Day in, day out, energetic and cheerful Child Development Fund volunteer mentors are improving the lives of youngsters and empowering them to pursue their dreams.

They serve as life guides for young people, helping them in areas from planning for the future to learning to save money.

Mentors Andrew Yung and Queeni Ng started volunteering at the fund a decade ago and have taken more than 20 youngsters including Galaxy Poon and Dickson Kwok under their wing.

Galaxy joined the fund in 2017 and became more proactive under the tutelage of Ms Ng.

The 16-year-old said: “I was shy and rarely spoke to people before. After I met Queeni, I understood that I needed to be brave to make new friends and to get more out of life.”

Not only has the teenager learnt about money management, but she has also made several new friends through a wide variety of activities.

“We often have group activities. There are many opportunities to play different kinds of interesting games, such as bubble soccer and darts.”

Positive change

Dickson, 17, was paired with Mr Yung when he joined the fund in 2017.

He said he developed a positive attitude after spending time with Mr Yung, who helped him navigate life’s challenges.

“I learnt positive thinking, and he taught me how to solve problems by analysing them from different perspectives.”

Neither Mr Yung or Ms Ng are social workers nor parents, but they have a knack for communicating with young people and the couple have put this skill to good use.

Mr Yung said: “We wanted to create opportunities to reach out to kids by organising sports and outdoor activities.

“Through these events, youngsters can connect with me by sharing their memories and telling me more about themselves.”

Ms Ng has not expected the added bonus that mentoring will help the couple stay young at heart.

“I feel younger. They often laugh and play and the world they live in is simple.”

Closer bond

Fellow mentors Daniel Cheung, a retired civil servant, and his wife Alice Lai have also found unexpected joy in mentoring.

“One of the participants gave us bracelets she made herself. When I saw them, I was quite happy as I thought they were eye-catching,” Ms Lai said.

“She told us the bracelets had our names on them and that she made them especially for us,” Mr Cheung added.

They have been mentoring for six years and feel that sharing the same goal of helping young people has brought them closer together.

“When we come across some problems that the participants are experiencing, we can exchange opinions with each other to see how these problems can be solved,” said Mr Cheung.

Ms Lai said: “We are communicating more and we also find it easier to come to an agreement over differences we might have. It is important for our relationship to have things we can identify with.”

Mr Cheung, who worked at Customs for 32 years, joined the fund with his wife after retirement.

The couple finds many youngsters are confused about their future and lack confidence in tackling challenges, so Mr Cheung uses his knowledge and experience to guide them.

One of the ways he does this is by taking youngsters to visit the Customs & Excise Training School.

“One of the reasons to bring them to the training school is to let them discover the role and duty of Customs and to learn about the qualifications and training needed to become a customs officer.”

The couple hopes more people will support the fund and help guide the next generation.

The Child Development Fund was established in 2008 to broaden youngsters' horizons and enhance their abilities and qualities. For more details, click here.