Community Services
 
Introduction

Not only are we concerned about the development of the ICT industry in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS) is also aware of our crucial role in serving the community. This can be realised by organising various activities which involve the high participation of fellow HKCS members. The Community Services Committee (CSC) devotes a lot of effort in promoting the latest IT trends to a broad spectrum of the community. To mention but a few, the Hong Kong Youth IT Summer Camp and Robocon Hong Kong Contest provided opportunities for the younger generation to experience and witness the development in ICT and to serve the community alike.
 
The Robocon 2008 Hong Kong Contest

The Robocon 2008 Hong Kong Contest with the theme, "Govinda" was successfully completed in Hong Kong Science Park on 22 June 2008. The contest is an annual event organised by the Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), and co-organised by Hong Kong Computer Society (HKCS) and Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE).

Altogether 10 teams of 5 local universities including the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) participated in the contest. They designed and constructed handmade Manual Machine and/or Automatic Machine to compete with others. The "Fiery Dragon" from the HKUST won the Champion Award finally and represented Hong Kong to join the 7th ABU Robocon Contest held in Pune of India in August 2008.

The contest can provide students with the opportunity to compete with their peers from other universities by creating a robot using their creativity and knowledge of technology. Friendship among young people with similar interests and teamwork can also be built throughout the contest! The success of this contest was testimony to the HKCS's efforts to heighten ICT awareness amongst the community and especially the young within our society.

We would like to thank the contest working team, including Ir. Michael HW Leung Chairman of Technical Advisory Committee Members, Mr. Jimmy Tsang of Technical Advisory Committee, Ir. Steve Sung of the Judging Panel, Mr. John Lee and Ms. Kylie Fung of the Organising Committee members for their support.

 
Shanghai - Qingdao - Hong Kong Youth IT Summer Camp 2008

For years, the Youth IT Summer Camp has proven a great platform in the promotion of IT careers to young people, while at the same time giving the opportunities to build friendships with like minded, similarly aged peers. It provides a fantastic environment for the nurturing of the next generation of IT professionals in Hong Kong. The 8th Youth IT Summer Camp was held from the 26th - 31st of July 2008. The theme for this year's camp was "I.T. & Olympics."

The 2008 camp was organised by the HKCS, the Shanghai Computer Society, the Children's Computer Centre of the China Welfare Institute and Qingdao Computer Society. The sole sponsor of the event was PCCW limited, which generously provided full sponsorships for all the participants.

A total of 70 students (35 from Hong Kong, 20 from Shanghai and 15 from Qingdao) participated in the 6 day-camp at the University of Hong Kong. There were a number of activities for them to join, including a Cyber Workshop in which students were divided into 7 groups to prepare a presentation about the activities of the Summer Camp. The activities included:

  • Briefing on the venue of Olympics Equestrian by the Hong Kong Jockey Club
  • Visits to Po Lin Monastery and Disneyland for presentation
Campers also joined the Hong Kong Para-Olympic Committee & Sports Association for the Physically Disabled and had the opportunity to participate in a number of Para-Olympic events including Wheelchair Basketball and Lawn Bowls. Members of the Fu Hong Society (a group for mentally challenged people) joined the activity with the students. It gave all the participants a real understanding of the determination needed to be a professional athlete in the modern world.

HKCS would like to thank all the organisers of this great event and extend a special thank to PCCW Limited for their continued support of this project.