Summer internships are a great chance to learn workplace skills, but for four Hong Kong university students who interned at Operation Santa Claus (OSC) – the city’s annual fundraising campaign for local charities – the experience was eye-opening and even life-changing.
Established by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK in 1988, OSC has raised over HK$415 million and supported more than 382 charitable projects across Hong Kong, benefiting more than 100,000 people.
The interns were tasked with helping OSC operations, which included listening to 30 shortlisted charities pitch funding proposals for projects intended to tackle social issues in Hong Kong, on-site visits to learn about charitable partners’ work first-hand, and helping with activities for beneficiaries.
For 19-year-old Ella Wen Tsz-yee, it was especially meaningful to see the many charities operating in Hong Kong and the innovative ways they help people in need.
“Through this experience, I got to know more charities helping different social groups, such as domestic workers and people with SEN [special educational needs],” said Wen, who is double majoring in social sciences and law at the University of Hong Kong. “It provided me with new insight about my future career path.”
The internship helped Wen realise she did not want her future career to be “purely money‑driven”.
“That sense of purpose is something I definitely want in my future career,” Wen said, adding that one of her goals is to understand the community’s needs and help people learn what their legal rights are and how to protect them.
Kyle Ng Ka-ho, a 21-year-old studying finance at City University (CityU), said the OSC internship expanded his knowledge about NGOs’ work and their importance.
“After these two months, it lets me understand more clearly that so many people need help, but we Hong Kong people don’t see it,” he said.
Ng said two NGOs made an especially strong impression on him. One was Splash Foundation, which teaches foreign domestic helpers, families from low-income backgrounds and children with disabilities, including special educational needs, to swim.
The other was Rugby For Good, which helps students from ethnic minority groups learn life skills and integrate through the sport.
“There are so many different ethnicities in our society, but [Hong Kong doesn’t] know their needs and doesn’t necessarily provide help to them,” Ng said.
He noted that he attended schools with few or no students with ethnic minority backgrounds and the site visits helped him gain a better understanding of the challenges this part of the population faces.
Intern Hailey Ho Hei-lui is a 23-year-old majoring in social policy at Polytechnic University. She hopes to work for an NGO after she graduates, so the OSC internship was a perfect fit. Still, she learned that helping others did not look exactly as she had expected.
She helped MindHK, an OSC charity partner that provides mental health intervention services, at an event for residents of Wang Fuk Court, the housing complex in Tai Po where a large fire broke out in November. Seven of the eight blocks were consumed by the blaze and its residents are still facing the trauma of losing their loved ones, belongings and homes.
“It was an unforgettable experience,” Ho said of the event for residents. “When I chatted with them, I felt they had a lot of knots in their hearts, but they welcomed me warmly and were so brave and strong in dealing with their hurt and pain … Even though I was sent to help them, I felt I’ve learned from them.”
Ariel Lam Yee-ching is a 22-year-old business economics major at CityU. She hopes to become a financial adviser and wealth manager after graduating.
During her summer internship, Lam visited charities such as Home of Loving Faithfulness, a lifelong home for people with disabilities whose families cannot take care of them, and Hong Kong Paediatric Rheumatism Association, which provides medicine to children suffering from the rare disease.
She said the internship reshaped her future goals: “In the future, I want to get involved in NGOs because I think the funding really helps people in need.”
Learn more about OSC here.
