YMCA Summer camp – leaders wanted

Posted by muirp1

Young leaders are needed to assist in the delivery of YMCA summer camps. There are a variety of options to commit to, all of wish will help the delivery of camps that aim to provide positive social interactions, develop confidence and character, and challenge campers to explore their potentials.

Volunteer candidates are to be at least 15 years old, and possess the 4 core values : caring, respect, honesty, and responsibility, as well as self-motivated and willing to take on new challenges in developing skills like public speaking and designing and coordinating programmes for campers aged 5-14. Successful applicants will gain hands-on working experience with children, community service hours, self-confidence, applicable skills in wide range of fields and a network of friends. Training and mentoring is offered to all of our staff.

Volunteers are able to choose the weeks they are able to join our camps according to their own preference; you are able to choose whether to commit the whole camp season or only few weeks. For more information please visit the YMCA camps website , or contact Ms. Mandy Ng or Ms. Bella Fong at 2268 7079 or y.cit@ymcahk.org.hk.

HK Serve-a-thon

Posted by Peter MUIR

HandsOn Hong Kong are seeking volunteers for the more than 150 service activities running as a part of their annual Serve-a-thon event. The Serve-a-thon is a one-week volunteering ‘marathon’ brings together NGOs, corporates, schools, civic organizations, government and media to roll up their sleeves and volunteer. The aim is to raise public awareness around the importance of community service to help address social issues.

It will take place from May 5th to 13th—all of which serve those most in need in Hong Kong. Please visit the event website for more details.

DC CAS Celebration

Posted by Peter MUIR

A ‘CAS Celebration’ for our graduating Y13 students was held recently. The event provided us with a glimpse of the vast array of experiences conducted by Year 13s over the past 18 months.

Students spoke about how CAS has helped them to learn from failure, to be inspired by others, to take on new challenges, and to be an active learner. The Year 12s also took some time to share their CAS activities and inspire the Year 11s, giving new ideas on how they can actively contribute to the community.

One thing is for sure- when CAS is seen as an opportunity to develop skills and pursue interests, and chance to Grow. Discover. Dream., students benefit greatly from their CAS participation!

WildAid/HK Shark Foundation protest

Posted by Peter MUIR

Calling all Hong Kong shark lovers!

WildAid and HK Shark Foundation have an organised a peaceful protest against Maxim’s Chiuchow Garden restaurant in Jardine House in Central coming up this Saturday April 21 at 11 am.

Jardines is the parent company of Maxim’s, a company that is, by extension, complicit in the unsustainable and cruel killing of countless millions of blue sharks each year.

Organisers are looking for student volunteers to join in the protest. If you are interested, please go to the Facebook page and sign up. And if you want to wear a shark costume please contact the organisers and let them know!

Let our voices to Jardines senior management be heard!

Nature Works HK Biodiversity field trip

Posted by Peter MUIR

Microfibers

Posted by Peter MUIR

Issues surrounding of over-reliance on plastic and how this is leading to massive amounts of plastic polluting our waterways have been making headlines. While some of this plastic pollution is obvious, some of how plastic reaches our seas and oceans is not so visible.

One of these is microbeads, where small pieces of plastic used in cosmetic products and toothpaste go down the sink to end up in our waterways. Another, one perhaps less known, are microfibres – small fibres of plastic that are released from synthetic fibres such as polyester when we wash our clothes.

These microfibres are tiny, but can cause major issues. It has been said that microfibres make up about one third of the plastic in our oceans. There is research indicating that plastic microfibers in tap water, with findings indicating 83% of samples were found to be polluted by micro plastics. Other research indicate that out of 20 bottled water brands tested, only one did not contain plastic microfibers.

What can you do as a consumer about this issue? How are you contributing to this? How might you be able to influence the companies who are causing this plastic pollution?

Earth Day 2018

Posted by Peter MUIR

Earth Day, an annual global event that started 22 April 1970, where millions of people took to the streets to protest the negative impacts of 150 years of industrial development, is coming soon – now is the time to start investing / preparing for how you could take action as a part of this event.

Earth Day is considered the largest civic-focused day of action in the world, with an estimated more than 1 billion people in 192 countries taking part.

Earth Day Network, the organization that leads Earth Day worldwide, has announced that Earth Day 2018 will focus on mobilizing the world to End Plastic Pollution, including creating support for a global effort to eliminate single-use plastics along with global regulation for the disposal of plastics.

How could you get involved in Earth Day Network’s End Plastic Pollution campaign? How could you take part in any of the following four major components of the campaign? These are:

  • Leading a grassroots movement to support the adoption of a global framework to regulate plastic pollution;
  • Educating, mobilizing and activating citizens across the globe to demand that governments and corporations control and clean up plastic pollution;
  • Educating people worldwide to take personal responsibility for plastic pollution by choosing to reject, reduce, reuse and recycle plastics, and
  • Promoting local government regulatory and other efforts to tackle plastic pollution.

Check out these ideas of how you could involved and start planning your involvement today!

Looking for a musical trio

Posted by Peter MUIR

HandsOn Hong Kong is looking for a trio of musicians interested in volunteering to play background music at a special art exhibition on the evening of Thursday 26th April. The exhibition will feature artworks by students from the Nesbitt Centre, an NGO that supports English speaking adults with learning difficulties. This is a perfect opportunity for a group of student musicians! Contact Nancy@handsonhongkong.org asap for more details.

International Day of Happiness

Posted by Peter MUIR

In 2012 the United Nations established March 20 as the International Day of Happiness.  People are now recognising that ‘progress’ should be about increasing human happiness and wellbeing, not just growing the economy.

What could you do to help make the people around you happy?  How might you investigate, prepare and then act on this topic?

Each year Live Happy runs a a campaign to spread happiness around the globe.  Take a look at their website for ideas of how you might get involved. Other ideas can be found on the Day of Happiness website, provided by Action for happiness.

Let’s create a happier world together!

 

Nature Works Hong Kong Leadership Program 2018

Posted by Peter MUIR

Are you passionate about environmental sustainability? Are you looking to develop your leadership skills and a scientific mindset?

Here is your chance to not only build a greener future, but also develop pathways to future careers with real-world experience.

Nature Works Hong Kong Leadership Program 2018 provides a platform that connects students to work on a common vision to solve environmental issues within their communities and schools. The data-backed and student-led solutions also help schools articulate the business case for environmental improvements, which can be used to evolve the project by future cohorts.

This program is open to all Hong Kong students aged 13-17 and has been evaluated by industry experts. Participating schools put forward a team of 3 – 5 students, who have the following skills and interests to join the program and represent their school:
– Quantitative Analysis
– Physics and Materials Science
– Biology and Environmental Science
– Research and Social Science

This will see teams working on real issues, aiming to help make DC a greener school!

Please speak to some peers about joining a team, then speak to Mr Muir as soon as possible.  Registration fees will not be charged to DC teams. More details can be found on the event website or on this promotional video.