In the new academic year, Chao Kuang Piu College Down Syndrome Buddy Group continues to collaborate with the Macau Down Syndrome Association and expects to organize more meaningful activities together. During the Mid Autumn Festival, the volunteers worked with the children and their families to make their own origami lanterns and lacquer fans.

Before the start of the activity, the children made fun warm-up moves led by volunteers. After warming up, the volunteers and the children engaged in DIY origami lanterns and lacquer fans. Volunteers patiently guided them to draw on the origami paper and lacquer fans. The children were creative and drew cartoon characters, trees, and flowers, and responded very attentively and positively. After completing their drawing, they followed the origami process step by step under the guidance of volunteers to fold the lanterns. Afterward, they carefully grasped the handle of the fan and slowly dipped it diagonally into the water dripping with various colors of lacquer, gently rotating it in the water and slowly lifting it, and then the lacquer fan was completed. After completing the artwork, the children were so excited that they were actively showing their masterpieces to parents and volunteers. Finally, we ended the activity with a mini-game, which brought joy to everyone.

In this school year, the group has recruited many new volunteers, and through this activity, we were able to bring everyone closer together and have a great time. At the same time, the group will continue to spread more care and warmth to the children with Down syndrome and share the positive message of Inclusion and peace in our community. We also looking forward to more interesting activities and closer cooperation in the future.

Written by: Lorina Tong, Leader of the Down Syndrome Buddy Group, Chao Kuang Piu College

In early 2024, the CKPC Voluntary Teaching Team recruited new members. After more than three months of preparation, from 20 to 24 May, 18 members of the group went to Guizhou Province to teach at Gongtuan Mei’e Primary School in Congjiang County.
This was the seventh time that the Volunteer Teaching Team had served the children of Gongtuan Mei’e Primary School. The Team gave classes on English, sports, arts, morning and afternoon reading. On the last day, they organized game booths for all the children in the school.
In recent years, the school has seen an increase in the number of students. Most are new immigrants from the western part of Congjiang County. It now has nearly 750 students in 16 classes. The Team forms three groups to concentrate on teaching the third and fourth grades.
There were 29 classes in the five-day volunteer teaching, including many innovative and distinctive contents, such as using waste paper to make storage boxes, making balloon animals, frog choir, and book covers in the art class. Physical education classes included Frisbee, paper airplanes, track and field competitions, etc. In English classes, relevant words were introduced through festival and birthday themes, and classroom games helped boost students’ learning motivation.
The biggest challenge was the large number of students in each class. In order to effectively control the classroom order, the Voluntary Teaching Team deployed 4-6 members in each class, and the classroom activities were divided into small groups. There were also other team members helping out.
The entire Team cooperated fully and the creative activity design allowed all children to participate. The children in Guizhou were as enthusiastic and actively participated as ever. In addition to writing letters to the big brothers and sisters, some children also spontaneously made small handicrafts for them.
On the last day at school, Master Lau and the Voluntary Teaching Team leaders had a meeting with the school principal. The team leader reported on the achievements of the volunteer teaching, and the principal fully acknowledged the value of the volunteer teaching. For the next visit, science topics will be added to the current English, physical education, and art classes.
The team conducted summary discussion every afternoon and adjusted teaching arrangements as needed. On the last day, one of the deputy team leaders was elected as the 8th team leader and a new deputy team leader was also elected. The Team looked forward to continuing to serve the children in Guizhou’s mountainous areas. Keep on teaching, and keep on making changes!

Chao Kuang Piu College of the University of Macau visited Macau Prison and held a youth seminar on April 17th. The seminar and the visit were warmly received by the Director of Coloane Prison of the Correctional Services Bureau Lam Kam Sau, Head of Public Relations and Information Division Vong Ka Nun, prison counselors, social workers and representatives from the Youth Correctional Institution.

During the exchange, Director Lam expressed his thankful to the students of Chao Kuang Piu College for their visit to the Coloane Prison and emphasized the importance of crime prevention and elimination. The Bureau also introduced the organization, structure and functions of the Correctional Services Bureau and the Coloane Prison to the students. During the seminar, some inmates shared their real-life stories and interacted with the students through the assistance of social workers. At the same time, the students also asked questions to the inmates to understand their situation in prison, and recognized their courage to reform and continue to study hard. After the seminar, the students visited the Men’s Warehouse, the Visiting Room and the Men’s and Women’s Handicraft Workshops. In concluding the seminar, Director Lam encouraged the students to develop themselves in different professional fields in the future and to support the reintegration of inmates into the society.

The students appreciated the operation and services of the prison and said that the visit had changed their perception of prisons. The visit was organized by the Chao Kuang Piu College of the University of Macau with the aim of deepening students’ understanding of correctional work in Macau, as well as promoting their knowledge of crime prevention and elimination and support services for inmates.

Chao Kuang Piu College hosted its second high table dinner for Academic Year 2023/2024.  The theme was “Seeing a Different World”, with Ms. Susanna Cheang as the keynote speaker. 

Ms. Cheung is a senior journalist and renowned war correspondent.  She told the stories of the people she interviewed and witnessed on the front line of war zones.

For example, an independent humanitarian worker from Japan, who gave up her comfortable life to take in children and teenagers victimized by the war in Iraq.  She single-handedly provided them with a warm home and gave them a new life.

In Gaza, Ms. Cheung encountered people who were poor but highly hospitable and helpful, lending a hand in the midst of gunfire, explosions, and bullets. The source of terrorism in this world, she says, is linked to state terrorism.

