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A Toy Story from HKU Students: Embracing Experiences, Reflecting Perspectives, and Contributing to Society

A Toy Story from HKU Students: Embracing Experiences, Reflecting Perspectives, and Contributing to Society


Gosamkee Loris, Wong Kin Ning and Chan Lik On’s story
Faculty of Arts & Education, Faculty of Education, HKU Business School & Faculty of Law
BA&BEd(LangEd)-Eng, BEd(ECE&SE), BBA(Law)&LLB

In many ways, a semester break is easy to spend, whether it be interning or travelling. For a group of education enthusiasts at HKU, the call to serve is louder than the other pragmatic options. Venturing into the "TOYtopia Adventure" Philippines Service & Cultural Tour hosted by University YMCA® (HKU) of Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong from early to mid-January this year, they embarked on a volunteering journey full of cultural surprises and educational insights. Among them are Gosamkee Loris and Wong Kin Ning, Aimee, both from the Faculty of Education seasoned in pedagogies, as well as Chan Lik On, Andrew who is from the Faculty of Law exploring teaching.

One major project the trio contributed to was establishing the Toy Library. This initiative involved categorizing a diverse collection of toys in Hong Kong, ranging from stuffed toys to creative art kits, and carrying them all the way to the elementary school in a grassroots community in Makati, Philippines. Through their efforts, a once plain classroom space was transformed into a lively play corner, completed with toy shelving and hand-painted wall drawings. They greatly enhanced the learning and play resources, ultimately benefiting over a hundred students at the school.