Celebrating 10 Years of Community Engagement
Partners as Co-educators
HKUST Connect is dedicated to mobilizing the entire campus to embrace community engagement as a way of learning, living, and being. In that sense, we are committed not only to providing assistance or performing service, but also building authentic and lasting relationships with our community partners. It is with this mindset that we invite community organizations to partner with us, hoping to create a variety of shared positive experiences that serve genuine needs of society and contribute to the betterment of others. Over the past decade, we have collaborated with over 280 community organizations to raise civic awareness and empower students in creating positive change for local, regional and international communities.
Partnership Project with Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong
HKUST and Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong joined hands to launch the University YMCA (Uni-Y) program at HKUST in March 2010. The partnership project leverages on each other's strengths to explore service opportunities that facilitate all-round development for HKUST students. Uni-Y(HKUST) is a life building process that empowers, equips and prepares students to be future leaders with strong adaptability, creative insights and passion for serving the society through an array of distinguished learning experiences. Students can form a Uni-Y student committee, guided by an advisor from Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong, to extend their leadership potential and enhance their communication abilities through planning, organizing and implementing various programs and projects for HKUST students. The Alliance University & College YMCAs is another unique platform which fosters collaborations among Uni-Y in all universities. Members of Uni-Y can join the exclusive overseas experiences, study tours and service trips while the Global Y Trainee Program offers students valuable opportunities to work in YMCAs abroad during summer.
Student Civic Fellowship
HKUST Connect also facilitates similar internship experience, namely Student Civic Fellowship. It is designed to give students opportunities for community service experience and personal development. Every summer and winter semester students are placed in non-governmental organizations (NGO) or social enterprises (SE) or corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects locally or overseas. Civic Fellow can help with an organization’s daily operation such as the planning and execution of service programs or projects, and interacts with people in the field and the community.
Our staff offer individual consultation to prepare students for their work, and meet them to debrief and reflect on their experiences to achieve their learning goals. By the end of the placement, students not only gain valuable practical skills for the workplace, but are also able to connect the impact of their work with the community that they served and gain a deeper understanding about the challenges these organizations face.
"My two months living and working in Tai O has been a very rewarding experience, in the aspects of my exposure to the operation of an NGO and its affiliated social enterprise, and the unique living environment and culture of Tai O. I have learnt more about the daily operations of NGOs and social enterprise, and how social workers have been working in the frontline for the benefits of the community. Throughout the fellowship, I enjoyed having face-to-face interactions with service recipients like the social workers. For the future, I hope to have more exposure in different organizations working for the community and learn more on different aspects of social work and community services."
Rita LAW
BSc in Global China Studies, Year 3
@ YWCA Tai O Community Work Office
"This fellowship is very beneficial to my career development as my understanding about the society and various social service organizations was enhanced. I hope to pursue a career in corporate social responsibility industry. Nowadays, a CSR officer does not only work on monetary donations and in-house sustainability measures, but also actively cooperates with NGO partners to organize community projects as NGOs are more specialized in social issues and possess stringer networks of needy. I could use my knowledge about NGOs gained from this fellowship to help my future company identify suitable NGOs to cooperate and organize community projects that would fit both the interests of my company and NGOs."
Yutie CHENG
BSc in Environmental Management and Technology, Year 4
@ Foodlink Foundation Limited
Students undertaking Civic Fellowships are awarded a subsidy during their term of service. The source of these funds and opportunities come directly from our generous donors and community partners, who believe that all students should be financially able to contribute in meaningful community engagements. This is also a channel to provide much-needed resources to smaller organizations that would not otherwise have the necessary resources to carry out certain projects.
Feedback from partners
"The period of time Roderick was with us was an exceptionally busy time of the year for our organization. Because Foodlink only has a very limited number of staff, it was good to have an extra member on the team to share duties and responsibilities with."
Foodlink Foundation Limited
"本合作計劃不但為我們帶來了人手上的協助，就讀商科的同學更以自己所學到的市場學知識以及年青人特質，協助機構以facebook 等社交平台作服務宣傳。科大歷來的實習同學均非常主動及盡責，無論是處理行政工作還是協助同工到學校舉辦活動均表現得相當優異，讓我們的服務達到更佳的效果。 "
香港家庭福利會
Collaboration with Education Institutions
The whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts. At HKUST Connect, we encourage community engagement activities on a cross-university level or even cross-level partnership with primary and secondary schools. Such collaborations not only enrich students' learning experiences, but also form a united front in encouraging young people to widen their exposure, value the importance of teamwork and recognize their roles and responsibilities in society.
In the summers of 2015 and 2016, we partnered with the Student Affairs Office of Universidade de Macau (UM) co-organized a joint university service camp. Students were able to support the grassroots communities in Hong Kong and Macau through services in both cities. It creates a platform for students from both sides of the Pearl River Delta to exchange ideas and gain insights on community service.
"Connecting students from HKUST and University of Macau, we were allowed to exchange the service culture, policies and social issues in two cities. We could also have firsthand experience of what and how the issues are like through serving the communities. It was memorable and impressive."
David LEE
BEng in Civil Engineering, Year 3
「籌備及服務過程或許不是完全順利，但現在看著服務營的完結，除了感覺自在，更多添一份使命感。對我而言，透過社會服務，助人自助，掌握社會脈膊，了解各社會階層的狀況和需要，可開拓一個初出茅蘆者的視野。在服務中培養一顆厚德載物，關愛社會的心更是終身受用。希望未來我能夠在不同崗位繼續探究不同社會問題及各階層的狀況；或是再次舉辦相關服務營，啟發自己及身邊的年青人，讓服務的精神承傳下去。」
Luke TAM
BBA in Marketing and Information Systems, Year 4
"I grew up under Hong Kong’s cultural shadow and always felt that Hong Kong was very close even though I’ve never visited myself. However my understanding was very shallow, this [service] opportunity showed me the underlying issues of social problems. Regardless of if it’s my perspective of Hong Kong, or HKUST students’ perspective of Macau, we must look beyond the surface."