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lau kit wai

Where: 19A, Block F, 3 Lok Man Road, Chai Wan

What: Founded in 1979, the registered charity promotes  the development of social skills for children and  teenagers  with different backgrounds and abilities  and encourages them to integrate  through  practical learning, recreational activities and play. It uses integration to  break down stereotypes and also to promote equal rights and opportunities for all people.

How: Call 2889 1332 or download the volunteer form from www.treats.org.hk. After taking part in training, you can help run   the charity's activities.  It organises fun days, game booths and exhibitions to  help create a more caring and  tight-knit society.

Teen volunteer: Karen Lee Ka-wai, 17, is a  fifth-former at SKH Chan Young Secondary School. She has been doing volunteer work for Treats with her mother for five years.

'Treats organises many camps  and visits for both  conventional and special schools. I am occasionally put in charge of leading small groups of students  in the activities.

Many teenagers don't have the chance to make friends with students from special schools. Those students are no different from us and they all have  unique strengths.

For example, some of them are very talented in arts or sports. My most memorable experience with Treats occurred during an activity about four years ago, when I took part in the Treats Integrated Youth Development Programme.

We were required to travel in a wheelchair from our school to go shopping at a convenience  store. This would normally be  a short and simple journey. But when we took  turns at riding  in a wheelchair, we encountered a lot of  inconvenience, such as crossing the street.

The staff at the store also seemed to find us annoying, as if we had disrupted their work.

Through my experiences with Treats, I have found  that our society needs to be more caring. If we don't have opportunities to make friends with people with differing abilities, we may neglect their feelings.

I have found that I am better at communicating. I was quite shy before, but I am now more active and will take the  initiative to talk to different people.

I also have more  opportunities to communicate with my mum, since we are doing volunteer work together. Our relationship is very good.

An integrated society is a place that is fair and has no discrimination. It is only under these circumstances that people can make the best use of their talents.'



Treats