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Reach your peak potential
Monique Siu Cheuk-nam, Chinese International School
What if a volleyball game in a remote mountain village could spark a movement? Four secondary school students proved this possible by building a multi-sports court in a rural village near Simara, Nepal.
Last November, during a trekking trip in Nepal, we witnessed first-hand how youth in rural villages lack access to sports opportunities.
Without proper equipment or facilities, young people in these areas face significant challenges in physical development and miss out on crucial life skills such as teamwork and leadership.
This realisation inspired Peak Potential, a student-led initiative founded by me and three other students from Chinese International School: Fiona Wong, James Yan and Nathan Chow.
Our mission was clear: to close the gap in sports access and equity for youth in rural communities.
You can watch our journey and see the impact of Peak Potential in our documentary, submitted to the United Nations PLURAL+ Youth Video Festival.
In June 2025, Peak Potential helped to construct a multipurpose volleyball court in a village near Simara. But the journey was far from straightforward.
After reaching out to more than 15 NGOs, we partnered with Reinstalling Hope, a Nepal-based organisation dedicated to youth empowerment.
In February, we pitched our project at the GBA Youth Innovation Summit, raising HK$12,000 in just one evening.
This funding allowed us to expand our vision from collecting sports equipment to constructing a fully functional sports facility.
There were numerous challenges, from coordinating across borders to overcoming logistical hurdles in the remote village. The months that followed were a whirlwind of hard work.
We drafted blueprints for the court, devised plans for transporting equipment and organised
the logistics of hosting games. Weekly video calls with Reinstalling Hope helped us finalise land selection, leases and material lists. Budgeting, addressing cultural considerations and making key decisions all required our active involvement every step of the way.
This collaboration was nothing short of inspiring. Our partners transported a 90kg welding machine across rough mountain terrain and worked tirelessly under the scorching sun to transform a field into a sports court. Local children joined in eagerly, helping with construction and taking pride in the project.
The results were immediate. On the evening construction was completed, local children began playing volleyball on the new court. The facility has since become a vibrant gathering place for youth from all backgrounds, fostering inclusion.
The local ward chairperson even established a youth club to manage the facility and organise tournaments.
The success of this project reaffirmed Peak Potential’s belief that every child, no matter where, deserves the opportunity to grow and lead.
Step up and help out
Heer Donda, King George V School
In a world where even young people are beginning to realise the challenges in their community, they are stepping up in inspiring ways. With the surge of student-led initiatives in the past few years, globally and in Hong Kong, it is worth understanding their benefits to the community and members themselves.
Since I was young, I have always been a thinker, with different ideas constantly in my head, coming and going. I never knew what I would do with them, but I knew I had an ambition to contribute to the world, to pour all of my energy and skills into something good.
I have always valued education, believing that it could change someone’s life. Hence, I started my own charity organisation called SEVA Charity. It was just me, a young girl with a drive to make a difference. Because I wanted others to feel the same passion about global issues, I implemented two teams made up of youth raising awareness of issues that they are passionate about. Now, I love to plan, organise and initiate events. For instance, I am now running workshops for the elderly to increase their digital literacy and skills.
Similarly, I believe that everyone has some sort of passion, a drive deep within them, which simply needs to be found. Getting involved in charity work not only helps the community, but it also helps you grow as an individual.
From volunteering in a professional setting to simply exploring the city around you, committing time to the community allows you to learn what’s happening in the world, how people live and the problems they are facing. Feeling sympathy after reading about rising poverty in the news is definitely not the same as seeing it with your own eyes.
As you get more involved in the community, not only will you discover your own opinions of it, but you will also find a sense of purpose. Charity work and selfless service give you a cause, a motive to continue striving for positive change.
You’ll also be able to recognise your strengths with people and how you can focus your skills to maximise the impact you create. We often feel like our problems are unmanageable, but understanding what is happening around us can show us that our struggles are simply a part of the bigger picture.
While forming my charity, I learned about my strengths, which I try to apply to new initiatives, and my weaknesses, which I found ways to improve.
I learned more about teamwork than ever before. Finding the right team is crucial for success; everyone must have the same intentions and the same passions to be able to put forward the same effort.
Everyone has ideas and aspirations, but it is crucial to balance them and centre them around something you are passionate about.
It is the thrill of helping those around you, who may not have been as privileged, channelling your free time and skills into meaningful action that creates a lasting difference for yourself and the world around you.
