YMCA 2024 August Perspective

26-08-2024

Cover Story

Mini-Movie Competition sparks youth's passion for creativity

On 27 July 2024, Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong held the "Hong Kong Secondary School Mini-Movie Competition 2024 Award Presentation Ceremony" to honour students for their excellent mini-movie productions. With the theme of "YMCA Vision 2030", this year's competition attracted participation from nearly 50 teams of secondary school students, who captured their aspirations for the future world in their mini-movies. Many of the entries presented a versatile perspective on issues such as environmental protection, integration, mental and physical health. The winning entry in the junior secondary school division "An Innocent Conscience" delved into the recent trend of Hong Kong people travelling to mainland China for spending money and the underlying reasons. The production also received the four awards of "Best Screenplay", "Best Cinematography", "Best Performance" and "Best Director".

Attending the ceremony were Dr. Philip Kwok, Honorary President of the Association; Mr. Philip Poon, Vice-President of the Association; and Dr. Jim Hui, Assistant General Secretary of the Association. In his speech, Mr. Poon applauded the students' use of mini-movies to convey the message of a sustainable world and encouraged young people to shape the future of the world by themselves.

Awards were presented by Mr. Louis Cheung, publicity ambassador of the competition; and Director Jack Ng, judge and director of the competition, who gave encouragement to the students pursuing filmmaking dreams. Speaking on the importance of staying true to ones' dreams when pursuing a career in the film industry, Louis shared "A true dream is to keep the passion alive and never give up, despite discouragement and criticisms". Director Jack Ng expressed his amazement at the quality of work produced by the winning team in the junior secondary school division in just one day. He encouraged the students to take this opportunity to socialise and learn from each other, as the only way to improve is to stay humble and inquisitive. At the ceremony, champions, runners-up and winners of the best awards in each category were presented. In the senior secondary school division, recipients of the first prize "When August Ends" expressed their gratitude to the opportunity to realise their filmmaking dreams while meeting like-minded people in the process.

A screening of the winning entries will be held at the cinema later to showcase them on the silver screen.

All the shortlisted entries are now available on the YouTube channel, click here to watch them.

Click here to review the list of winners

What's News

Nearly 20 CYMCASS students awarded in national on-site essay contest of "Elite Cup"

As part of the YMCA Vision 2030, Chinese YMCA Secondary School (CYMCASS) has nominated 32 junior and senior secondary students to participate in the 2023-24 National Youth Language Knowledge Competition "Elite Cup" on-site essay contest, to train students in logical thinking, improve their command of words and develop a global vision beyond Hong Kong for "Meaningful Work" (one of the YMCA Vision 2030's pillars). 19 students were awarded with honours in the competition.

"Elite Cup" essay contest favours on-site writing within a 90-minute time limit. This year's final was held in Shenzhen, bringing together a large number of students from Hong Kong, Shenzhen and other cities in the Greater Bay Area. Ms. Cindy Lau, Head of Chinese Language at CYMCASS, said: "This year's contest received enthusiastic responses from students. The contest not only broadens their horizons, but also serves as a stage for them to showcase their talents and stimulate their interest in writing. By participating in the contest, students can enjoy the fun and sense of achievement in essay writing, and enhance their self-confidence and self-worth. "

Siu Hiu Tung, a Secondary 5 student and the first prize winner in the finals, shared: "I always feel as if I haven't done well enough. This time, I have the opportunity to compete with students from the Greater Bay Area, Hong Kong and Macao, and I have gained invaluable experience, which has made me even more delighted to achieve the rankings." Another Secondary 5 student Lin Zhengda winning the grand prize in the preliminary round added, "Participating in the 'Elite Cup' essay contest is a process of self-discovery. We often speculate on how to write a good piece of writing, but seldom have the opportunity to create in a limited time. It is significant for me to see my own sparkles in this contest, and discover my own track."

Institute of Christian Ministry's new emblem to spread Christian love and community service.

