Overview
Horizons Project Mingde is a university-wide “to-build-and-to-serve” experiential learning programme – built on Project Mingde initiated by the Department of Civil Engineering – that mobilizes teachers and student from all 10 Faculties to apply their disciplinary knowledge and skills to improve impoverished communities on the Mainland. The programme is designed to:
- apply academic theories into real-world practice in a complex and dynamic environment
- equip HKU students to become global citizens, self-initiaters, critical thinkers, and socially conscious and responsible citizens of Hong Kong and the world
- allow students to seek opportunity for creativity and reflection
- gain remarkable experience living in rural China
- build relationships with others to pose and solve problems collaboratively
Teachers from relevant Faculties will engage in pre- and post-trip guidance, supervision and assessment as well as project review and enhancement.
Current Projects
Aquaponics in Tai O
This project aims to provide students with experiential activities to learn and practice the knowledge of community-based sustainable agriculture through Aquaponics (Aquaculture + Hydroponics).
Community Service at St. Barnabas’ Society and Home
Horizons Mingde is collaborating with Saint Barnabas’ Society and Home (SBSH) to provide an opportunity for HKU students from different faculties and disciplines to enhance and enrich the services provided by SBSH to underprivileged communities through an innovative and comprehensive approach.
Founded in 1987, SBSH aims to create a caring community by providing a wide range of services to the low income and homeless, from offering free meals, shelter, counseling and wellness assistance, to after school clubs and extra curriculum activities for the underprivileged children.
Main Objectives:
- Encourage and motivate HKU students to undertake a diverse range of local volunteering and community services, amidst the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic
- Enable HKU students to transfer their disciplinary knowledge and skills to advance and benefit the community
- To provide an opportunity for HKU students to become engaged citizens
Project Guigang in Guangxi, China – A New Composite Building
Supported by the PAN Foundation, Horizons Mingde is working with the local government authorities to improve the educational facilities and teacher quality in the poorer rural area in Guigang.
Project Mingde Student Association (PMSA) Scholarship Program
To encourage and reward academic excellence and exemplary behaviour for primary students in Guangxi, Project Mingde Student Association (PMSA) has since 2018 initiated and started a student-initiated scholarship program.
The scholarship will be awarded on the basis of the selection criteria set out as follows:
– academic performance
– other qualities, such as leadership, personality and sense of responsibility
For those who wish to participate, please contact our office. Students from all Faculties are welcome.
Past Events
HKUSON Life Enrichment Learning
During the Summer of 2022, a group of Nursing students initiated a series of healthy lifestyle behaviour program at St. Barnabas’ Society and Home, aimed to increase participants’ awareness of the important of healthy behaviour. This program included health talks, interactive game and exercise.
This project was among many other service learning projects done by Nursing students under the Life Enrichment Learning course.
Community Service at St. Barnabas’ Society and Home
Horizons Mingde gathered a team of HKU students from different faculties to volunteer their time during Easter period to help assemble Care packs including food and hygiene items, and then to distribute to the Western District community.
SBSH Winter Design Workshop
“Reimaging SBSH” is a 3-day multidisciplinary design workshop involving different HKU Departments. Architecture, Business, Engineering students will work together to reimagine the collective use of SBSH through drawings, model making, surveying, etc.
The design will involve rethinking the interior program of SBSH, the exterior courtyards and the possible connection through a landscape strategy.
SBSH x YWCA YSENse Workshop
As part of the community engagement project, Horizons Mingde is partnering with YWCA YSENse to provide a series of SEN Training workshops at Saint Barnabas’ Society and Home for their staff and HKU students to get a better understanding of students’ special needs and earning characteristics, and to acquire teaching and guidance skills to help students to integrate into school life for pleasurable and effective learning.
Project Mingde Student Association (PMSA) summer camp 2019 co-organized with Education Society (HKUSU)
Date : May 26-31, 2019
Number of students : Up to 15
Participating faculty : all Faculties welcome
Experience Summer in Guangxi 2018
Date : July 1-8, 2018
Number of students : 10
Participating faculty : Business, Dentistry, Education, Science, Medicine
With the support of CAES, the students spent 6 days in the villages to carry out a series of activities such as teaching English at a primary school, promoting health and dental care to the local communities, visiting different ethnic minorities in the area. HKU students also had the opportunity to learn fishing and farming from the locals.
Experience Summer in Guangxi 2019
Date : July 1-7, 2019
Number of students : Up to 15
Participating faculty : all Faculties welcome
The “Project Mingde Student Association (PMSA) summer camp 2019” is co-organized with Education Society (HKUSU), students spent 6 days in Wangdong & Rongshui, Liuzhou, Guangxi to experience local village life, and fostering cultural exchange by participating in voluntary teaching in primary school and design interactive games to play with local students.
Build & Design Early Childhood Education (ECE) classroom in Rongshui
Date : July 27-August 5, 2018
Number of students : 6
Participating faculty : Faculty of Education (PGDE), Department of Civil Engineering
A collaboration between the ECE class in Education and the Department of Civil Engineering. The students spent 10 days in Rongshui to design and renovate a traditional classroom into a favorable environment for training local ECE teachers. In addition, students spent time in a local kindergarten to conduct various activities and workshop to exchange experience and knowledge with the locals.
Dental Outreach Project in Guangxi
Date : Aug 12-21, 2018
Number of students : 15
Participating faculty : Faculty of Dentistry
Students spent 10 in Guangxi to provide dental examinations and oral hygiene education to the villages in Wangdong Country. They managed to screen over 150 people in a period of 4 days. After the service, they visited the dental school at the Guangxi Medical University in Nanning to meet with their local students to learn about the current policy and practice in China.
Objectives
To construct, serve and support impoverished communities on the Mainland by building community facilities and serve the local communities through teaching, health and dental care.
Period
All year round – with each trip to last for about two weeks
Destination
Guangxi, China
Strategic Partner and Sponsor
Lee Hysan Foundation
Schedule
Short trips will take place during the Reading Week and public holidays while long trip of up to 8 weeks will be scheduled to summer time
Funding
Each participant will be responsible for 20% of the expenses, which is about RMB300-500 per trip
Application
Applications open all year round
For enquiry, please contact Ms. Anila Ma at anilama@hku.hk.