SOTY 2023/24: Community Contributor runner-up is making a difference
Ellisha Yao, 17, has dedicated years to contributing to the community through debate, dialogue and fundraising
Ellisha Yao Yue-seng is a 17-year-old Year 12 student at the German Swiss International School. Photo: HandoutEllisha Yao Yue-seng, a Year 12 student at the German Swiss International School, has made a strong impact through community service.
In Year 11, she founded the Shatin Leo Club, bringing together students from 35 schools across Hong Kong.
Managing attendance was tough at first. “The key to mitigating this issue was understanding where [students’] passions lay and engaging them in charity projects that correlate with that,” she explained, offering examples such as incorporating sports science into elderly home visits and artwork collection initiatives at fundraising events.
She has also been debating since primary school and joined the Hong Kong National Debate Team in Year 10 as one of its youngest members.
“This experience taught me crucial teamwork and leadership skills and the importance of an interactive, intellectually stimulating classroom experience compared to spoon-fed learning,” she said.
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Ellisha has focused on making debate accessible. At LCI Ho Tak Sum Primary School, the 17-year-old taught English vocabulary to underprivileged students through debate sessions.
She has also sponsored a Dialogue in the Dark experience for visually impaired students at Ebenezer School to help volunteers grasp their challenges.
“Classes were taught verbally online and in smaller groups to make the learning experience more interactive and personal,” she said.
Ellisha also led a project for students with special educational needs (SEN), creating 14 educational videos in five languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, and French. These are now part of Hong Kong’s official curriculum.
In addition, her United Care Sky Mural Art Exhibition displayed 800 artworks by SEN students and drew over 1,000 visitors.
“The most rewarding part of organising this was that it showcased that students with disabilities ... possess remarkable talents,” she said.
The event raised HK$65,000 for Caritas Special Education Service and funded a mural at Caritas Lok Jun School.
Her work earned has earned her the Caritas Special Education Best Service Award. “It has influenced the way I view community services as a whole – that goals can always be set higher and that we should never stop until we get there,” she said.
She offered a few tips for getting people involved in community service. “The first thing to do is identify where their interests lie,” she said. “When people witness the positive impact created by these initiatives, they become motivated to join in.”
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Her efforts were further recognised when she was named the first runner-up in the Community Contributor category at the Student of the Year Awards, organised by the South China Morning Post and solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club.
Looking forward, Ellisha wants to expand the Shatin Leo Club. She’s also working on a menstrual pad project with fashion design students at THEi for two South Sudan schools. “I hope to expand this project to more countries in Southeast Asia,” she said.
Balancing her schedule takes planning. “I allocated specific times in my schedule for each task and gave myself adequate breaks in between,” she said.
She advised students beginning their community service journeys to figure out their niche and try not to get overwhelmed.
“Making a lasting impact doesn’t require vast amounts of resources and can be done one step at a time,” she said.