Cambodia Service Learning Trip (Jun 2015)
The summer trip to Cambodia from June 2nd to 8th was the ninth service learning trip to Cambodia since 2011. During this 7-day trip, participants visited Who Will Children's Village, Wat Opot Children's Community, Cambodian Children's Fund Centre as well as the Phnom Penh International University. The aim of this trip was to demonstrate love and compassion to Cambodian children through specific educational and cultural exchange programs according to their needs.
In preparation of the service trip, participants attended pre-trip and team-building workshop. Through these workshops, participants were able to learn more about activity design and the needs of the Cambodian Children.
On the first day, the team visited the Phnom Penh International University and had exchange with local students to gain insight into the local culture and social structure. From day 2 onwards, the participants carried out education programs in various NGOs. The experience, fortunately, proved to be extremely rewarding for both parties. The team taught the children of the Wat Opot Community Mandarin. And they managed to say "goodbye" in the Mandarin before the participants left, impressing everyone with their willingness to learn about the outside world. The team then visited Who Will Children's Village where they had games playing musical instruments with the 160 children and teenagers there. On the final day, the HKUST team also made a trip to the Central Market, Royal Palace and Genocide museum, furthering their understanding of the Cambodian religion, culture, history, as well as society. It was a perfect way to end the service learning trip to Cambodia.
The trip was definitely a life-changing experience for all participants. Some become highly aware of the ongoing problems of Cambodian society, some started to appreciate and treasure the chances and resources that are easily accessible to them, some learnt to venture out of their comfort zone and to explore other aspects of themselves, and others discovered their strengths and weaknesses. Most importantly, everyone gained a life-long memory and relationship with each other and the children of Cambodia.
The smiles on the children's faces assured that the participants' efforts and volunteering had paid off. To ensure that the Cambodia Service Learning Trip continues to improve, the participants were willing to share and pass on their experiences to the participants of the next trip. In addition, the participants became more aware of the impacts that NGOs have on a country and children’s growth and development. Even though the trip has finished, the will and passion to reinforce the betterment of Cambodian younger generations will never wither in the HKUST community.
