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The Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) is recruiting young Hong Kong people interested in serving in underprivileged areas in the Mainland to join the Service Corps' Phase II programme. They will serve primary to junior secondary students in Shaoguan City, Guangdong Province, from February to July 2012.
The programme aims to promote youth development and volunteerism. It also seeks to develop the tenacity and potential of Hong Kong youth, and to encourage them to serve others.
A maximum of 30 participants will be recruited for the Phase II programme to provide teaching assistance. Participants, in groups of about three members each, will be placed in different schools in Shaoguan City to help teachers carry out daily teaching activities and organise extra-curricular activities. The Municipal Government of Shaoguan City will continue to support the Phase II programme and will help identify the service placements, as well as arrange accommodation and programme management.
Participants' exposure and experience will be enhanced through the programme's three components of pre-departure training, field service and follow-up activities.
For pre-departure training, participants will receive induction training in Hong Kong, which covers topics including the spirit of volunteerism, adaptation to local life, basic teaching skills and experience sharing with other volunteers. This will help prepare them for the field service.
During the field service phase, participants will attend a two- to three-day induction course upon arrival in Shaoguan City to familiarise themselves with the local living, socio-economic and cultural environment, as well as to help them further understand service needs. Placement will then be arranged for each participant. The local government authorities will arrange study trips or other voluntary activities, including visits to city establishments, enterprises, government organisations and local villages, as well as exchanges with local youths.
For follow-up activities, participants are required to submit reports after completing their service and returning to Hong Kong. They will also take part in exchange activities to share their experiences with other young people and promote the Service Corps programme.
To support young people in taking part in the Service Corps programme, the HAB will arrange on-campus accommodation for participants and provide necessary subsidies, including a basic living allowance of about RMB3,000 per month, two round trips to and from Hong Kong and the service area, as well as reimbursement of expenses on third-party liability insurance, general personal medical insurance and travel insurance. The HAB will also engage experienced counsellors to support the participants. Participants who complete the programme with a satisfactory performance will be granted a certificate and a cash award.
Participants must be aged between 18 and 29, and capable of communicating in Putonghua as well as reading and writing simplified Chinese characters. Those interested may download the application form from the HAB website and submit the completed form together with supporting documents before December 30, 2011. Shortlisted candidates will be invited for an interview around mid-January 2012.
Fifteen young volunteers recruited for the Service Corps Phase I programme have started their service at four schools in Shaoguan in September 2011 and will finish in January 2012. The full programme lasts about six months. Those interested in sharing the first-hand experience of the young volunteers of the Phase I programme can see their interviews at news.gov.hk (www.news.gov.hk/en/categories/health/html/2011/11/20111118_125238.shtml). For applications or further information on the programme, please contact the HAB at 3509 7001 or visit the Service Corps website at (www.servicecorps.hk).
The HAB will hold a briefing session to introduce the Service Corps to interested youngsters and organisations at 7pm on December 9 (Monday) in the Lecture Theatre, 4/F, West Block, Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, 19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong.
Ends/Friday, December 2, 2011
Issued at HKT 17:38
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