Award Ceremony of The 38th Shell / Island JC Scholarship for the Disabled

Everyone is born with certain talents, whether he or she is from a mainstream or special school, they can still shine in their lives. To recognise students with special education needs (SEN) who have overcome learning hardships and made remarkable achievements, the award ceremony of “The 38th Shell / Island JC Scholarship for the Disabled” (the Scholarship), jointly organised by Shell Hong Kong Limited, Junior Chamber International Island and Hong Kong Special Schools Council, was held today at The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Jockey Club Media 21. The Scholarship aims to empower SEN students to further develop their potential and contribute to the community in return.

This year, the Scholarship continued to carry out the “Diversified Potential Development Project”. A workshop in October with the theme of “Flying High with Music” gathered SEN students from various schools to write lyrics for a piece of classical music. Intending to connect students from diverse backgrounds with music, the activity promoted the importance of a harmonious and inclusive society, and encouraged participants to develop their musical talents. After the workshop, eight of the participating students formed a choir and continued to work together to add more excitement to the song; eventually turning the song into a brilliant opening performance at the award ceremony that immediately won over the audience.

The officiating guests and award presenters of the ceremony included Mr Lai Kam-tong, Godwin, Principal Assistant Secretary (Special Education) of Education Bureau; Ms Joanna Chow, General Manager – Commercial of Shell Hong Kong Limited; Mr Benjamin Lee, President of Junior Chamber International Island; Mr Shek Wai-keung, Vice Chairman of Hong Kong Special Schools Council; and Mr Harry Wong, the event ambassador.

Ms Joanna Chow said in her speech, “Music is a universal language. Through this year’s ‘Diversified Potential Development Project’, we have learned that mutual understanding and social inclusiveness can only be achieved by genuinely listening to others and respecting the differences among people.” She also praised the awardees for their determination and dedication, hoping that such spirit would spread to their peers.

Another highlight of the ceremony was the joint performance by a recorder band, The Three Tenors, and the visually impaired Erhu artist, Mr Yang Enhua, which created a harmonious blend of Western and Chinese music. The Three Tenors consists of the event ambassador, Mr Harry Wong, and two other members, Mr Eddie Lau and Mr Peter Wong, while the other performer, Mr Yang Enhua, was an awardee of the “Outstanding Disabled Student Award” in The 35th Scholarship. Born with a severe visual impairment, Mr Yang told the audience that he could not read musical scores. However, to pursue his musical dream, he overcame the challenges by spending more than double the time than the others on memorising the melody, and finally gained appreciation and many performance opportunities. He also thanked his teachers and mentors for their instruction and guidance on his performing skills. Finally, he encouraged all students in the audience to stick with their dreams despite difficulties, because hard work always pays off.

Media enquiries:

Ting Hoo
External Relations Manager
Shell Hong Kong Limited
Tel: 2506-7341