The fragrance of the rose lingers on the hand that casts it. The idea is what Du Luowen, a high school student from HKBU Affiliated School Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School in Hong Kong, believes and puts into action.

Be it picking up trash, raising money for orphans, or education assistance in remote areas and online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, Du is dedicated to all public welfare activities within her capacity.

"According to the Confucian classic 'The Book of Rites,' men do not regard as parents only their parents, nor do they treat as children only their children. Instead, they would make sure that widows and widowers, orphans and the lonely, as well as the sick and the disabled, are all well cared for," said Du, "You only live once and must do something worthwhile to enrich your life."

Zhou Jiayao, a senior high school student from Yuet Wah College in Macao, is also enthusiastic about volunteering. "Offering services has made me more selfless and more resilient to challenges while broadening my horizons," noted Zhou.  

The volunteering work also provided opportunities for Zhou to make friends with peers on the Chinese mainland. Last year, Zhou participated in a folk photography activity for youth on the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Macao, during which he made friends with many students from Beijing. "My friends in Beijing and I decided to visit each other's city after the pandemic comes under control."

Wang Chuqiao is a middle school student from Wei Ming School in Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong province. The boy began his volunteering journey at the age of ten when he went to a countryside primary school to donate books and school supplies with his mom.

Since then, Wang has continued his volunteering path by singing songs for sick children in hospitals and raising money for hearing-impaired kids.

To provide a platform for young people in the Greater Bay Area to facilitate their volunteering work, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Youth Charity Annual Conference 2022 was officially initiated on April 23 by China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, together with Guangdong Soong Ching Ling Foundation, the Hong Kong Rosamond Foundation and Macao Foundation. A series of supporting programs were also launched at the event.

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Guangdong Soong Ching Ling Foundation, and relevant institutes in Hong Kong and Macao, recommended 77 supporting projects in various fields, including public welfare exchange and practice, cultural inheritance, health care, and life education, and innovation, entrepreneurship, and employment.

These programs will pool public welfare resources across the Greater Bay Area and help young people foster charity spirits, grow healthily, and do their due part to build a better society. 

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