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Vocational Training Council Youth College

Boosting students' confidence and improving their English proficiency has always been the primary goal of the Youth College's language centres. Since 2010, the Vocational Training Council's seven Youth College branches, located in Kowloon Bay, Kwai Chung, Kwai Fong, Pok Fu Lam, Tin Shui Wai, Tuen Mun and Tseung Kwan O, have been using drama as a medium to achieve these goals.

This year, they added a touch of magic. By adapting the well-known story of Aladdin for a pantomime, the students broadened their experience in drama production. More importantly, they staged the show in English in front of more than 200 people.

During the months of preparation and rehearsals, the students honed their acting skills and learned how to write scripts, memorise lines and convey their feelings and emotions through words and body language.

The audience was very impressed by the cast and their English language skills. The guests showed their appreciation with a huge round of applause at the end of the performance.

Established in 2004, the Youth College is a member of the VTC Group, which offers a motivating learning environment for post-Secondary Three youths to acquire knowledge and skills for employment and further studies.

The language centre in every Youth College branch provides students with practical and quality language training in English, Cantonese and Putonghua.

Organising different language learning activities is one of the centre's strategies to develop students' language and communication skills and help them realise their potential.

Now the Youth College hopes Aladdin's magic lamp can further brighten the students' future.

YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College

Teamwork took the Morrison Eagles to the top at the YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College Inter-house Football Competition.

All four houses - Taylor Jaguars, Morrison Eagles, Chambers Sharks and Williams Dragons - took part in the contest that ran from March 26 to April 2. And the final game between the Sharks and the Eagles determined the champion.

'Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence wins championships,' said former NBA star Michael Jordan, and this summed up the Eagles' game against the Sharks.

At the end of the first half the Sharks and Eagles were tied 1-1, with the Eagles missing many chances to score. Captain Francis Fernandes was not happy and told his players to communicate better.

By half-time, the Eagles were feeling frustrated with each other, but a pep talk from coach Isaac Chiu inspired his players. 'The game isn't over until it's over,' said Chiu.

As the game continued, the players started to talk to each other better and soon Gaurav Singh scored with a header following a wonderful corner kick from Fernandez. Fans went wild and the team was overjoyed.

The Sharks became worried as the Eagles took the lead in the second half. 'I knew we had to step up our game if we wanted to win, but it was difficult when we kept looking at the scoreboard [and saw we were losing],' said Sharks player Jordan Blair.

The Eagles swiftly added another two goals making the final score 4-1 and giving them the Inter-house Football Competition crown. The team's supporters cheered and hugged the players after the match.

Both teams displayed true sportsmanship but the Morrison Eagles became the perfect symbol of unfailing hope and spirit.

Charmaine Connolly, Form Five

St Antonius Girls' College

Our school's English Fun Day took place on April 20. It was organised by the English Society with the help of our mathematics and science teachers. The activity helped Form One and Form Two students boost their confidence in speaking English through games related to maths and science. Thirty Form Four 'English ambassadors' helped out, and 12 game booths were set up in the playground. All the participants had a great time.

We spent three Saturday mornings preparing for the Fun Day. At first, we did not have much idea about what to do, but with the help of our English teachers, we started to get on track.

During the preparation stage, we brainstormed ideas, discussed them and made decisions. We worked closely together and realised the importance of communication and teamwork. We found that our English improved, too, as we used it throughout the process, giving clear instructions to our schoolmates in English.

We were pleased to see that everybody enjoyed the event. The playground was filled with laughter. 'This is great fun' was a common remark heard from the junior students. Our hard work paid off when we found that our fellow schoolmates loved the games and were motivated to use English in a meaningful way.

The Fun Day was definitely a success and we all agreed that it should happen again next year!

Cherry Mok and Isabella Ng, 4B

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