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"Switch on 60 Dreams" is a project that aims to help people realise their dreams of caring for the needy or assisting young people to integrate into society. The project is a signature event of the "Hong Kong: Our Home" Campaign under its "Caring Hong Kong" theme.
Running from March 21 this year to the end of June 2014, the project is a collaboration between the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and Shun Hing Group.
A sharing session and award presentation ceremony will be held in the afternoon of September 28 at the Grand Ballroom of Harbour Grand Hong Kong, North Point.
The organisers will present grants to 60 selected projects, with a maximum grant of $30,000. Four winning teams will share their plans at the ceremony.
Back in March, the organisers called upon secondary school students to team up in groups of three or more to come up with project plans that can improve the well-being of beneficiaries.
The awarded teams are required to document the implementation of their projects through photos and short videos. The projects must be completed before the end of June next year.
Details of "Switch on 60 Dreams" are available at the website: www.shunhinggroup.com/60dreams/.
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There will be something for everyone at the Hong Kong Island Joyful Carnival in Celebration of the 64th Anniversary of the Founding of the People's Republic of China.
Organised by the Wan Chai, Eastern, Central and Western, and Southern District Councils and the Hong Kong Island Federation, the carnival will be held at Soccer Pitches No. 2 and No. 3 in Victoria Park, Causeway Bay, from 5pm onwards on September 28. Admission is free.
The top attractions will be a variety show featuring singing performances by local artistes Mr Fred Cheng and Ms Vivien Yeo, stunning acrobatics and colourful Chinese dance by the Shenzhen City Overseas Exchange Association's Arts Group, and a performance by the Hong Kong Police Band.
Children will be able to test their skills on a trampoline or at game booths. Free game booth tickets are now available at the Home Affairs Department's four Public Enquiry Service Centres on Hong Kong Island on a first-come, first-served basis.
For the locations of the Public Enquiry Service Centres, please visit www.had.gov.hk/en/public_services/public_enquiry_services/ctec.htm.
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Another pre-National Day event is the Yau Tsim Mong Swimming and Diving Performances by Mainland Elite Athletes, to be held at Kowloon Park Swimming Pool on September 29.
Elite athletes from the Mainland, including Olympic Games and National Games gold medallists, will give performances in diving, swimming and synchronised swimming.
The star-studded team will include Mr Zhang Yanquan, Mr Luo Yutong, Mr Wang Feng, Ms Ye Shiwen, Ms Jiao Liuyang, Ms Wu Minxia and Ms Li Na, and they will meet fans during an autograph session.
The event will open with a diving demonstration at 10am and a ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held at 11.30am.
The day's highlight will be a friendly race between the visiting swimming team and the Yau Tsim Mong District swimming team, whose members were the gold medallists of the men's 4 x 50-metre medley relay at the 4th Hong Kong Games this year.
For enquiries, please call 2399 2743.
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A total of 231 couples will twist and twirl on the dance floor at Queen Elizabeth Stadium in Wan Chai on September 29 as they compete in the championships of the 5th DanceSport Open of Wan Chai District.
The event is organised by the Wan Chai District Arts, Cultural, Recreational and Sports Association, and the competitors are Wan Chai residents or students attending schools in the district.
The competition is a whole-day event, running from 10.30am until 6pm. There are 25 dance categories in the competition, and the champion and the two runners-up in each category will each take home a trophy.
The main attractions will be the Five Latin American Dance and Five Standard Dance categories, which are mainstays in DanceSport.
Couples in the Five Latin American Dance category will show playful and energetic samba, cha-cha-cha, rumba, paso doble and jive dance moves.
Those competing in Five Standard Dance will show graceful poise, glamour and passion in waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep in their overall routines.
Free-admission tickets can be obtained at four locations: the Wan Chai District Arts, Cultural, Recreational and Sports Association; the Wan Chai District Leisure Services Office of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department; the Public Enquiry Service Centre of the Home Affairs Department in Wan Chai; and the Hong Kong DanceSport Association.
For enquiries, please call 2895 5172.
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The 10-day Social Innovation Festival organised by the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) will be held from September 27 to October 6 at the PolyU campus.
Organised around the theme of "Making a change in 10 days", the festival will present more than 50 free programmes ranging from live band performances, film shows and exhibitions to lectures and workshops. The programmes aim to inspire participants to bring positive change to the community and make a difference in society.
The opening ceremony will be held in the afternoon of September 27 at Chan Sui Kau and Chan Lam Moon Chun Square at PolyU.
The opening programme, "Ageless Catwalk", will feature senior citizens modelling outfits created for the elderly by Hong Kong designers. This will be followed by a concert by violinist and composer Kung Chi-shing entitled "City Inside a Broken Sky".
On September 28, two lectures will be held at the Jockey Club Innovation Tower. From 10.30am to 12.30pm, Professor Matthew Turner will give a "Thinkers Lecture", focusing on topics including the question "What is social innovation?".
The second lecture, entitled "The Happy Summit" and running from 2.30pm to 6.30pm, will present speakers including the Mayor of Fukuoka, Japan, Mr Soichiro Takashima, and the Mayor of Taichung City, Mr Jason Hu. They will speak on steps that can enliven a city and share their visions for the future.
Among the many other attractions are the "Voices Concert" on September 29, featuring local bands and street performers, and the Social Enterprises Clinic to be held on October 4.
For programme details and online seat reservation, please visit www.10dayfest.hk. For enquiries, please call 5919 2426.
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All these events support the "Hong Kong: Our Home" public participation campaign, which aims to inject positive energy into society, foster social cohesion and promote care, mutual help and solidarity in the community.
More than 220 Partner Organisations have so far pledged support for the Campaign.
Altogether, the Government and Partner Organisations are organising more than 1,000 events/activities under the four themes of the Campaign from the end of April to the end of December this year.
Full details of the Campaign can be found on the website www.hkourhome.gov.hk.
Ends/Sunday, September 22, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:00
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