Cheung Lok Yin - Bachelor of Arts in Creative Arts and Culture; Bachelor of Education in Music, Year 4

Mentee of the Leadership Enhancement And Development (LEAD) Programme 2018-19

Joining the LEAD Programme was probably the best decision ever in my university life!

I have always been keen on interacting with people of various ethnic backgrounds and foreign cultures, so I joined a 12-day tour to visit a rural village in Bangladesh with Muslim hosts and village volunteers. Unlike how they were generally portrayed negatively by the media, they were very approachable. Setting aside the culture difference, ethnicity, and religion, they are people just like you and me. The Muslim villagers would not force us into their religious practices, nor would they be upset because our visit interrupted their daily routine. We should avoid stereotypes, wrong assumptions, and perception of how one should be. On the contrary, having mutual trust and respect is what builds a relationship further.

Life at the rural village of Bangladesh was rather simple, so as the happiness of the children there. Despite the language barriers, the children were very passionate about communicating and playing with us using body language.

Due to the lack of trained teachers, inadequate learning materials and facilities, schooling does not necessarily lead to learning for children at the village. Concepts such as maintaining personal hygiene may sound fundamental to us, but children there may not understand the importance of doing so because proper education is out of reach. The experience in Bangladesh strengthened my determination to be a teacher. I wish I can bring more knowledge of modern daily life skills, along with the value and practice of the outside world.

I never expected myself building such a close connection with a group of people I met along the way. Inspired by the host’s warm welcoming and love, I revisited the village at Christmas on a personal trip and reunited with my Bangladesh family that I care for.

To prepare our students to be socially care leaders with essential cultural competencies and generic skills, the Student Affairs Office has launched the Leadership Enhancement and Development (LEAD) Programme since 2007. Adopting the “train-the-trainer” approach, a group of outstanding students who have experienced once in the LEAD Programme as mentees will be recruited as mentors to lead the new participants (i.e. mentees) to conduct a 2-week or 4-week experiential learning camp in the developing countries during Christmas, Easter and Summer holiday break.For more details, please visit here.