Workcamp @ Tai O Community (January 2016) 大澳工作營

This was the fourth time HKUST Connect organized Workcamp @Tai O Community (大澳工作營).  The service had expanded to four aspects this year, including stilt house refurbishment, elderly service, as well as cultural and environmental workshops for primary school children.  A total of 16 students put their hearts into planning a variety of service activities, and improved their skills in activity design and management from the five pre-trip workshops held between October and December 2015.

One main focus of the work camp was the stilt house refurbishment for the elders in Tai O.  This year, Dulux Paints HK continued to be a sponsor by donating paint supplies, and provided a workshop on basic painting techniques for the volunteers.  With the support of HKYWCA Tai O Community Work Office, the volunteers repainted six stilt houses along the water channels which were in rusty condition due to weathering. Other repair work was also done, including the repainting of interior walls of public housing units in Lung Tin Estate. 

For the elderly service, volunteers prepared and delivered sweet soups to show their care on the first day of arrival. They also organized a retro carnival which consisted of booth games related to Hong Kong’s past, and a paper -folding workshop which taught elders to make a goldfish decor for Chinese New Year celebration. In order to address the importance of preserving the unique culture and ecology of Tai O community, a cultural workshop and an environmental workshop were held for the primary students in C.C.C. Tai O Primary School.  In the cultural workshop, volunteers led a card drawing session to allow children to think creatively about the future of their community. In the environmental workshop, the children did the paper folding of different living creatures of Tai O and decorated the display board. 

Throughout the 4-day work camp, volunteers had the opportunity to experience the lifestyle and learn about the unique culture and ecology of Tai O by staying in traditional stilt houses and touring around the village. They also became more aware of the social needs in Tai O through their implementation of this service, and their interaction with the residents.