. I hope to encourage young people to chase their dreams bravely. To me, it is definitely a dream that has come true for being able to play my song on the stage. At the same time, it is also an eye-opening experience to witness the achievements made by participants from other organisations in chasing their dreams." CHEUNG Tsz-kit

Taekwondo and Nunchaku performances TAM Kwong-san Caritas-Hong Kong (Hong Kong Island)

"My taekwondo and nunchaku performances this time were more challenging than my previous performances as I had to synchronise my bodily movements with the strong beats of music. Nevertheless, rehearsals helped me gradually build up my confidence. I would like to give my heartfelt thanks to my parents and mentor for giving me continuous support and encouragement, and sparing time to participate in the rehearsals with me. I hoped that they would be proud of me when they watched my stage performance. " TAM Kwong-san

Magic performance LAM Hin-yu The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong (Kwun Tong)

"I encountered many difficulties when choosing the magic trick that I was going to perform. My first consideration was the time limit for my performance, and the second was what should be used as the magic props. Although I had placed an order several months before the ceremony, the props I needed were already out of stock. Fortunately, with the assistance of social workers and the LWB, I finally decided to do the “Changing-colour Rose” magic show, in which I would turn a black rose into red." "This symbolised that project participants who persistently pursued their dreams could add brilliant colours to their lives. Performing magic before an audience of hundreds of people was really an invaluable experience. In the future, I will continue to learn magic and seek more performance opportunities. I will strive hard to achieve my dream." LAM Hin-yu

Nepali traditional dance performance Shreya Gurung and Shristi Gurung Islamic Kasim Tuet Memorial College

"It was a rare honour for me and my sister to perform traditional Nepali dance at the CDF Ceremony. It also gave us a good opportunity to show Hong Kong audience our cultural heritage." "Unfortunately I had a surgery right before the Ceremony which left me unable to move freely. While I felt really sad about it, I was mostly thankful that my sister ended up joining me in this dance and helping me out." "I lack many things and confidence is the one thing I lack more than anything. I have never been confident when dancing in front of others. I am really grateful for this experience as it has certainly boosted my confidence." Shristi Gurung

Singing and beatbox performance《Rolling in the deep》 LAI Sin-wan and LAI Yung-chun Christian Action (Kwun Tong)

"My voice got hoarse after a minor operation one week before the event. My rehearsal performance was therefore not satisfactory, which made me feel upset. One day before my performance, I went to the Conference Hall of the CGO. When I stepped into the hall, I was really astonished to see that a professional stage was set up with sound equipment. This made me determine to do my best and not to disappoint anyone. As my younger brother would do beatbox to produce rhythm and musical sounds for my singing performance, we had to work in sync with each other. During practice, we went into every detail to make things better, which unavoidably led to arguments. Nonetheless, we gradually learned how to tolerate each other and compromise. All we wanted to do was to bring to the audience our best performance. After the show, the bond between my younger brother and me has been strengthened. It is absolutely an unexpected bonus to us." LAI Sin-wan

Singing performance "We Almost Can Fly" Leading Vocal：CHAN Ting-ting SKH All Saints’ Middle School (Backup by all project graduates)

"When I was told to lead a group of nearly 100 participants to sing in a major event, I was very nervous. A social worker arranged more practice chances for me to sing at the covered playground after school with the aid of an amplifier, which made me feel as if I were singing in a mini-concert. As a result, I did build up greater courage and confidence to sing." "Apart from singing, it is also my dream to become a fashion designer. I have never thought that I could have an opportunity to display my designing potential in this event. I was allowed to incorporate my design into the official T-shirt for the event. I am grateful to my visual arts teacher for having been there with me and giving me guidance on design and cutting while I was beating deadline. I am very satisfied with the finished work." CHAN Ting-ting

Behind the Scenes

Photographer CHAM Sheung-yui Lok Kwan Social Service (Wong Tai Sin)

"I bought a camera and took courses in photography with my targeted savings. Previously, I only took photos for my friends and family, and had never applied the skills I acquired in a formal event. This time, I felt honoured to be nominated for joining this major event as a photographer. I am really proud of myself for being able to take photos for the guests and participants there, while making precious snapshots for the ceremony. I am also grateful to my mentor, who was there to give me continuous encouragement and strengthen my confidence in actively taking photos for different guests. I hope that there will be more opportunities for me to give full play to my skills in the future. " CHAM Sheung-yui

Make-up artist LEUNG Tsz-tung Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (Tuen Mun)

"I was responsible for doing make-up for the performers. At first I thought I should only be concerned about the make-up technique, overall styling and complexion, but it turned out that time management and allocation were the greatest challenges. I was required to do make-up for a total of four performers within just an hour or so. While I was doing make-up for a performer, he was suddenly urged to go on stage for rehearsal. This made me feel nervous and everything was in chaos. From this experience, I deeply realise the importance of the ability to respond to changes. Previously, I had also served as a voluntary make-up artist in other events. But I rarely had an opportunity to do make-up for men. This event indeed gave me a good chance for a try. Looking at the beaming faces of all the performers on the stage, I knew that I had chosen the right make-up for them. I was also satisfied with my performance. " LEUNG Tsz-tung

CDF Ambassador CHEN Wenjing SKH All Saints’ Middle School

"At the ceremony, I was responsible for receiving the officiating guests. There, I happened to meet Ms Karin ANN, a member of the Steering Committee on the CDF. During our conversation, I found that she engaged in education work. It was a pleasant surprise to me as I was studying a course in early childhood education. Ms ANN shared with me the Montessori teaching method and encouraged me to keep up my enthusiasm to become a kindergarten teacher. I felt very encouraged at once. She also invited me for a photo with her. The brief encounter with Ms ANN was truly rewarding." CHEN Wenjing