2023 UAiTED Creation Competition

The 2023 UAiTED Creation Competition is designed to make full use of high-tech creation to improve ideas and solutions for problems related to global development.

In this competition, students will need to identify any existing problems of the selected theme and think out solutions. There will be 2 rounds of judging — the preliminary (初步的) and final. All the finalists will have a chance to win the UAiTED Fellowship Award.

•Challenge#1: Home and Social Care for the Aging Communities

•Challenge#2: Domestic Waste Handling for Large City Communities

Participants (参加者) must be registered students at any of the UAiTED partner universities on the date of entry (参赛作品) into the competition.

Stage One: Individual Registration (March 15, 2023-March 29, 2023)

1. All participants must register through the UAiTED official website no later than the 29th of March 2023.

2. Entries must be handed in in English and can only be handed in via the UAiTED website.

Stage Two: Team Registration (April 1, 2023-April 16, 2023)

1. Only individuals that have completed Stage 1 registration are able to hand in team registration.

2. Participants will be added to a Facebook group to form teams after Stage l registration.

3. All teams must register via the UAiTED official website no later than the 16th of April 2023.

4. Only one representative of the team will need to hand in the team registration.

4-6 students per team. No pre-team formation is required.

With increasing information through technology, our students are becoming less active and do not develop relationships with self, others and the environment. Outdoor Education does not only promote physical development in students but it also focuses on each of their personal, social and self-awareness development.

That is what the Outdoor Education Programme (OEP) at Marymount Convent School aims to do. The most interesting part of Marymount’s OEP is the adventure camp that helps students to grow in determination and courage as they deal with challenges. The adventure camp provides an opportunity for the students to learn more about basic survival skills, respect and responsibility for self, others and environmental awareness.

For the energetic ones, like Sofia-Jane Wong Enqi, the activities in OEP are a dream come true. She loves activities such as hiking and team-building activities. During hiking, the primary 6 student learnt the value of cooperation (合作) instead of competition. She discovered how easy it was for her and her teammates to complete challenges when people were not fighting to take the lead but instead stopping and listening to each other.

Another primary 6 student, Mithra Anandan, got an even greater benefit while hiking. She had never been very interested in physical activities but as she joined her friends on a hike, she learnt to continue despite having to stop for breaks. Working hard to reach the end of the hike taught her the value of adaptation even if others can go farther or faster. It is not about a race; it is about completing and enjoying a journey.

Their parents also observed clear improvements in their children’s self-management and responsibility. “My parents praised me for my positive change in character and of course, I had burnt a good amount of calories!” says Mithra laughingly. Sofia-Jane adds: “Days after I returned from the camp, my mom said that I became more independent, cleaning up after my meals and doing my homework without being reminded.”

I’ve always been the sort of person who hated being asked to answer questions in class, not because I didn’t know the answer (in fact I’m pretty clever, and usually do have the right answers), but because I didn’t like attention drawn to me. Besides, I don’t have a lot of friends. I get joked about a lot since I’ve always been a fat kid.

I’ve found a way to change all that.

It began when a teacher suggested I try out for the basketball team. At first I thought it was an absolutely crazy idea. Being fat, I just knew that I’d only embarrass myself. But because the teacher — a favorite with me — kept insisting I “go for it,” I decided to give it a try.

When I first started attending the practice sessions, I really didn’t have a good handle on the game of basketball. To be honest, I didn’t even know the rules of the game. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one “new” to the game, so I decided to do my best at each practice session. I was learning, and I was getting better — even if it was little by little.

And then it became more fun. And more inspiring. I practiced and practiced. Pretty soon the competitive part of me was winning over my fat-kid challenge. I began to forget that I was fat. I even discovered that my “size” wasn’t such a disadvantage at all; I could make a basket from right under the net and block at the same time! I never had so much fun!

Gaining self-confidence in playing inspired me to try out other things. I have gone from “hiding” myself to raising my hand. With my new and improved self-confidence comes more praise, some from teachers, and some from teammates and classmates. But these days, they also come from the face in the mirror — which is the person whose comments I value most. Best of all, I’m learning to really believe in myself.

However seemingly boring, the choices we make in social activities almost always depend on those with whom we’re dealing. If we’re out of work, for example, and meet someone for the first time, we would tend to act differently if we believe he or she is a potential (潜在的) boss. We’d probably be more attentive, keep longer eye contact, choose our words a little more carefully, speak with increased confidence, and so on. With good friends, or perhaps those who don’t have high respect, our conduct would almost certainly be less respectful. Who the receiver is and, or rather, the status (地位) level that we attach to him or her, affects how we express ourselves.

Our feelings about the use of laughter and humor will also depend on those with whom we’re relating. Their status will help direct the course of activities. We feel more comfortable expressing laughter in the presence of close friends than near a scientist or a leader.

Not only will we adjust our direction of conversation based on others’ status, but also on their emotional state or mood at the time of the exchange. If friends are celebrating their job promotion, we’re going to be more comfortable laughing with them than under more typical conditions. If they’re dealing with a job loss, we’ll probably avoid drawing attention to their job.

As social animals, we’re born with an ability to “read” the status and the emotional state of others. This is true even when dealing with strangers. Most of the time their clues are nonverbal (非语言的), many being realized subconsciously (下意识地). For example, expensive clothing or watches might show their financial status; something about their facial expressions or willingness to make eye contact can suggest their mood.

This will lead us to the next, and maybe most important question: What is the nature of the relationship between the sender and the receiver or receivers? The answer directly affects our ability to understand who someone is and how they are. This will be the topic I deal with beginning with my next chapter.