CW Chu College The Chinese University of Hong Kong eNewsletter

Our guest of honour, Mr Wesley CHIU, Co-founder of Project Volunteer Online and Board member of United World College Changshu China, inspired over 170 students who participated in the dinner to consider service learning as a way of life. He brought two examples illustrating the evolution of volunteering into impactful service learning.

Mr CHIU shared Project Volunteer Online, which he started ten years ago. The project recruits volunteer teachers for remote village schools. What began as a short-term initiative has grown into a sustainable project, benefiting over 6,000 left-behind children. The project relies on dedicated volunteers, many of whom commit for three years or more, driven by passion to serve and seeking satisfaction outside daily routine life. By sharing the experiences and profiles of the volunteers, Mr CHIU illustrated that even when the subjects taught do not align with the volunteer's majors or careers, passion can transform into impactful service and learning.

Besides, Mr CHIU also presented the Chou Mei Orange project, located in a village near Chengdu. This initiative brings together a diverse group of young individuals who live and learn together. They not only express gratitude for the elements that enrich their lives, but also desire to contribute their skills, knowledge, and expertise to enhance the community for the long term. Mr CHIU felt that this project resonates with the college's vision of fostering an intimate community through full residence and communal dining, with the hope of learning in these communities in ways that could serve for the rest of their lives.