Student Activities Week
Community Service at Crossroads
23-11-2009 - 27-11-2009
4D Cheng Ho Fung
The Crossroads Programme was not merely a community service project. There were two simulations—the ‘AIDS experience’ and the ‘blind experience’, both required participants to step into other’s shoes. There were sorting and packing jobs for goods to be sent to developing countries, renovation work including painting and gardening, and heavy work such as loading and unloading. I also had a chat with a refugee from Somali and learnt a great deal about him and his country.
When I first knew that I was going to participate in a community service during the Student Activities Week, I thought that it was going to be an interesting as well as a fruitful experience in which I would be assigned jobs to do and challenges to overcome.
However, reality did not quite match up with certain expectations. I sometimes found myself having nothing to do but at the same time there were people needing help. There were jobs which I found to be boring and had me coughing and sneezing, such as discarding wood debris. Besides, there were jobs which seemed meaningless, for example, arranging chairs, transferring furniture and decorating the hall.
The most unforgettable and enjoyable experience of all was the painting of railings. Painting the underside and backside of railings, basketball stand and climbing frame was tricky and tiresome. We needed to do it cautiously to ensure they were well-painted while we, the painters, weren’t! Yet, seeing the result of our hard work and cooperation—originally-rust metal glittering under the bright sunshine, all of our hard work was well-rewarded despite getting red patches all over our clothes and arms.
This community service programme provided me with a diverse real life experience. I also learnt that ‘big things’ are indeed not necessary in helping people in need. Instead, it is the small, troublesome, maybe even disgusting work which is essential in helping the needy directly or indirectly. The most important thing is a helping heart which does not care for recognition or acknowledgement.