The Association's Institute of Christian Ministry (ICM) has adopted a new emblem, designed from the abbreviation of ICM and the logo of Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong. In the emblem, the red "i" symbolises "I" as a prayerful servant; the golden "C" represents serving the community and spreading the gospel in the hands of Christ; the white cross between the "i" and the "C" represents the sacrificial love of Christ; and the blue "M" stands for the Bible, symbolising the foundation of our ministry on the word of Christ. May all teachers, students and alumni of ICM learn and grow together in the spirit of the emblem, and become faithful servants united in the service of Christ. All interested individuals are welcome to visit ICM's website for more information and admission to programmes. For enquiries, please call 2783 3359.

The Cityview and The Harbourview offer internship programmes for young people

Committed to training young people and attracting talents aspiring to join the hospitality industry, our two hostels have launched internship programmes during the summer holidays to introduce young people to the workplace and help them plan for their future education and career development. In particular, The Cityview participated in the Youth Internship Programme launched by the Employees Retraining Board (ERB), where four Secondary 6 school graduates were provided with 10-day internships from 22 July to 31 August 2024 to experience restaurant and reception work. In addition to mentorship and work experience sharing, the interns will receive an internship allowance and an internship certificate. In addition, The Harbourview provided an internship opportunity for four students of the Higher Diploma in Tourism and MICE of the Hong Kong Institute Of Vocational Education (Haking Wong Campus) from July to August 2024, and collaborated with Lam Tin Centre in organising a 3-day career planning and job pilot scheme, which allowed students to work in different hostel departments and learn about the basic operational structure and operation, so that they are well prepared for career planning.

Fatured Programme

Volunteer recruitment for National Games

We cordially invite you to become a volunteer of the National Games! In 2025, Hong Kong will co-host the National Games with Guangdong and Macao for the first time! This is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for you to participate in this sporting event. The 15th National Games and the 12th National Games for Persons with Disabilities cum the 9th National Special Olympic Games will be held from 9 to 21 November 2025 and 8 to 15 December 2025 respectively. Get a chance to join some 10,000 volunteers and be part of this spectacular sporting event. From sports enthusiasts to language speakers to devoted service volunteers, you will have a place to showcase your talents here.

Scope of services:
Responsible for different aspects of volunteer services in various competition events and mass events, and related mega events, such as arrival and departure reception, spectator services, guest reception, crowd control, assistance in handling emergencies, traffic logistics and catering management.

Registration deadline:
From today to 6 September, take action and support our national sports events!

Essential qualifications:
1. Hong Kong residents aged 18 or above (as of 31 December 2024)
2. Personal data must be provided
3. Good command of Cantonese and Putonghua (preferably English or other languages).
4. Successful interview
5. Holder of a valid YMCA membership and have become a YMCA volunteer.
6. Preferably with experience in volunteering at major events.

Please contact your affiliated centre for application details and interview arrangements.

For contact information, please visit https://www.ymca.org.hk/contact-us.

Application form (eligibility must be verified by your affiliated centre)
https://forms.office.com/r/6jFg9ZLR3d

" Volunteer Recruitment of Hong Kong Volunteer Programme of the 15th National Games "
https://www.2025ngvolunteer.hk/

Programme Highlights

Support and cheering on the DSE results release day

The results of this year's Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE) were released on 17 July 2024. Our Kornhill Centre, Chai Wan Centre and Siu Sai Wan Centre arranged social workers to set up mobile counselling counters at different locations in Hong Kong Island East on the results release day. In addition to on-site counselling services for students, 600 free biscuits produced by The Harbourview were distributed to cheer up the candidates with best wishes and timely support.

YMCA College Of Careers also released its auditorium as a "DSE Support Corner" on the day of results release, where career planning project officers provided on-site counselling services and free coffee and biscuits, to help candidates unwind in a comfortable environment and plan for their further studies and career paths.

"Global Citizenship Certificate Programme 2024" - "Eco-Leaders" Study Tour to Seoul

To nurture young people to become global citizens with global vision and concern for the community, YMCA Global Citizenship Steering Committee organised the "Global Citizenship Certificate Programme 2024' - "Eco-Leaders" Study Tour to Seoul from 15 to 19 July 2024, bringing 18 young members from Chinese YMCA College and YMCA units to Seoul, South Korea, to visit local environmental protection organisations, including the Sudokwon landfill site, the Incheon Environment Corporation incineration facility, the COSMO container recycling system and the Hyundai Motorstudio. Memebers were able to learn more about the local waste management practices and "waste to energy" operations, which raised their awareness on the issue of sustainable development. In addition, memebers joined a bilateral environmental exchange programme with local youths, where Seoul young people and our members shared environmental knowledge in making nutritional soil mixes and moss balls with each other.

