Page 18 - Sphere No.28 (Mar 2011)

16 Sphere
submitted by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel HK District Ltd. If
it weren’t for Love Ideas, Love HK this is the kind of idea that would probably never
get funding from more conventional channels – but it’s a cute, fun idea and voters
deemed it worthy of support.
Bearing in mind that it is easy for old people to become isolated in their own
homes as they become older and less mobile, the church proposed a project to get
them thinking about countries they have always wanted to visit and then
holding special themed evenings based on those countries, includ-
ing the national food, talks, music, etc. The church will also take
photos of the senior citizens in front of backdrops of the countries
(for example in front of the London Bridge) and deliver enlarged
prints of the pictures to their homes.
Wong Shui-lin of the church believes the idea will encourage
senior citizens to think beyond their own daily boundaries, give
them a bit of fun and “enable the church to gain a better under-
standing of their needs.”
Hong Kong’s elderly citizens were also the inspiration for
The Last Photo, a project submitted by students Gabriel Yu and
Benson Hung. They propose taking photos of elderly people to be
used as the display photo at their funerals. It may seem like a rather
depressing, even macabre idea, but as the two young lads discovered it is
a service rarely provided yet there is a big demand for it.
The idea was born after Mr Yu met a film director in Australia who was making
a documentary on funerals. “It sparked my interest and made me realise this was an
area we could explore,” he said.
Mr Hung added, “we noticed that senior citizens tend to be forgotten in Hong
Kong. We actually had the idea before the Love Ideas, Love HK programme was
launched, but realised it would give us the means to put our idea into practice.”
“So far two nursing homes have approached us since we won the funding,” said
Mr Yu. “We are buying equipment that is easily portable so we can also visit people
in their own homes. We intend to proactively seek senior citizens in need of this
service.”
The two lads believe that without the unique oppor-
tunity offered by Love Ideas, Love HK, their project may
never have got off the ground. “What is great about the
programme is there is no mandate or strict framework on
what needs to be done. It allows people from different walks
of life to use their creativity. Some ideas simply would not
have secured funding through conventional channels . . .
Love Ideas, Love HK has meant the small ideas as well as the
big ones can flourish,” said Mr Yu.
“It has enabled us to do three meaningful things,”
added Mr Hung. “One, to prove to others that the post-80s
generation can contribute in a meaningful way. Two, to
inspire other young people to contribute time and energy
to society. And three, to provide an immediate service for
senior citizens.
“Right now, all my friends are talking about Love Ideas, Love HK. It has really
‘infiltrated’ society and had an immediate impact on people in need – not at a macro
level, but at a micro level. It has also shown us that the biggest – that is, a mega cor-
poration – has not forgotten the smallest in our society.”
Without Love Ideas,
Love HK, students
Benson Hung (left) and
Gabriel Yu would never
have been able to put
their Last Photo service
into action.
Making Their
Dreams Come True
gives the elderly
a “virtual trip”
to their favourite
destinations
worldwide.