Ms. Cheung also shared her ideals as an independent war correspondent. Outside of the Western mainstream media, which is full of prejudices and lies, she hopes to use facts to deter war-makers and negotiate for peace. In the midst of the war zone, she hopes to restore the glory of humanity, ignite people’s passion to be a good citizen of the world, advocate peace, and contribute to the development of a shared future for mankind.

Ms. Cheung encouraged the graduates to go beyond their comfort zones, travel around the world to experience different cultures, and broaden their global  perspectives.

Other guests at the event included:

• Ms. Eliza Lei, Macau TV and Radio Broadcaster, Senior Host and Program Producer
• Susanna Lai, Senior Public Education Officer, World Vision
• Hio Ieong Che, Senior Instructor, Department of Communication, University of Macau

During the event, the House Association transition ceremony was held.  CKPC also presented the Distinguished Student Leader Awards and the Outstanding College Service Awards (see the list above in the Chinese section).

After the performance by CKPC’s Stardust Choir, the gala entered into the theme of the graduating class, including a speech by graduating class representative Cindy Cheng, a short video of the graduating class, a flash mob chorus, and a group dance of the graduating class.  After the party, the students lingered and posed for photos in their graduation gown and formal dresses.

In recent years, lemon tea has sparked a new wave in the tea beverage market in Macau. The inspiring seminar hosted by Chao Kuang Piu College invited Mr. Kong, the founder of T% Drink, to share his entrepreneurial story.

Mr. Kong believes that entrepreneurship is a path, a choice. However, he candidly acknowledged that entrepreneurship is not easy and comes with various difficulties and challenges. He emphasized the importance of gaining rich experiences to enhance competitiveness in the market, as well as the need to operate a store legally and in compliance with regulations, while also requiring sufficient financial support.

Nevertheless, Mr. Kong reiterated that, given another chance, he would without hesitation choose the entrepreneurial path again. He encouraged participants, including participant, Cindy, a recent graduate, to be courageous in exploring this path and stepping out of their comfort zones. “This seminar has inspired us to think more deeply about their future employment directions. In the current environment, entrepreneurship is indeed a worthy consideration.” Cindy said.

The Inspiring Seminar Series is a CKPC signature program that runs through the semesters since 2017. Professors, scholars, and professionals from different background share their perspectives on a wide range of contemporary topics. It promotes interdisciplinary exchanges and broadens students’ horizons, creating an environment of intellectual growth in both science and humanities and fostering and enhancing students’ competencies in various fields.

CKPC Down Syndrome Buddy Group continues to cooperate with the Macau Down Syndrome Association. This semester, the group has organized table games and visits to send warmth to the children. This time, the activity was centered around the art creation – drawing a night light.

Before the art creation, the volunteers had a warm-up dance with the Tang babies, which had a lively atmosphere. After the warm-up dance, the group members and the children had a one-on-one painting craft, from picking out the pattern to tracing and filling in the colors, the group members patiently guided the children step by step, teaching them how to use the squeezed paint sticks to paint the colors and finish the paintings. The children showed great interest in this activity, and after the activity, they even showed their work and took group photos.

This activity was able to enhance the volunteers’ awareness of community service and cultivate the habit of helping others and leading by example. In addition, it also strengthened the volunteers’ caring and understanding of the people with special needs in society, thus contributing to the building of an inclusive society.

Chao Kuang Piu College (CKPC) completed the “Team Project Challenge”. This was part of CKPC’s Mentorship Program, in which year-1 students formed interdisciplinary groups of 3 to 5 people to work on topics related to Macau or contemporary interests. Under the guidance of faculty mentors, the groups searched for background materials, established research goals, developed plans, and completed the report.

The judges from faculties included: Professor Wenjiang Yang (FAH), Professor Siu Long Lei (FST), Professor Ting-mien Lee (FAH), and Professor Hongchuan Shen (FBA).  They were impressed with the student’s presentation and team work.

For this academic year, year-1 students from the six CKPC Planet Tribes formed 35 groups. They chose many interesting topics closely related to the Macau society and the young generation. From the 35 opening reports, six teams were selected as the finalists. Their topics are listed below. Among them, three teams were awarded scholarship during the finale on 20 March, 2024 (highlighted with asterisk below):

【Venus】Blood donation at UM: current situation and improvement strategies*

【Jupiter】Fusion of food culture

【Mercury】Tracing the Macanese history and culture via Macanese cuisine

【Mars】How does café culture in Macau affect modern life?*

【Saturn】A survey on Macau university students’ awareness of preventing frauds*

【Earth】Macau people’s views on local culture

The purpose of this activity was to motivate students through teamwork and improve their academic research, cooperation, and presentation skills.

The team with the highest scores among this year’s winning teams conducted an in-depth study of the scam awareness of Macau college students, which is very relevant to the current situation. The highlight of this team’s research is that on the one hand, it collects college students’ subjective awareness of scam prevention through questionnaire surveys. On the other hand, it conducts a telephone test to record their actual reactions. A comparison of the two results shows that although 69% of college students said they would hang up on scam calls, only 56% actually passed the test. The rest either had low awareness of scam prevention or overestimated their ability to deal with scam calls.

This study shows that although there have been broad educational efforts on scam prevention, nearly half of the students lack the capability to prevent scam, and the risk of being cheated is relatively high.

The research team also put forward some suggestions, including holding hands-on workshops and conducting regular telephone tests, in order to substantially improve students’ scam prevention capabilities.

Note: CKPC students are divided into six Planet Tribes based on their block/floor areas.