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Jimmy Chow

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.
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.
“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.
It all began as small exercises, which soon revealed something far more powerful.
“Some students who never spoke in class became energetic when they were helping others. That was when I saw how service can awaken empathy,” he said.
In 2019, Chan was teaching at Bishop Hall Jubilee School, and his first trip to Cambodia left a deep impression. He later founded Dream Compassioneers, a youth volunteer group that provides students with the opportunity to serve local and overseas communities.
“We went to a landfill in Cambodia where children were picking plastic bottles to sell,” he recalled. “My students were shocked. They had never imagined children their age living like that.”

That experience changed the way his students saw the world. “They began to ask questions about their own lives and what they could do to help others.”
Since then, Dream Compassioneers has grown into a movement connecting many secondary schools and more than 1,000 young volunteers.
These years, teams have been travelling to Cambodia, Nepal and Laos, working with local partners, such as New Future for Children (NFC) and Motherland Cambodia Education Centre (MLC), to teach English, deliver supplies and take part in community projects.
“We do not go there as heroes. We go there to learn humility and to understand that giving and receiving happen together.”
The impact has been enduring. Several of his students have pursued social work or education at universities. Many dedicate their weekends to volunteering, committed to helping others.
“When he told me he wanted to spend his life helping others, I felt every challenge was worth it,” Chan said.
At Yan Chai Hospital Law Chan Chor Si College, Chan skilfully balances his role as vice-principal with classroom teaching while integrating service learning into the Value Education system.
“I cherish classroom teaching and guiding students to explore and serve the world,” he said.
He expressed gratitude for the support of the school and its principal, Rita Yeung Pui-shan, adding that Yan Chai’s principle of “Serving the Community in the Spirit of Benevolence” inspired his work.
Parents who were once hesitant about letting their children join overseas projects now take part in fundraising events.
“Service is a powerful classroom, teaching gratitude, teamwork and perspective – lessons no textbook can offer,” Chan said. He added, “I’m grateful for the support of my students’ parents and my own parents, who have encouraged me to serve the world.”
Over the years, Dream Compassioneers has become a student-led network. Teenagers plan their own fundraising, design lessons for children overseas and mentor new members.
Chan now serves mainly as a guide. “My job is to plant seeds. When students begin to lead others, I know those seeds have taken root.”
He hopes to turn the initiative into a citywide network connecting schools across Hong Kong.
Asked what keeps him going after so many years, Chan said: “After all, education, from my perspective, is about helping students know the good, love the good, and do the good.”
The Spirit of Hong Kong Awards is co-organised by the South China Morning Post and Sino Group to recognise the efforts of the city’s unsung heroes who contribute to the community or inspire others with stories of how they overcome personal challenges.


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Chan Yik-yeung’s initiative, Dream Compassioneers, earns him a place as a finalist in the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in the nurturing category


Chan Yik-yeung’s initiative, Dream Compassioneers, earns him a place as a finalist in the Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in the nurturing category.