Mental health support programme

In collaboration with social enterprises, Lam Tin Centre and Kwun Tong Centre jointly organised a movie appreciation session of "Inside Out 2" on 28 July 2024 at MCL Telford Cinema in Kowloon Bay, which attracted more than 100 participants including grassroots families, ethnic minorities and YMCA members. The event aimed to enhance participants' understanding of personal emotions and sensitivity to their own and their children's emotions through a sharing session. Through the film appreciation and sharing sessions, the event aimed to enhance participants' understanding of personal emotions and sensitivity to their own and their children's emotions, and to promote the mental health support programmes launched by various YMCA units to raise community awareness of mental health and emotional issues.

ESG Focus

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 website www.ymca.org.hk/hcp or call 2783 3616 for inquiries.

YMCA co-organises the National Ecology Day - Hong Kong Tour bringing over 100 youths from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao for environmental protection from the mountains to the sea

In response to the annual National Ecology Day (15 August) and promoting the concept of ‘Lucid waters and lush mountains as invaluable assets’ put forward by General Secretary Xi Jinping, YMCA jointly organised the National Ecology Day - Hong Kong Tour for Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao. Organised by the Hong Kong Social Service Professional Alliance of The Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Ltd. and FAZE Community Well-being Foundation (Guangzhou), with co-organisers including Guangzhou City Marine Dual Carbon Research Association, the event was themed "From Awareness to Nature Protection", with the officiating ceremony and tree planting ceremony held at Wu Kai Sha Youth Village on August 15.

Nearly 100 young people from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao travelled to the mountains and the sea to learn about ecological conservation and take actions. Apart from cleaning up coastal litter and understanding the geology of Ma Shi Chau Special Area in Hong Kong's Geopark, Center Island and Tolo Harbour Tang Chau, participants also cleaned up litter in Ma On Shan Iron Mine and Ma On Shan Country Park, and learnt about the local ecological environment. We believe that this is an excellent opportunity for young people from Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macao to practise ESG and work towards sustainability. As the event aligns with the focus of "Sustainable Planet " in the YMCA Vision 2030 launched by The World Alliance of YMCAs, YMCA will step up efforts to advance the carbon neutrality goal through more environmental projects. Join us to build a green and low-carbon future!

PAIN Kick Zone

Chronic Ankle Instability: Regaining Your Footing

Have you ever experienced a sense of "give way" or instability in your ankle, even after recovered from an initial sprain? If so, you may be dealing with a condition known as Chronic Ankle Instability (CAI). CAI is a common problem that affects up to 40% of people who have had a previous ankle sprain. It occurs when the ankle joint remains unstable and prone to re-injury, even after the initial injury has healed.

The clinical presentation of CAI often includes:

A feeling of the ankle "giving way" or feeling unstable, especially during physical activity
Repeated ankle sprains or a tendency to "roll" the ankle
Swelling, pain, or discomfort in the ankle joint
Decreased balance and coordination

While surgical intervention may be necessary in some cases of chronic ankle instability, nonsurgical management is usually recommended as the first line of treatment. Research shows that more than 60% of patients experience improvement with physiotherapy. Here are two simple home exercises aimed at improving ankle stability and managing CAI:

Single Leg Balance

- Stand behind a chair and use it for balance if needed.

- Lift one leg off the ground and balance on another foot.

- Hold this position for up to 30 seconds.

- Aim for at least 3 repetitions on each side.

- To progress the exercise, swing your opposite leg in a controlled motion or perform it on an unstable surface.

If you suspect you're dealing with chronic ankle instability, it is important not to ignore it. Seek guidance from a healthcare professional who can provide proper evaluation and guidance. With the right approach, including exercises like those mentioned, you can overcome CAI and reduce the risk of future ankle sprains.

Discovering YMCA Channel

Bridges Street Centre - Walking into Literature and History

＊Some of the activities were subsidised by the Social Welfare Department

Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong

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