Life Influences Life

    - Ginny Wong (LA07, Year 3, Marketing, Leeds Metropolitan University)

In the year of participating in the three phases of Leadership Academy (LA2007) I have experienced a major change in life from being a very ambitious, complacent and arrogant girl to becoming a humble child with love and care for the world.

In the LA Camp, I deeply impressed of meeting a group of "fools". Giving up their leisure time and even their remaining annual leave, they joined the camp with us together for laughter and tears. I really thought these youth workers and volunteering trainers as "fools", and their love and dedication as merely superficial behaviors. Clearly, at the end, I was wrong.

In Phase 2, Life Quality Development Program, we needed to read different passages and we, therefore, had a lot of rooms to reflect our own lives. So many times, I just had the knowledge, but I didn’t transform it for my life. Who didn’t know a 30-minute exercise everyday is good for the body? When I saw my ignorance, weaknesses and haughtiness, I couldn’t even accept myself. However, the trainers and the fellow group members were willing to become my partners and accompanied me in our development.

In Phase 3, Experiential Learning, I was fortunately elected as the chairman of the organizing committee. I led a group of volunteering youth to organize a simple and joyful summer activity for the children living in Long Bin Interim Housing at Yuen Long. From preparing to actually going to the community, I again realized how insignificant I was and increased my understanding for poor families. I fell in love with Yuen Long, its people and its things.

Through the three phases of learning and practices, I also became the "fool" whom I have described before. I had made a decision in which I would leave my comfort zone and the commercial world to work in social services organization and continuously learn to be the "servant leader".

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