Written by Tom Yuen
Organised by Edwin Chung, Dicky Kwok, Cicely Wong, Tom Yuen and Jones Chung (Group Leader)

This is the third activity of SDF Phase 3 project. The theme of the activity, as seen from the name, is school. The elderly become the students while the university students and secondary school students act as teacher. School is chosen as the theme not only because it describes the activity as a learning experience, but also because many elderly people have no chances of experiencing school life. For those who were lucky to go into school, they may go only for a short period of time and very few people can receive formal education at that time Thus, using the setting of school provide opportunities for the elderly to experience something they have not be able to before or reminisce in old times. Since the theme of the activity is school, the whole activity is arranged like a day in school. There are PE lessons (exercise for the elderly to do in home), drama session (with messages of how certain food shouldn’t be eaten with other food) and a game (which is about what kind of soups can be cooked and what benefits can they bring).

From this activity, I learn a lot from the elderly. Although their roles are students, they have contributed a lot in class. During the drama version, the smart elderlies successfully answered all the questions we prepared. Moreover, they give out their own insights regarding what kind of food should not be eaten with others. Last but not least, they provide valuable opinions and knowledge on the choice of soups and their benefits. Since I am not familiar with soups, it certainly broadens my horizon and enhances my interests. I will surely try some of the soup recipes provided by the elderly when I have time.

As one of the organizers of the activity, I am truly satisfied and grateful that the elderly has such a good time there. It is a valuable experience for them to go back to school to enjoy school life which they either have never enjoyed before or completely forgotten. This is an incredible experience for me as I can become a teacher which is one of my childhood dreams. What makes it better is that I feel like through that day of school, each party learns from each other, making it a wonderful learning experience for all participants in activity.