Blessed to Shine for 10 Years

New Year is a reminder to continue the positivity and achievements of the previous year. That gives us the fuel for a brand new start. This year I am even more motivated because we have just celebrated 10 years of service of our SHINE Centre, the service centre for ethnic minorities. It will be five years since the beginning of the Ambassador Scheme for ethnic minority youth (urban). It is very rewarding to know that our efforts to serve the ethnic minority brothers and sisters have reached such a significant milestone!

We have had a fantastic afternoon party with our service users, passionate colleagues, volunteers, supporting organisations and the Home Affairs Department. For years, they funded and supported our EM services.

The event began with a video of memories. It was a nostalgic time for all of us. I shared some personal memories from the time we began our service back in 2003, right up until today. For over 197,000 attendances, we have continued to be an effective bridge between ethnic minorities and local community.

Most of the participants were touched when I shared the story of Chandni, who was our charismatic MC of the day. She overcame her difficulty in adjusting to life in HK by joining our Cantonese classes and the ambassador project. Then she became our colleague and has been a source of inspiration. I am so proud to see how CA empowered her and how she is now passionately helping her fellow EM brothers and sisters.

Our EM service users performed some of their ethnic dances and even a Chinese musical show. Everyone in the room was smiling at their energetic performance. This celebration was definitely one for the books!

Our journey in serving the ethnic minorities has been a challenging one. But we overcame the difficulties again and again with the unwavering support of others including our passionate colleagues. I know that our memorable celebration will encourage everyone to continue the good work, and also empower our EM friends.

I wish you all a Happy New Year! God bless!