The dual identity as sportsmen and volunteer teachers has inspired the two students, Mr. Ho Han Yui (Sociology/4) and Mr. Cheng Wing Jun Alex (Global Studies/5), to initiate the BE-Active Fitness Programme, which garnered them the 3rd prize of the “Seeds of Good Deeds” Project Award. Apart from encouraging children to exercise and socialise amid the pandemic, the project aimed to promote the spirit of exercising and volunteering.

Q: How does the BE-Active Fitness programme combine exercising and volunteering?

Prior to the launch of the BE-Active Fitness programme, we have been representing Chung Chi College and The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in different sporting events. At the same time, we have been engaging in volunteer work to serve children from underprivileged families for nearly four years. When the pandemic hit Hong Kong hard in the past two years, as sportsmen and volunteers, we observed that online teaching and cancellations of activities have severely affected children’s physical and mental health development. There were also numerous reports showing the stay-home policies have induced more family conflicts, and led to children’s lack of exercise during the pandemic. Therefore, the BE-Active Fitness programme is an idea combining our expertise as sportsmen and what we as volunteers have observed during the pandemic, aiming to resolve the problems by encouraging children to exercise more at home through joining our online fitness class.

The two students as athletes customised exercise programmes for participants with their rich sport knowledge.

Q: How does your fitness programme differ from other physical education classes?

Unlike general physical education classes, our fitness programme is a self-organised initiative for everyone to join on a voluntary basis. There is neither assessment nor examination, as we want students to join and leave our programme with smiles. BE-Active Fitness Class flexibly adopted the Zoom platform to provide an interactive and safe environment for students to exercise during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our fitness class helped children enhance not only physical fitness but also mental health as they could make new friends in the class. In terms of teaching, during the first class, we would first understand students’ exercise habits and abilities in order to customise exercise programmes for them. Before the end of the class, we had a warm-down session to review what we had learnt and provide feedback. We adopted a small-class teaching mode which enabled us to stay alert to students’ safety and ensured that students’ learning situation could be observed through video screens. At the same time, we explained the learning content and requirements to students, and reminded them of the safety precautions and potential dangers. Although the online fitness class is more challenging than the general physical education class, we managed to complete the programme successfully. The most important thing is that it can bring positive values and changes to the grassroots and SEN students amid the ongoing pandemic.

Mr. Ho Han Yui (left), Mr. Cheng Wing Jun Alex (right)

Q: How could children benefit and take away from your fitness programme?

Through introducing basic home warm-ups and exercises with safety measures, we aimed at encouraging children to build a habit to exercise, so that after the fitness programme and the pandemic, they can take the initiatives to keep fit and healthy in the future. The BE-Active Fitness Programme benefited children in that they were motivated to exercise more under proper guidance and could make friends and interact with their peers, which has all become extra precious amid the pandemic. We are grateful for all the positive and supportive feedback from parents and children through the online feedback form. Not only children could work out and keep fit, but their parents could also take a rest or exercise with their kids. Their smiling faces at the end of each class are always our greatest motivation. Last but not least, the long pandemic and compulsive quarantine period has made students restless, impatient, and frustrated, adversely affecting their mental health. In the wake of such negative impacts, it has become even more crucial to keep the students actively involved in an activity that calms their mind and provides them a let-out for releasing their brimming energies. A regular indulgence can promote children’s emotional well-being and parents will be grateful for seeing their children happy and cheerful.