Your Voice: Hong Kong student group empowers kindness and service; ChatGPT is education’s future (long letters)

Inspired by my experience volunteering with Duck the Food Saver to give bakeries’ surplus bread to those in need, I decided to continue spreading kindness in Hong Kong through my passion project, Simply Empower.

Distributing bread may seem like an easy task, but the support that it brings to those in need is immeasurable. It felt heartwarming to lend a helping hand, and this feeling pushed me to leave my comfort zone and start Simple Empower.

Our group was founded by 17 core team members and currently has 80 volunteers, all of whom are students from Independent Schools Foundation Academy. Our mission is to spread kindness to underprivileged families and create a better community through small acts of kindness.

Since many young people are passionate about helping others but may not know how to start, we provide a platform for them to find volunteering opportunities.

Hong Kong volunteer group collects surplus bread for those in need

However, turning passion into reality can be a challenging task. Simply Empower has faced numerous hurdles and setbacks. For example, many non-profit organisations have expressed scepticism and doubt because of our young age, as many of us are only 12 years old.

At the start, despite reaching out to multiple groups, we were unable to secure any volunteer opportunities. However, when we were on the brink of giving up, Duck the Food Saver stepped in to offer us guidance and the chance to help the community, providing us with the connections and resources we needed to make a difference.

Since then, we have organised various volunteering activities such as online tutoring for children in need, care-package distributions for the homeless, and bread runs.

We have also partnered with NGOs to curate activities for underprivileged children including sports events, STEM workshops, creative craft activities, and public speaking training. Our goal is to provide a diverse range of activities to cultivate and nurture children.

It has taken hard work and dedication to carry out our initiatives, but seeing the beaming smiles and joyful faces of those we help makes it all worthwhile. I was once brought to tears when a student gave me drawings expressing her gratitude for our lessons.

It is a true blessing to be able to make a positive impact in our community, and I hope this letter will inspire you to join us in spreading kindness throughout the city.

TheYoungStepHK helps secondary students connect with internship and volunteer opportunities

Ricardo Chan, Wah Yan College, Hong Kong

While some schools have banned the use of ChatGPT, I firmly believe that this technological innovation should be embraced in education.

ChatGPT, created by tech company OpenAI, uses artificial intelligence to compose humanlike responses based on its training, but it will not always achieve exactly what the student wants to express. This provides an opportunity for schools to teach students how to choose information, find their own voice, and use language to express themselves.

Using ChatGPT could shift the focus in classrooms from learning about writing mechanics to cultivating creativity and critical thinking. Students can easily improve their grammatical accuracy with various online tools. But there are many aspects of writing that must still be taught in school because they cannot be easily replicated by AI.

Thus, teachers should guide students towards thinking for themselves and understanding the power of writing while making the most of ChatGPT.

Moreover, ChatGPT can help students who struggle with writing. For students with learning difficulties or language barriers, using ChatGPT can provide an alternative way to express themselves, improving their communication skills and confidence.

There are many ways to minimise cheating and stop plagiarism, but banning the use of ChatGPT is not the solution. While cheating is a possibility with ChatGPT, banning it would be ignorant. Plus, blocking ChatGPT will not fully control its influence.

Currently, ChatGPT is a free tool, and anyone with internet access can use it. Even if ChatGPT is not allowed in school, students will continue to use it on their own, so it is better that schools allow its usage under teacher supervision and provide guidance on ethical usage. Real-time classwork could utilise ChatGPT, but online assessments should be closely monitored to prevent cheating.

Educators, students discuss how ChatGPT is changing the future of learning

For example, the International Baccalaureate has allowed the use of ChatGPT as long as students cite it as a source like any other book or website they may use.

ChatGPT is going to be an important part of the future, and students could be at a disadvantage if they do not learn how to use this technology.

As the tool continues to evolve, it could soon be able to do the jobs of writers, not just of simple blogs or questionnaires, but also scientific analysis and news articles. Last December, Buzzfeed laid off 12 per cent of its workers, and in January, the company CEO sent a memo to staff about how it would use artificial intelligence tools from OpenAI to create content.

Chinese schoolchildren turning to ChatGPT to slash homework time

As the technology becomes more widespread, it is necessary for youth to learn it early on so they are prepared for their future careers. It would be ridiculous to deny them the opportunity to adapt to this technology.

Schools can use this as a chance to teach students how to think critically and use the tool ethically. By embracing ChatGPT and teaching students how to use it properly, schools can minimise cheating while preparing students for the future.

In conclusion, the decision of some schools to block ChatGPT is short-sighted. ChatGPT is not a threat to the education system. Under proper guidance, it can be used to benefit the learning process and the future of students.