Top 10 Ambassadors Recognised

For Smart Power Missions Accomplished

【Press Release 17 April 2019】 Age is never a limit to learning, nor to bringing positive changes to oneself and society, as evidenced by the top 10 Smart Power Ambassadors recognised today (17 April) for their efforts in promoting energy efficiency and spreading green messages in the community.

The 10 awardees were selected out of the more than 130 retirees who participated in the Smart Power Ambassadors Training programme last year.  Their year-long training, engineered towards environmental education for senior citizens, was first launched in 2018 by HK Electric and the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) under their University of 3^rd Age (U3A) Network, a self-initiated learning platform for local retirees. 

Speaking at the annual U3A Completion Ceremony, Managing Director of HK Electric, Mr. Wan Chi-tin, said, “The training incorporated green education with life-long learning and volunteerism advocated by the U3A. With this training, we hope U3A students would be more knowledgeable about the impact of global warming, energy efficiency, green electricity generation and low-carbon living and exercise wiser choices in their action.”

“We are glad that more than 130 U3A students signed up for the training last year, with 54 completing all the courses. What impressed us the most is that they tried to live up to what they had learned by leading a greener life and encouraging others to do so.”

Since completing their training late last year, the ambassadors conducted about 70 sharing sessions for some 1,600 attendees from all walks of life.  The top 10 ambassadors, ranging in age from 65 to 80, come from eight self-learning centres of the U3A network. Apart from initiating personal changes on energy consumption, some have actively encouraged others to conduct energy audits to improve energy efficiency at home and for communal installations in buildings.

Some of these ambassadors demonstrated their creativity in promoting green messages through drama, rap song, video interview, action cards, and DIY green corner. They also made good use of opportunities offered by their elderly centres in conducting sharing sessions during regular meetings, birthday parties, carnivals or during visits to elderly homes and schools to spread what they had learned on green living.

Inspired by the enthusiasm shown by the top 10 ambassadors, Chairman of the Elderly Commission, Dr. Lam Ching-choi, who also officiated at today’s function, said: “This training programme has successfully empowered our senior citizens to become green agents who brought about positive changes to society.  I hope they would continue to apply what they have learnt to drive changes, and I am sure their passion will convince many others to join in.”

Mr. Wan added that based on the success of the training last year, the U3A would continue to host the Smart Power Ambassadors Training every two years. “For 2019, we will arrange refresher course and invite the ambassadors to serve as guides at our new Smart Power Gallery and to take up other green tasks, such as promoting our Smart Power Services, to make Hong Kong greener and smarter,” he explained.

About 400 U3A students attended today’s ceremony. The U3A learning platform, which comprises a network of 51 elderly centres under 16 elderly service organisations, offered 980 classes last year, providing more than 16,000 learning opportunities for local senior citizens. Besides new courses such as Zentangle and Virtual Reality (VR), elderly-related courses such as prevention of Dementia, Gerontech, and financial knowledge also proved popular.

Acting Chief Executive of the HKCSS, Mr. Cliff Choi, said in his concluding speech that, “We are glad to have rolled out the debut Smart Power Ambassadors Training Programme last year.  With HK Electric’s corporate expertise in green power generation, plus HKCSS’ networks and experiences, we have drawn our senior citizens’ attention to global warming, and encouraged them to combat climate change by adjusting their own habits and initiating changes in their community.”

The U3A project is supported by the HK Electric Centenary Trust and co-ordinated by HKCSS. Elderly service agencies receive funding to run self-learning centres that provide courses conducted by the elderly for the elderly. Since its inception 13 years ago, more than 7,300 such courses had been arranged, providing more than 120,000 learning opportunities for local retirees.  For more details on U3A, visit www.u3a.org.hk, or contact HKCSS at 2864 2951.

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