YMCA’s “Foundation of Youth Self-Realisation Scheme” supports aspiring young people in pursuing their dreams
Funded by our “Foundation of Youth Self-Realisation Scheme”, two university students organised a splendid and meaningful exhibition and fashion show titled ‘the “Fashion Glamour in the Darkness” which took place at the Sheung Wan Western Market during January. Applying for funding from the “Foundation of Youth Self-Realisation Scheme”, the two aspiring young people hoped to put their expertise gained at university to good use and create a shining stage for the visually impaired. Ng Ka Fung, a fourth-year Fashion Design student at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, combined his knowledge of fashion design and tailoring with the understanding of social services from Cheung Puk Kwong , a fourth-year Social Work student at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, to cleverly transform fashion into a way that helps the visually impaired integrate into society and express their own personalities and attitudes through fashion.
The design team collected second-hand clothes from the public and upcycled them to create fashion designs for 10 visually impaired people. They first spent time getting to know each participant’s personal story and preferences, observing their character and needs in life, and ultimately designing clothing tailored to each participant. These designs fully considered the needs and characteristics of the participants, balancing the practicality of the clothing with a sense of style. They also invited these 10 visually impaired people to model in a catwalk show, hoping to raise public awareness of the unlimited potential of the visually impaired and their concern for sustainable fashion.
Kai Fung and Siu Ling, two visually impaired people without any sight, participated in the event as a couple. The design team designed a hoodie for them with the words “Fate” and “Enjoy life” printed on it, highlighting their optimistic attitude towards life. Kai Fung lost his sight after birth. He hopes to convey through his story that “even without eyesight, the visually impaired can still embrace happiness, integrate into society, and enjoy their own wonderful lives”.
New Applications open in May
Our “Foundation of Youth Self-Realisation Scheme” is open to young people aged 18 to 35 for individual or group (2 to 4 people) applications. The maximum funding for each project is HK$50,000, and the funding period is up to 12 months. We aim to help young people overcome resource constraints and unleash their unique potential to pursue their dreams.
The new round of applications will begin in mid-May and the deadline for applications is on 15 July. Interested young people are welcome to fill in the online form to register for the briefing session and free workshop.
2025 World Day of Prayer
To support the World Day of Prayer organised by the Hong Kong Christian Council every year, we cordially invite you to join us for the Worship Service of 2025 World Day of Prayer. The theme of this year’s event is “I Made You Wonderful”. Major Minny Chan of the Salvation Army will share some insights, followed by hymns and prayers. The meeting will be held on Saturday, 8 March 2025, from 3:00 pm to 4:30 pm in the small chapel on the 5th floor of China Congregational Church (119 Leighton Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong).
For enquiries, please contact Dr. Ivy Lam of our Christian Work Department (Tel: 2783 3355).
The Harbourview fully supports red packet recycling
Building on its tradition of environmental protection, our hostel The Harbourview once again partners with the Greeners Action this year to kick off the “Lai See Reuse and Recycle Programme 2025″. Following last year’s success in collecting 15.5 kg of red packets, The Harbourview continued to take on the environmental mission this year. From 3 to 27 February 2025, the hostel set up a public recycling point to promote the recycling of red packets. Staff and the public were encouraged to participate, recycling the red packets into “fresh red packets” to reduce waste generated during the festival and contribute to environmental protection!
Family volunteers from Hin Keng Centre receive the Sha Tin District Outstanding Family Volunteers award
Family volunteers from Hin Keng Centre received the Sha Tin District Outstanding Family Volunteers award from the Social Welfare Department. The award-winning Wu family is a member of the SSG family volunteer group, who has served at the centre for nearly ten years. The family of four has been actively involved in volunteer services, bringing warmth to the elderly and people in need in the district. They also enjoy serving with other volunteer families and believe that “being able to use your time and abilities to care for others is a key factor in achieving happiness”.
“Chinese New Year Family and School Culture Day”: Experiencing the beauty of Chinese culture and sharing stories of cultural heritage
Chinese YMCA Primary School (CYMCAPS) celebrated Chinese New Year with students by organising a Family and School Culture Day on 24 January 2025 before Chinese New Year. All teachers and students participated in the event wearing traditional Chinese costumes. Guided by their teachers, students explored various traditional Chinese cultural activities and intangible cultural heritage experience activities, including cloisonne filigree, STEM dragon boat making, incense seal, making Sachima and tea-making. In addition to experiencing traditional arts and crafts, students also gained a preliminary understanding of their history, spiritual realm and character cultivation.
Hong Kong is renowned for its unique blend of Chinese and Western cultures, and is one of the important gateway for sharing Chinese stories with the Western world. Teachers have an unshirkable responsibility to nurture the future generation, which appreciates traditional virtues, inherits the national spirit and promotes Chinese culture. CYMCAPS takes culture and virtues as its foundation, scientific literacy as its spirit, and aims to cultivate well-rounded individuals. Students learn to inherit the virtues of Chinese culture through different educational activities, while also gaining the scientific knowledge and thinking skills essential for the future. With the support of the school and the joint efforts of the teachers, students can thrive in a happy and safe environment. While students were only able to experience briefly the beauty of Chinese culture during this event, we believe that these activities have seeded the desire in them to continue on their own explorations, and we hope that someday they will blossom into advocates of Chinese culture.
