18
SPOTLIGHT
UMP
大學廣場
DEC 2012
Wong Ka Ying Crystal, Fine Arts / Year 4
International Youth Exchange
Programme (IYEP) 2012
Reflection of students from CUHK
Law Wing Sze Nancy, Medicine / Year 1
I
nternational Youth Exchange Programme (IYEP) is a programme jointly organized by the Home Affairs Bureau of the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Commission on Youth. Hong Kong delegates will visit
different places, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland, Japan and Singapore to have cultural exchange with local youths.
Here are the reflections of delegates from CUHK.
Given the chance to be part of the IYEP 2012, travelling
across the world to represent Hong Kong, is one of the
most rewarding experiences for me in this summer. I can
hardly forget the cool summer breeze and incredibly great
moments we had in Liverpool, not to mention the helpful
and passionate UK delegates and staff, with whom we
still remain in close contact now. I was highly impressed
by the topics we shared and discussed throughout the
programme, like political issues, global economic crisis,
youth employment, welfare and social policy etc., it does
remind me the old days of the British-Hong Kong but now
we have come to a new page and the history thus makes
our group a special one. By respecting and learning others’
culture and languages, close bonds can be built no matter
where we came from and what we believe. Thanks for the
blissful and enlightened moment my teammates and the
UK delegates had brought me, and I truly believe they will
too discover the beauty of our beloved city - Hong Kong.
I am honored to be selected as one of the Hong Kong
delegates to visit Liverpool in UK, it undoubtedly
broadened my horizon. “Quality life” is the theme of 2012.
Throughout the trip, I observed and exchanged views with
foreign counterparts on this topic. After the fortnight trip,
I discovered that happiness lays the foundation of quality
life. When we feel contented about our lives, quality life
is achieved. By doing voluntary work, such as house-
building, visiting elderly home etc., we gain happiness
and add color to our life. In Hong Kong, we rarely have
chance to help building houses and doing metal stripping.
In UK, we did both of them. I found the UK delegates were
very passionate in carrying out voluntary services! What
was more unexpected was that I was being interviewed
by the BBC radio. It further boosted my confidence and is
definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience! After joining this
programme, I learnt to be a more open-mind person, which
helped me to listen and learn from others. Our discussions
were filled with impressive thoughts, innovative ideas
and ground-breaking suggestions. On the other hand,
I was amazed by the newly-met UK friends. They talk
confidently, think deeply and read widely. It was indeed
enjoyable to talk with them!
All in all, I am glad to be one of the delegates of IYEP, it
changed my life since the very beginning.