letters

Learning about life the hard way

I had great hopes for my recent internship before I took it.

I thought I could do a good job and apply the knowledge I had learned at college - perhaps my expectations were too high.

In college, I thought an internship would be fun, challenging, practical and useful. In reality, the experience was disappointing and the company did not treat me like an asset.

Being an intern is a requirement in order to complete my studies and it is undoubtedly a bridge to our career in the future.

A good internship not only brings learning opportunities but also helps make dreams come true.

But my experience left me upset because I got next to no pay and hardly any instruction from people with more experience.

Sometimes I felt I was working on tasks in the dark.

Fortunately, my professor had warned me the world is tough - I just didn't know how tough. Now I know.

Scott Leung, Hong Kong Baptist University

Encourage students to donate blood

Schools should encourage students to donate blood. The Hong Kong Red Cross allows any Hong Kong citizen who is 16 or older to give blood.

Encouraging teenagers to donate their blood is, I think, a good way for young people to realise that they are taking on social responsibilities.

Perhaps we may feel a little pain when giving blood, but we are saving people's lives.

For students, assuming social responsibilities is a first step to becoming confident adults and eventually entering a public working environment.

Chocolate Wong, Fung Kai Liu Man Shek Tong Secondary School

Stop brawling

Gang brawls seem to have become a serious problem in recent years. There are not only triad fights; some brawlers are students.

It seems that students have got the message that violence can solve problems following exposure to movies or television dramas about triads.

Despite strict rules in schools, student brawls are becoming more frequent. I think schools should do more to teach students how to respect each other. Perhaps social workers - who might have a better understanding of problems facing students - could be invited to give talks.

We need to take action before this problem gets worse.

Chan Ka-hing, King Ling College

Act responsibly

Young people these days think they have the right to determine their own future. The result is under-aged pregnancies and youngsters getting in trouble with the law.

I think the main problem is they don't realise how important the decisions they are making for themselves are.

Take teenage pregnancies. Not so long ago, the subject was taboo. But now we hear about it a lot, as much as we do about school bullying and mental illness. The media discusses it openly, and it has featured in a television series, Mother at 14, and in the movie Juno.

But we still need to counter the misconception that it is normal to be sexually active under the age of 16. Parents and our educators need to help young people learn to act responsibly.

Kinki Cheung Tse-ki