YMCA 2021 July Perspective
26-07-2021
Cover Story
Mapperthon Sports Project 2021 Kicks Off!
Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong has received a donation of nearly HK$30 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charitable Trust. Earmarked for the launch of the Mapperthon Sports Project 2021, the donation will help the Association promote the concepts of "sport for all", gerontechnology, and cross-generational volunteering to address issues created by Hong Kong’s aging population and encourage the elderly to integrate sports into their daily lives.
The kick-off ceremony was held last month, with Edan Lui Cheuk On and Jer Lau Ying Ting, members of the popular Cantopop boy band "Mirror" invited as sports ambassadors. At the ceremony, they played various sports with volunteers both young and golden-aged and bringing this" will spread intergenerational love through the joy of playing sports with other members of the community year's theme to life: "spreading love and serving the community with sports."
The kick-off ceremony was attended by Mr Karl Lau, the General Secretary of YMCA; Mr Yeung Tak-keung, the government's Commissioner for Sports; and Mr Bryan Wong, Executive Manager of Charities for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. In his opening remarks, Mr Lau said, "This year marks the 120th anniversary of the Association. Thanks to this generous donation from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charitable Trust, the Mapperthon Sports Project will further integrate into society the YMCA's deep experience in sports education and social services that we have built up over the past 120 years. This project will help strengthen our ability to meet the challenges of an aging population in Hong Kong, in the hopes of building a healthy community with intergenerational integration across all sectors."
The kick-off ceremony was a lot of fun. Edan, Jer and four young and two senior volunteers were divided into two teams for a few rounds of games, which included Taspony, a street workout and something called "interactive reaction lighting." All players were fully engaged and smiling the entire time. After four rounds, the two teams finished in a dead heat with one another, both winning the title of "sports buddy."
The goal of the Jockey Club Mapperthon Sports Project is to motivate young people to take part in seven street-based sports while simultaneously volunteering and using gerontechnology to build an interactive platform for volunteers of different ages. The project provides a basic 20-hour sports training course for volunteers, helping them learn various sports and have fun along the way. After they complete the course, the volunteers are encouraged to become "sports buddies," using their knowledge to accompany the elderly as they take part in sports activities.
Registration for the first Mapperthon training course, which is running July to September of this year, received an overwhelming response; in September we will announce the details of a second training course, which will run from October to December. Keep checking the Mapperthon FB and IG account for news!
https://sites.google.com/view/mapperthon-event-calendar
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mapperthon
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapperthon
What’s New!
Celebrating YMCA’s 120th Anniversary with AR Games
To celebrate the 120th anniversary of YMCA, the association recently launched two free augmented reality (AR) games: the "YM120 AR Basketball Game" and "YM120 Reward Your Photos". We hope these mini-games will help spread the joy of this exciting anniversary among our members.
The YM120 AR Basketball Game
Did you know that basketball was invented by a member of YMCA at the end of the 19th century? To celebrate this fun fact, we created and launched the YM120 AR Basketball Game at our Kowloon, New Territories and Bridges Street Centres. Simply scan the QR code on the display board with your smartphone and enjoy taking shot after shot! All you have to do to take a shot is swipe your finger - and the crowd goes wild!
YM120 Reward Your Photos game
YM120 Reward Your Photos lets you turn your photos into gifts! We’ve installed display boards at our Centres in different districts around Hong Kong. Make your own personal AR photo frame by scanning the QR code on the display board with your mobile phone. There are three different backgrounds to choose from.
To receive your gift, upload your photo to your Facebook or Instagram account, add the hashtag #YMCA120, then "Like" or "Follow" the YMCA Facebook and/or Instagram page. Promotional gifts are available on a first-come-first-served basis, while stocks last. For details, please contact your nearest YMCA club, centre, or service unit.
For inquiries, call 2783 3370
Running an emotional support hotline for DSE students
This year's DSE results were released on 21 July. Ahead of this date, our career and life planning team set up a hotline to provide emotional support to DSE students. The hotline, 9433 7724 for both phone and WhatsApp, is running from 10 July to 15 August, between 10am and 6 pm daily.
In addition, our staff members Ma Wing Nam and Lee Sze Wah were invited to co-host an RTHK radio programme called "Stand by Me" which provides stress relief tips and suggestions for DSE students, and accompanies the candidates and their parents as they face various challenges. Stand by Me is available on the RTHK website at the following link:
https://www.rthk.hk/radio/radio5/programme/standbyme_2011/episode/757294
[Please click: “Part 2 (HKT 17:04-18:00)”]
Activities Highlights
A member offer from the Hong Kong Book Fair 2021
Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong has joined hands with Educational Publishing House and radio station AM730 for the first time to launch a joint membership offer at the Hong Kong Book Fair 2021. Fair attendees can enjoy a waiver on the YMCA family membership fee for the first year! Existing YMCA members can also enjoy discounts at the Educational Publishing House booth by purchasing more than a specified dollar amount worth of books
At the fair, YMCA is introducing some of our healthy events to the public and encouraging everyone to read. An online parent-child seminar called "Anti-pandemic Solutions for Children," jointly presented by the Association and Educational Publishing House, will also be held on 31 July. Rachel Yu, the Association's clinical psychologist, will be sharing some tips on how to reinvigorate parent-child relationships after the pandemic.
The second AXA Hong Kong-YMCA Walking Football League
The second AXA Hong Kong-YMCA Walking Football League match-up was held on 1 July at the Association's Kowloon Centre's comprehensive gymnasium. Eight eligible teams made up of people in their 50s and over 60s played several matches. Cheerleading Show Time from Project Joy also performed for the audience, helping to create excitement and engage the crowd.
An exhibition match was also held between teams from AXA and YMCA. This was an intense game with the score tied at 1-1 at full time. The AXA team went on to win after penalty kicks. After all the matches were played, the awards for both the third and fourth seasons of the Walking Football League were presented to the champions and runners-up. Some of the players also shared their thoughts on a live stream. Overall, the event was a huge success, with 160 participants and a spirited atmosphere created by the crowd.
Corporate Volunteer Service Day
One of our Y-Care CSR partners, Schroder Investment Management (Hong Kong) Company Limited, dispatched a team of corporate volunteers to attend a balloon twisting and kaleidoscope workshop with a group of children from low-income families earlier in the month. This visit marked the kick-off of a joyful summer holiday.
The volunteers first learned various balloon twisting skills from the instructors at our Nam Tin Centre, and then became instructors themselves to teach the participating children. Both the volunteers and the children were fully engaged in the event, with book coupons and toys given to the children as an added bonus.
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