The academic year of 2019-2020 was a turbulent time for students. Yoyo, an alumnus of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) and a candidate for the DSE that year, overcame the psychological pressure of the exam and made the year extraordinary by organizing voluntary activities. In 2020, when news about the public examination was causing anxiety among the candidates.
Yoyo was not only concerned about the exam but also the grassroots elderly who couldn’t afford the masks. She started a crowdfunding campaign to buy masks and anti-epidemic materials for the elderly to fight against the epidemic, she even motivated her friends to take part in the campaign as a result. “I was concerned about the weak awareness of epidemic prevention among the elderly, and worried them couldn’t afford masks and would go out without masks, which would affect their safety and public health,” said Yoyo, who was 17 years old at that time, earnestly recounting the process of initiating the crowdfunding campaign. As a high school student, her priority seemed to focus on academics, but even in the face of the public examination and numerous difficulties and pressures, Yoyo’s determination remained unshaken.
Launching the crowdfunding campaign online drove her to turn her compassion into action. During the time of severe mask shortages, she successfully used the donations to purchase nearly 5,000 masks from overseas and distributed them to the elderly, while also teaching them about epidemic prevention. Yoyo only intended to “do her best” and didn’t plan to invite others to help initially. However, her selfless spirit of helping others ignited the enthusiasm of her peers, and they joined forces to distribute the supplies, embodying the concept of “creating infinite possibilities with limited resources.” It was not easy for young people like Yoyo to independently plan and execute activities to contribute to society.
Yoyo shared that her inspiration came from her experience as the school’s social service club president and the Hong Kong Red Cross Brigade leader, as well as her participation in the “Hong Kong 200” leadership program organized by the HKFYG. “The program changed me in the aspect of ‘not limiting yourself.’ I used to think I was insignificant and had limited abilities. But the mentors of the programme encouraged us to get involved in the community and care about the people and events in society.” This gave her more confidence and courage to step out of her comfort zone and gradually solve problems, from fundraising to distributing supplies, ultimately breaking the stereotype that high school students can only discuss ideas on paper and do something meaningful for society, infecting her friends along the way. She shared the little achievements of the program with a smile, revealing the confidence and social responsibility of the youth.
Yoyo has no regrets about sacrificing study time to engage in epidemic prevention services and said with broad-mindedness, “The community is a part of life, closely related to us.” She will prepare for the exam diligently and wholeheartedly, seeking no regrets. She also believes that life is full of “exams” one after another, and hopes that the people of Hong Kong can unite, overcome difficulties, and serve society together.