It was "what I did on my summer holiday" with a twist. At a ceremony on 6 October, CityU students and teachers demonstrated-through drama, dance, voice and sign language-the value of their cross-cultural field trips to a host of Asian countries this summer.

 

Under the leadership of 11 teachers, 123 students from the Department of Applied Social Studies visited East and Southeast Asian countries during their summer vacation, to experience firsthand the benefits of cross-cultural learning. It was clear that everyone was surprised by what they learned. 

"This form of 'out of classroom' learning was a discovery trip of the unexpected and an eye-opener," said Professor S H Ng, Head of the Department of Applied Social Studies. "I realized that even teachers themselves did not seem to know enough."

Under the motto "Learning is a Journey", social work students were attached to welfare services offices, while East Asian Studies students were seconded to political departments. One of the participants, Elsie Lo, a Year Two social work student said: "The trip gave me the chance to have a placement in a social services agency. I could observe real interactions between counselors and clients. This experience can't be obtained at school."