Family with Character – Parent-Child Mini Sports Day
Organised by our Character Education Working Group, the “Family with Character – Parent-Child Mini Sports Day” was held in January 2025, bringing together 31 participating families from Tin Shui Wai Tin Chak Centre, Tsuen Wan Centre, Jordan Centre, Chai Wan Centre, Lam Tin Centre and Hin Keng Centre. Parents accompanied their children aged 6 to 12 to participate in the event. The highlight of the sports day was the integration of character education elements into sports. Through the Character Education A-Z, families learnt to cultivate good character from children’s early years and apply it to their daily lives. Participating families completed a series of secret missions, searched for character education flashcards, and participated in character education mini sports day activities to complete the decathlon challenge. The event not only emphasised the importance of character, but also encouraged cooperation among family members. It also introduced participating families to the Character Education flashcards system, which will initially go live in six of our centres. By engaging in various activities organised by our centres, young members can build personal character achievements and thus foster the development of good character.
Our commitment to the principles of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) since 2019 reflects the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our organisation’s approach to development and the YMCA 2030 Vision for sustainable development in Hong Kong. Apart from publishing the ESG Impact Report, YMCA also endeavours to integrate ESG concepts into our daily operations. This column is dedicated to sharing with our members our ESG initiatives regularly.
United for YMCA Vision 2030: Be a global citizen with University YMCA
Between late 2024 and early 2025, University & College YMCA Department led members on a series of overseas exchange activities, including two service trips promoting sustainable development and five cultural exchange tours. Members and volunteers stepped out of their comfort zones to explore the culture of different places and fulfil their responsibilities as global citizens, actively practising the four pillars of YMCA Vision 2030 and addressing multiple UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In January 2025, a group of 15 University YMCA (Lingnan University) members went to Bali, Indonesia, to conduct research and provide services on the theme of SDGs – “Life Below Water” and “Life on Land”. The members stayed at Green Camp to practise green living, and participated in various environmental protection activities and workshops to gain a deeper understanding of local environmental protection efforts. Participants also took part in activities such as rainforest exploration, tree planting, conservation of sea turtles and beach cleaning to raise awareness of sustainable development. Meanwhile, 17 University YMCA (The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong) members visited Tainan with the support of Tainan YMCA, where they toured green industries and buildings, and learnt about the recycling and waste management work and development of local organisations. Members also worked with local youth volunteers to organise an environmental protection carnival for nearly 100 primary school students to raise their environmental awareness; and conducted street interviews to understand the recycling habits of Tainan citizens, so as to reflect on their own lifestyles and the progress of environmental protection work in Hong Kong. Both service trips supported “Sustainable Cities and Communities” (SDG11) and the “Sustainable Planet” pillar under YMCA Vision 2030.
In addition, University & College YMCA Department also led five cultural exchange tours from December to January, visiting five countries of Sri Lanka, the Philippines, France, Thailand and Nepal. The tours visited local YMCAs, children’s service organisations, and women’s organisations to gain a better understanding of local families, work and education, and explore social issues in various regions. Some members even participated in local construction and education work, such as helping set up toy libraries, building facilities in multi-purpose sports grounds, teaching for free and creating large murals. This series of overseas cultural exchange activities addresses a number of SDGs, including “Sustainable Cities and Communities” (SDG11), “Reduced Inequalities” (SDG10) and “Quality Education” (SDG4). More than 500 children and people in need have been served during this period.
As city dwellers who often work overtime and frequently perform repetitive motions, we are more susceptible to joint pain or sports injuries that can affect our quality of life. The Association’s Health Care Professions Department is launching a regular monthly column and publishing short articles about self-care. Topics covered will include arthritis, joint pain and self-healing. For more detailed health-related information, please visit our websitewww.ymca.org.hk/hcp or call 2783 3616for inquiries.
The Key to Shoulder Movement: Scapular Dyskinesia
When moving the shoulder, not only does the humerus (upper arm bone) move, but the scapula (shoulder blade) also moves so it also plays a crucial role. If there are issues with the movement of the scapula, shoulder movements can also be affected. Scapular dyskinesia refers to this problem, meaning an alteration or deviation in the normal movement of the scapula during shoulder movement.
Several factors can affect the movement of the scapula, such as thoracic kyphosis, motor control, and muscles around the shoulder joint. The muscles around the scapula work together to enable smooth movement. If some muscles have problems, it affects the scapular movement. For example, some people may have rounded shoulders which is related to tightness of the pectoralis minor. The tightness of the pectoralis minor will lead to anterior tilt and internal rotation of the scapula. When the scapula is misaligned, the space between the acromion (a bony part that sticks out over the top of the scapula) and the humerus decreases during movement. This increases the risk of injuring structures within that space, such as muscle tendons.
Scapular dyskinesia can be either symptomatic or asymptomatic. When symptomatic, it often results in shoulder pain, especially during overhead movements. If experiencing shoulder pain and suspecting scapular dyskinesia, it is essential to consult a healthcare professional for a proper diagnosis and personalised treatment plan.
Beyond Words: Where Faith Speaks Through Sign Language – “Certificate in Personal Growth for the Deaf” needs your support!
＊Some of the programmes are subsidised by the Social Welfare Department
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