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lau kit wai

Where: 5/F, Chuk Yuen Community Centre, Wong Tai Sin

What: Established in 1963, the Hans Andersen Club (HAC)  helps children and young people in Hong Kong. It provides services such as tutoring, counselling, group activities, storytelling workshops and support programmes for new arrivals as well as  social services for local schools. It operates two centres in Kowloon (Chuk Yuen North Estate and Wang Tau Hom Estate) and two on outlying islands (Yung Shue Wan on Lamma and Tai O on Lantau).

How: Young people who want to serve the community can form volunteer groups and propose their ideas to

HAC. Visit www.hac.org.hk or call 2338 8564. HAC is one of the beneficiaries of this year's Operation Santa Claus.

Volunteer: Ho Wing-kwok, 21, has been a volunteer for HAC for about four years.

'I started doing volunteer work for HAC after I joined the volunteer team of my school in Tai O in Form Six. At the time, I mainly helped with organising  guided tours for secondary students who visited Tai O.

I later moved to Wong Tai Sin and have since been involved in a wide variety of activities at Chuk Yuen Centre, such as visiting homes for the elderly, flag selling, helping students with their homework and leading Boy Scout groups.

I particularly enjoy visiting elderly people. When I chat with them, I feel as if I'm their grandchild. We share our life stories; it's a very happy and comfortable experience.

Elderly people are very much like small children. They like to play and enjoy it when people pay attention to them. Some of the residents at elderly homes told me that they hadn't seen their families for months. I have now realised that the time I spend with my family - not material goods - is the most important thing in life.

I am also very close to the children. When they are naughty or lazy, I'll give them a candy or a little gift, which can make a big difference in their behaviour. Through teaching students, I've learned how to communicate with different people. Different children have different personalities and I need to adapt  to different situations to motivate them.

I enjoy working for HAC because of its community-based activities. It feels great when you know that you can help people in the neighbourhood.

All teenagers should try their hand at volunteer work. You can try out different kinds of volunteer activities to find the ones that you enjoy most and then give them your best shot.'



The Hans Andersen Club