Veteran Hong Kong teacher Chan Yik-yeung has built a new kind of classroom, one without walls or exams, where teenagers learn empathy through service.
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His work as a vice principal at Yan Chai Hospital Law Chan Chor Si College and his youth initiative, Dream Compassioneers, have earned him a place as a finalist in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in the nurturing category.
When Chan began teaching more than 15 years ago, he realised that most students measured success only by grades.
“They thought school was only about marks and certificates,” he said. “I wanted them to understand that knowledge without compassion is incomplete.”
He began including volunteer work in the service-learning programme at Ying Wa College, where he was working at the time, arranging visits to homeless people and assisting those in need.
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“I’m deeply grateful to my beloved teacher, Ms Chan Yuk-yin, my role model, whose love for her students has truly inspired me,” Chan said.