Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong

 

YMCA YM Volunteer Awards Presentation Ceremony Honours Over 1,000 Outstanding Volunteers
Making global impact through volunteering and caring for the community in support of the global sustainable development goals

 

In response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),       Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong (YMCA) is committed to encouraging volunteers in caring for the underprivileged and contributing to the world through services for a sustainable development of the community and the planet. Presenting the "YM Volunteer Awards Presentation Ceremony 2022-2023" today (15 October), YMCA honoured outstanding volunteers for their contribution to sustainable development, including a team of volunteers who regularly distribute meals to hidden homelessness and secondary school students who organise interactive recycling activities in the community.

 

Under the theme of "Be YM Volunteer Be Impact Maker", this year's event celebrated the positive changes that volunteers have brought to the community and the world through their services. This year, 15,764 volunteers registered and 96,046 hours were served, with a total of 1,272 awardees. Mr. Ho Kai-ming, JP, Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare, was invited to deliver a speech at the awards ceremony. He was joined by The Rt Rev Dr. Thomas Soo Yee-po, JP, Director and Chairmen of Service Development and Member Affairs Committee of YMCA; Prof. Ko Wing-hung, Director and Member of the Service Development and Member Affairs Committee of YMCA; and Dr. Bonson Lee, Deputy General Secretary of YMCA, to officiate at the ceremony.

 

Mr. Ho Kai-ming, JP, Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare, remarked in his welcoming speech on the gaps in the provision of various community services by the Government, expressing his gratitude to YMCA for promoting the volunteer movement and empowering the community to change for the better through volunteering. Under Secretary Ho encouraged the community to maintain their commitment to YMCA's volunteer services and work together towards the United Nations' 2030 SDGs.

 

Addressing the welcome speech, The Rt Rev Dr. Thomas Soo Yee-po, JP, Director and Chairmen of Service Development and Member Affairs Committee of YMCA, highlighted the spirit of “to serve, not to be served” of YMCA in community services. "I am delighted that YMCA has embraced the ESG management principles since 2020, and that our team of dedicated colleagues are working together to provide more relevant services in line with the United Nations’ 17 SDGs by 2030. I am even more thrilled to see the support of our volunteers in responding to the needs of the community and in pursuing sustainable development," he said, adding that volunteers could make an impact in the world with enthusiasm.

 

With the aim of encouraging schools to respond to the SDGs through volunteering,   YM Volunteer promoted "YM Volunteer@ SCHOOL" this year to educate students on the application and practice of ESG and SDGs in their daily lives for the benefit of the global community. In the first year of the programme, a total of 28 secondary schools took part in the programme, among which 21 schools were recognised for fulfilling the requirement of providing at least 100 hours of school-wide services. In addition, the YM Volunteer@ SCHOOL SDGs Theme Story Awards were presented to Ju Ching Chu Secondary School (Yuen Long), Chinese YMCA College, and The Chinese Foundation Secondary School in the first, second and third places respectively. The first prize winner, Ju Ching Chu Secondary School (Yuen Long), organised a series of recycling and sharing activities in the previous school year to promote responsible consumption through bartering in the neighbourhood. Participating students were invited to share their experiences at the awards ceremony.

 

In addition, the awards ceremony acknowledged the outstanding volunteer groups. One of the honoured teams, the "Mealbox Man Community Volunteer Team" from our Jordan Centre, comprised members of youths, university students, parents and teachers. Since October last year, the team has been reaching out to cleaning workers or hidden homelessness in the Yau Tsim Mong District on Fridays giving free meals and showing our care through conversation with them. The team's perseverance has inspired business corporations and other organisations to join in the effort, in a bid to expand their services.

 

"YM Volunteer" is a volunteer programme specially designed by YMCA. By encouraging members of the community to participate in volunteer activities, YMCA aims to serve the needy groups in the community with love and care. Apart from young people, YMCA also recruits volunteers from different age groups, social strata and industries, in order to build up a volunteer community of all ages and sectors. Through volunteering, volunteers can also develop their strengths and improve their self-confidence while broadening their horizons.

 

Photo 1: Mr. Ho Kai-ming, JP, Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare (second from right); The Rt Rev Dr. Thomas Soo Yee-po, JP, Director and Chairmen of Service Development and Member Affairs Committee of YMCA (second from left); Prof. Ko Wing-hung, Director and Member of the Service Development and Member Affairs Committee of YMCA (first from left); and Dr. Bonson Lee, Deputy General Secretary of YMCA (first from right), officiate at the launch of YM Volunteer Awards Presentation Ceremony.

 

Photo 2: Mr. Ho Kai-ming, JP, Under Secretary for Labour and Welfare expresses his gratitude to YMCA for promoting volunteering and encouraging the community to join hands for a change through volunteering and to help fill the gaps in the Government's community services.

 

Photo 3: The Rt Rev Dr. Thomas Soo Yee-po, JP, Director and Chairmen of Service Development and Member Affairs Committee of YMCA, delivers a welcoming speech encouraging the volunteers to become a global impact maker with enthusiasm.

 

Photo 4: Dr. Bonson Lee, Deputy General Secretary of YMCA, presents the Outstanding Volunteer Group Award to the teacher and student representatives of Liu Po Shan Memorial College, one of the awarded schools of YM Volunteer@SCHOOL.

 

Photo 5: Prof. Ko Wing-hung, Director and Member of the Service Development and Member Affairs Committee of YMCA, presents the first prize of the "YM Volunteer@SCHOOL" SDGs Theme Story Awards to the teacher and student representatives of Ju Ching Chu Secondary School (Yuen Long).

 

Photo 6: With nearly 100,000 hours of volunteer service in this year, the "YM Volunteer Awards Presentation Ceremony 2022-2023" invites a number of volunteer units to receive the awards in recognition of their tireless contribution.

 

Media are welcome to download the photos here for publication:https://bitly.ws/WQGR

 

關於香港中華基督教青年會

Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong is a Christian service organisation based in Hong Kong as part of the global YMCA movement. The Association is committed to building a civil and compassionate Hong Kong through uniting people with the same spirit to extend the Kingdom of God; fostering youth leadership to shoulder social responsibility with keen concern for the motherland and the world; and promoting multiple service programmes based on holistic personal growth, commitment to the underprivileged and reconciliation extending from self to society.

Website: www.ymca.org.hk

 

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