Recent Activities
A six-day and five-night trip to Malaysia gives participants exposure to different cultures
Supporting Organisation：
Four CDF participants together with six other young people departing from the Hong Kong International Airport for the 6-day and 5-night exchange visit to Penang, Malaysia.
On the recommendation of their respective project operators, four CDF participants, namely Gordon NG, Jenny FONG, Zoe CHOY and Angela WONG, joined the 2016 Asia Youth Exchange Program (AYEP) co-organised by the Junior Chamber International Bauhinia and Well Family in March. After going through two rounds of interviews, the four of them, together with six young people from other schools and non-governmental organisations, were selected to represent Hong Kong for a six-day and five-night cultural exchange visit to Penang, Malaysia. The trip aims to give young people an opportunity to go overseas and broaden their horizons.
The programme was joined by 30 young people from Hong Kong, Indonesia, Taiwan, Korea and Japan, as well as more than 30 local students from Malaysia. It included a series of activities such as an International Night that gave participants a chance to introduce their home cuisines, a farming experience, local school visit, etc., enabling participants to know and learn from each other and at the same time enhance their language and communication skills. Each participant also had the opportunity to stay with a local family for three nights to experience the Malaysian culture and life style. All four participants agreed that they have gained many new and exciting experiences from the programme.
Angela WONG
Aged 15
Participant of The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council's Project Dream - Tai Po and North District
Angela, a Form 4 student, is the eldest among the four CDF participants. The trip has not only given her new thoughts on future study plans, but also presented to her a chance to step out of her comfort zone. "My roommates chatted happily together every night, but I was hesitated to join them because of my not-so-fluent Putonghua. A Malaysian participant noticed my concern and then interacted with me in English. Her eagerness to communicate gave me the courage to join them on the third night. We are still keeping in touch," Angela shared. Through her Taiwanese participants, Angela also got to learn more about pursuing undergraduate studies at universities in Taiwan. She will consider Taiwan an option for further studies as she finds it a fit for her.
A snapshot of Angela (first right, back row) and her fellow participants from Malaysia and Taiwan.
Zoe CHOY
Aged 15
San Wui Commercial Society Secondary School's project participant
Before setting off for the visit, Zoe was full of expectations, hoping that she would understand more about the Malaysian culture and learn to interact with fellow participants from different cultural backgrounds. Travelling abroad for the first time, she said that she has learnt to keep an open mind to religious and cultural differences. "I met some students from Indonesia in this trip. They are Muslims who have to pray five times a day. We found it difficult to understand at first but after being together for some time, we came to realise that we should respect one another and embrace religious and cultural differences. With this in mind, we were most willing to wait until they finished their prayers before we resumed our group activities."
Zoe (first right) and her fellow participants from Malaysia (first left and second right).
Jenny FONG
Aged 13
Participant of Caritas-Hong Kong's Love in the Path of Hope II project - Hong Kong Island district
Jenny, also travelling abroad for the first time, said that the trip was full of challenging and refreshing experiences. Something "unexpected" happened during the trip that she found it memorable. "Before setting off, I had prepared an English speech on Hong Kong's culture and customs, which was supposed to be delivered on the second evening. However, the speech session did not happen as scheduled. On the last day of our trip when everyone thought that the session had been cancelled, we were then asked to make a speech on stage. Though unprepared, I managed to get it done. It was a real boost to my confidence."
Jenny also talked about her homestay experience. "I was assigned to stay with the same family as another participant from Indonesia. The host family, although not very well off, showed us great hospitality and generosity, which I found very touching. As there was no television at home, we spent more time with each other every night and this helped us bond indeed." Jenny still kept in touch with the host family and other participants after the trip. She said that she would like to be a host this summer holiday to welcome exchange students from Singapore.
Jenny (third left) and her host family in Malaysia.
Gordon NG
Aged 14
Participant of Neighbourhood and Worker's Education Centre's Dream Come True project - Tsuen Wan and Kwai Tsing district
Gordon had never travelled abroad and knew only about the hot weather in Malaysia. After this trip, he considers the hospitality of Malaysian people truly unforgettable. "At the International Night, participants from every country were provided with a booth to share their local food with each other. As the host, the participants from Malaysia not only introduced to us their local dishes such as laksa and shaved ice, but also took the initiative to share the local culture. There is a lot to learn from their hospitality," he said. Gordon hopes that he can use his Targeted Savings to enroll himself into more exchange programmes to see the world.
Gordon met new friends from Indonesia during the exchange visit.