HKMU Best Buddies Programme - Building Friendships with Intellectual Disabilities 2023/2024

Student Affairs Office Community Engagement Service-Learning HKMU Best Buddies Programme - Building Friendships with Intellectual Disabilities 2023/2024

HKMU Best Buddies Programme - Building Friendships with Intellectual Disabilities

[Programme Background]

In collaboration with Fu Hong Society, HKMU Best Buddies Programme was launched by the Student Affairs Office in February 2023. This programme aims to encourage students to develop one-to-one friendships with people with intellectual disabilities, and to better understand their daily lives and the challenges they faced.
The programme is now recruiting HKMU buddies for year 2023/2024. Full-time undergraduate students with a passion for serving perople with intellectual disabilities are welcome to join, sign up now to pair up with the buddies from Ngai Shun Home*! In addition, students can also design and organize service plans for your buddies to create your own special memories.

*Ngai Shun Home provides residential services for persons with moderate grade intellectual disabilities.

[Programme Schedule]

Activity
Date & Time
Venue
Application Deadline
2023/9/17 (Sun)
/
Interview
2023/9/19 or 20 (Tue/Wed)
HKMU
Briefing and Training Workshop
2023/9/23 (Sat) AM
HKMU
Meet and Greet
2023/10/7 (Sat) AM
TBC
Service Day (1)
2023/11/18 (Sat) AM
TBC
Sampan Tour
2024/1/27 (Sat) AM
Off Campus
Service Day (2)
2024/3/16 (Sat) AM
TBC

[2023/2024 Programme Review]

  • Briefing and Training Workshop

  • Meet and Greet

The student recruitment and selection for the HKMU Best Buddies Programme – Building Friendships with Intellectual Disabilities 2023/2024 has concluded. The chosen students have been designated as “Best Buddies” and have successfully completed a series of training sessions and communication skills workshops on 23 Sep 2023. These workshops was facilitated by the participants from the previous year’s programme who now serve as mentors for this year’s cohort.
HKMU Best Buddies also have started their companion services with their assigned buddies from the Ngai Shun Home, a residential care home for intellectual disabilities. The selected students have also commenced their first companion service by fostering friendships with their assigned buddies from Nagi Shun Home on 7 Oct 2023. They built friendships through icebreaker games, arts and crafts, singing, and dancing and there were even tears of farewell from their buddies, showing the strong bond they have formed. Each Best Buddy is eagerly looking forward to the next activity, which will be planned and led by HKMU buddies again.

  • Student-initiated Service Day (1)

HKMU Best Buddies Programme has organized the first student-initiated service day on 18 Nov 2023, which HKMU buddies (student leaders of this programme) and Ngai Shun Home buddies visited and spent a wonderful morning at Butterfly Garden. The activity was planned and led by HKMU buddies, including the location, schedule and activities. Firstly, HKMU buddies arranged an animal encounter session with alpacas, followed by DIY art and craft session and a city hunt at the garden. Everyone was left with a pack of gifts and a big smile.

[2022/2023 Programme Review]

[Enquiry]

For enquiries, please contact Ms. Maggie Lai of SAO (sl@hkmu.edu.hk / 2768 6753).