Background
It had been a miraculously journey. I did not know what would it going to be like, but still, I was there, working with the #Lovin Tech #Lovin Eld team at the Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council. As the name of the NGO suggests, people of the NGO do not only advise, the NGO's people act upon what they advise. Action is the key. Aligning with the goals of the LIA framework, the team I work with focuses on ACTION. ACTION is the key. In the realm of the promotion of the use of technology by & for the elderly people, TRIAL AND ERROR is also the magic key to success.
Most Memorable Project
Among the tasks undertaken, one of the most rewarding experiences was that I created VR videos together with an elderly volunteer (who is suffering from terminal cancer but yet still very energetic and optimistic) about the history of Kowloon City, its’ history dating back to the 15th Century of the Song Dynasty. The video is now under review (and further editing) by the ICT team of the NGO and hopefully it would be published soon.
The video is not only important to the elderly volunteer, but also the other elderly people who may not have to capability of visiting the mesmerising Kowloon City (and the future generations: part of the neighbourhood would be redeveloped soon). It would be beneficial to the elderly people for the purpose of life review, a concept introduced to me by the lead social worker of the ICT team. Life review "helps them to resolve their past conflicts, reconstruct their life stories, and accept their present conditions." It is hoped that even less happy parts of their lives may be viewed positively by them after life reviews. See: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5845117/. The videos would make an impact, hopefully. It is not only about history, but about the elderly people noticing that they are part of the history.
Other Elements of the Project
Of course, I also undertook to have ACTIONS in other respects as well. I assisted in an IT booth for example and one of the things we did was teaching the elderly people the use of mobile phones and applications. The applications include the HA Go App. The HA Go App is essential to successfully booking GP of Government Clinics because the same new time slots would be released at the same time for every booking channel. One would inevitably be slower if one books through the automated telephone booking system. Even though IT booths are one-off, unlike videos having uploaded can be viewed by everyone, again and again. They are IMPORTANT, because of the impact of tech to one's ordinary life. Nothing about one's livelihood is unimportant. This would be a life-long lesson to learn for all, including me, who is heavily affected by the economic concept of "effective utilisation of resources".
Leadership
Lastly, leadership! Leadership is about... What is it about? Ultimately, leadership is not about meeting the criteria listed in any guideline. Guidelines are for one's reflection. Good leadership is ultimately about (expediting the process of) delivering, and everyone feeling comfortable in the process. Be true to yourself, reflect and one would succeed in leadership.