Teen volunteer: Polly Ng Po-yi, 16, is a fifth-former at Good Hope School. Over the past year, she has been doing social services for the elderly and taught children of welfare recipients.

'We visit single elderly people and also take them out for meals or outdoor activities once a month. I enjoy spending time with them because they are very innocent people and what they say and do comes from the heart. Some of them can talk for six hours non-stop on topics ranging from history to their life stories.

Many people think elderly people are troublesome. But I find them to be humorous and joyful. One 88-year-old woman appeared very gloomy when we first visited her. She suffered from various pains and told us not to waste time on her, as she had no hope for herself and wished to die. We kept talking to her, and when I helped massage her with medicinal liquor, she smiled. When we visited her a third time, she came out with us to a restaurant.

I also like spending time with children. They see me as their friend and will tell me of their happy and unhappy experiences. Once I have befriended them, it's much easier to teach them. Their grades have improved a lot, and I'm very happy when they show an interest in studying.

We sometimes have a barbecue, play badminton or basketball, or go ice-skating. If the children get mad or angry, I'll leave them alone so that they can reflect on their actions. You don't need to lecture them; just give them five minutes to calm down and they'll be fine.

Through these experiences, I've learned to be more patient. I think most Hong Kong people lack patience and therefore tend to get angry easily, or focus on the negative side of things.

Being patient is very important. I think it is a quality that is infectious.'