Application for Service Corps programme (Phase IV) to close at end of July


Hong Kong (HKSAR) – Young people interested in serving in underprivileged areas of the Mainland should seize the opportunity to join the Service Corps programme (Phase IV), for which application will close on July 31. The participants can gain valuable volunteering and personal development experience by serving in Shaoguan or Meizhou City in Guangdong Province for six to 12 months.

Since the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) launched the Service Corps programme in 2011, a total of 36 young people have joined the mission to provide voluntary teaching services in Shaoguan. To diversify the programme, the service area will be expanded for the first time to include schools in Meizhou City in Guangdong Province, as well as a health service centre in Shaoguan where participants will assist in organising health education activities, have more contact with different sectors of the local community and display their creativity.

Participants of the Phase IV programme can choose to serve for the whole school year (from September 2013 to July 2014) or for one semester (first term from September 2013 to January 2014 or second term from February to July 2014).

Ryan Chui, a Phase I programme delegate, said, “I feel blessed every time I see Mainland children in books and television programmes and wonder why they do not have a learning environment as good as the one I had.

I believe that through mutual help, we can change their destiny.”

He has realised that it is never easy to leave Hong Kong for a relatively less developed city. Nevertheless, he encourages young people to learn to give and take.

Bess Chow took part in the Phase II programme. She admitted that she knew nothing about Shaoguan before, but after a year of volunteering there she saw the city as her other home.

She felt love and compassion when she provided teaching assistance in a rural school.

“Although the resources are incomparable to those of the urban areas, I appreciated the joy of a simple life there. Every day after school, I would chat, play ball games, sing, go hiking and visit the natural landscape with teachers and students there. I think my life in Shaoguan was fruitful and meaningful,” she said.

The Service Corps programme aims to promote youth development and volunteerism.

It seeks to develop the tenacity and potential of Hong Kong youths, and to encourage them to serve others.

The programme comprises three components, namely pre-departure training, field service and follow-up activities, through which participants will gain more exposure and experience. During the field service period, participants can join study trips or other voluntary activities arranged by local government authorities, including visits to city establishments, local villages, government organisations and enterprises, as well as exchanges with local youths.

To support young people in taking part in the Service Corps programme, the HAB will arrange on-campus accommodation for participants and provide necessary subsidies, including a stipend of RMB3,000 per month and transport expenses for two round trips between Hong Kong and the service location, as well as reimbursement of expenses on third-party liability insurance, general personal medical insurance and travel insurance. The HAB will also engage experienced counsellors to support the participants.

Participants who have completed the programme with satisfactory performance will be granted a certificate and a cash award.

Participants must be aged between 18 and 29, and capable of communicating in Putonghua as well as reading and writing simplified Chinese characters. Interested youngsters may download the application form from the Service Corps website and submit the completed form together with supporting documents before July 31. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview in mid-August.

For applications or further information on the programme, please call 3509 7001 or visit the Service Corps website (www.servicecorps.hk).

Source: HKSAR Government

Published on: 2013-07-21

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