Closing Ceremony of “Storytelling for Understanding: Refugee Children in Hong Kong”: A New Service-Learning Subject

The closing ceremony of the Service-Learning subject "Storytelling for Understanding: Refugee Children in Hong Kong" was held at the PolyU West Kowloon Campus on 3 December 2022. Refugee children and parents, representatives from Christian Action, PolyU Service-Learning and Leadership Office, the Division of Languages and Communication of PolyU CPCE were present to support and celebrate.

This new Service-Learning subject for degree students was a collaboration between  the Division of Languages and Communication and Christian Action’s Centre for Refugees. It allowed the students to have in-depth cultural exchanges with refugee children in English and let the minority groups’ voice be heard. After completing six weeks of classroom teaching and assignments, the students provided no less than 40 hours of face-to-face service for refugee children. Through designing a series of workshops, students could establish a friendly relationship with refugee children and write their meaningful memories together. These personal stories were recorded and made into podcasts, preserving the unique experiences and voices of refugee children.

Nine Service-Learning subjects have been offered over the years at SPEED, and this is the first subject targeting refugees, which meant a lot especially to our students. Such experience was helpful in improving their empathy, organisational abilities, and communication skills.