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“The WAY I•CARE! University Community Engagement Symposium cum Project Exhibition” was held today (10 February 2015) at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The Symposium provided a platform for students, faculties and community partners to share their strategies, challenges and success on university-community engagement, as well as to exchange ideas and resources to develop new projects.  Local projects from both universities supported by CTFCF were also showcased.  Secretary for Labour and Welfare of the HKSAR Government Mr. Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, Chairman of CTFCF Mr. Peter Cheng, President and Vice Chancellor of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) Professor Peter Mathieson, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Professor Michael Hui officiated at the opening ceremony. 

With generous support from CTFCF, CUHK and HKU have initiated the “I•CARE Programme” (Local Poverty Alleviation Initiative) and “We Are With You Project” respectively since 2013 to help the community to accumulate social capital and mobilize resource exchange through social networking, knowledge exchange, direct services, research, social enterprises incubation and various community engagement activities. 

Plenary sessions with topics on community engagement, social entrepreneurship, youth and sustainability were scheduled after the opening ceremony.  Local community projects of the two universities supported by CTFCF were shared and showcased in the afternoon, with topics on “Aberdeen Fishing Folks Oral History”, “Home Improvement Project for Subdivided Flat Residents in the Southern Distrct”, “Art in Community” and “Need-based Development Scheme” etc.  Over 200 guests including staff in tertiary education, students and community partners attended the event. 

Chairman of CTFCF Mr. Peter Cheng greatly appreciated the high level of participation of the students in WAY Project and I•CARE Project.  The students took part in the Projects with passion.  With their commitment to serve the community, various community activities were well organized and getting impactful.  Mr. Cheng expressed gratitude to CUHK Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Sung and HKU President and Vice-Chancellor Professor Mathieson, as well as staff and students of CUHK and HKU and the community leaders for their staunch support, and hoped that the University teams can jointly apply and pass on their knowledge and skills and replicate their service models for building a caring community in the long run. 

Professor Mathieson expressed sincere gratitude to the CTFCF for their donation for the “We Are With You Project” and pledged HKU’s continued commitment to community engagement projects.  He also commented on the many collaborations between CUHK and HKU and said that he confidently expected these to grow and develop even further in the future.

Professor Hui showed his appreciation to all the students and faculty members who took part in the community projects. He stressed that social and civic engagement has been the core value of the I•CARE Programme and also one of the most important parts in a student’s development. He was particularly impressed by the patience and modesty demonstrated by the students who tried to understand the needs of the underprivileged while implementing the community development projects. Professor Hui also deeply thanked the CTFCF for giving great support to the students, and wished that more students would contribute to society with practical ideas and professional knowledge along the lines of I•CARE. 

Mr. Cheung explained that the Hong Kong SAR Government strived to build a caring and inclusive society for all.  The Government attached great importance to the issues of elderly care, poverty alleviation, helping the disadvantaged and nurturing the very young.  These goals could be better achieved through the strong multiplying effects of tripartite partnership.  By leveraging on the strengths of our tertiary institutions both in terms of software and hardware, the enormous potentials of our university talents and the larger community can be unleashed.                                                                                                                                   

About I • CARE Programme (Local Poverty Alleviation Initiative) 

With the slogan ‘Aspiration through reflection; Renewal through civility’, the I • CARE Programme aims to promote students’ holistic development through social and civic engagements in Hong Kong, mainland China and overseas countries, and to raise their humanistic and civic awareness. The “Local Poverty Alleviation Initiative” sponsored by CTFCF is a part of the I • CARE Programme, supporting students to gain first-hand experience in various local societal issues and to reflect on their social responsibility. The projects will focus on addressing the underlying causes of poverty as well as building an enabling environment for poverty alleviation. In year 2013-14, over 800 CUHK students have participated in the planning, implementation and participation of local community projects, reaching over 4,000 people in the less privileged community. 

About We Are With You Project 

“We Are With You Project” is a four-year community-based social capital development project held in the Southern District.  The objective of this project is to build a district-based community network to empower the community to accumulate social capital and improve social mobility. The project emphasizes on the mobilization and exchange of resources among different social groups in the Southern District to achieve mutual benefits.  HKU students and staff will contribute to improve the condition of the less privileged and empower them to improve their own conditions in the long run. The ultimate goal is to develop a replicable model for social capital development, particularly with the involvement of staff and students of tertiary institutions.  Since the Project launched in September 2013, around 450 HKU students and staff have organized and joined about 20 projects and served over 750 people in the district.