My Pledge to Act - Expressing gratitude, to cherish, be proactive and optimistic (2019)

1. Preface

2. Recommended Implementation

3. Support Resources

4. Relevant Resources

Preface
Background

Since 2003, the Education Bureau (EDB) has been organising and developing the theme for ‘My Pledge to Act’ in every school year. Schools are encouraged to create campus atmosphere through collective commitment and a series of related learning activities, helping student to develop healthy lifestyle and nurture good character so as to enhance their whole-person development.

Theme of the 2019/20 School Year

This year, the theme of ‘My Pledge to Act’ is "expressing gratitude, to cherish, be proactive and optimistic". Schools are encouraged to help students develop a sense of gratitude, learn to cherish the things they have; adapt a proactive and optimistic attitude towards life, in order to help them face the challenges and difficulties of growing up.

Rationale and Strategies of Implementation

‘My pledge to Act’ aims to empower students to set goals and put them into action. It enables students to integrate subject knowledge acquired, positive values and attitudes and the personal pledges with practical actions so as to help them develop a healthy lifestyle; and also rally concerted efforts of schools, families and other stakeholders in the society to arouse public awareness of importance of cultivating students’ positive values and attitudes.

Schools are encouraged to formulate a systematic and holistic plan for ‘My Pledge to Act’. Measures relevant to the theme of the school year may be incorporated into the 2019/20 school plan, or the school development plan of the coming 2-3 school years. Appropriate school-based curriculum and learning activities may be designed for in accordance with the school’s characteristics and students’ needs.

Diversified learning activities in line with learning objectives can enhance students’ participation and learning effectiveness. For example, make use of Moral and Civic Education lessons, weekly assemblies, class teacher periods, Personal Growth Education lessons, or Life Education lessons, conduct subject-based, co-curricular learning activities, for whole-school participation, hence creating a learning environment conducive to nurturing relevant values for students.

Schools may conduct a variety of life-wide learning activities according to the interests and needs of their students, such as student award programme, growth camp, community service, creative competition, etc., in order to help students fulfil their pledge and enhance the impact on learning.

Resources and Support

Schools are encouraged to continue to organise ‘My Pledge to Act’, the EDB provided posters on the theme of the current school year in late August 2019, and produced resource webpages with diverse reference materials, including learning and teaching resources, student handbook, activity suggestions, e-poster, exhibition templates and electronic certificate of appreciation templates for the schools to download. This year, four characters of mascot (樂諾小太陽) have been designed to represent the positive values of "gratitude", "cherish", "proactive" and "optimistic". Related resources and various templates such as stickers, instant messaging stickers and photo props will be available for schools to download.

In addition, the EDB will organise a "sharing session on the learning outcome of My Pledge to Act (2019)" in June 2020. To show recognition to schools for their active participation, schools will be invited to share their experiences gained. The EDB also organises a series of professional development programmes, in the forms of talks and workshops, to enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills related to the learning activities.

In three consecutive school years since 2019/20, to promote the implementation of school-based curriculum and learning activities related to the theme of "expressing gratitude, to cherish, be proactive and optimistic", publicly-funded secondary and primary schools and kindergartens in the kindergarten Education Scheme can submit mini-scale Quality Education Fund (QEF) applications annually through simplified procedures for funding of not exceeding $200,000 . For details of the funding programme, please refer to the related QEF webpage.

Schools may flexibly use the existing subsidies, including the "Operating Expenses Block Grant / Expanded Operating Expenses Block Grant" and "Life-wide Learning Grant" (Education Bureau Circular Memorandum No. 16/2019), in the implementation of school-based curriculum and conducting various learning activities under the theme of ‘My Pledge to Act’ to enrich students’ learning experiences.

Back to top
Recommended Implementation
Theme

Expressing gratitude, to cherish, be proactive and optimistic

Key Messages
- To help students develop a sense of gratitude, learn to cherish the things they have.
- To help students adopt a proactive and optimistic attitude towards life, in order to help them face the challenges and difficulties of growing up.
- To help students to set up goals and take action.
Mode
- There is no restricted mode.
- ‘My Pledge to Act’ is a programme designed for all students of kindergartens, primary and secondary schools to set up their goals, and put them into action, so as to help students develop positive values and attitudes.
- Schools may base on the theme, school development and students’ needs, to formulate a systematic and holistic plan, in designing school-based curriculum and arrays of learning activities for whole-school participation so as to reinforce related values. Schools may also conduct a variety of life-wide learning activities, such as student award programme, growth camp, community service, etc., in order to help students fulfil their pledge and enhance the impact on learning.
- In order to understand the progress of schools in the implementation of the ‘My Pledge to Act’, schools are requested to complete the attached reply slip of ‘Education Bureau Circular Memorandum No. 143/2019’ and return it by fax to the Moral, Civic and National Education Section, Curriculum Development Institute, Education Bureau on or before 4 October 2019 (Fax No. 3426 9265).
- Reply Slip
Back to top
Support Resources

The following learning and teaching resources and activity recommendations are for schools’ reference only. Schools may design school-based teaching materials according to their students’ needs for activity implementation related to ‘expressing gratitude, to cherish, be proactive and optimistic’.

Learning and Teaching Resources
- Presentation Template
- ‘My Pledge to Act 2019’ Handbook
Activity Recommendations
- Examples of Activity Category (Chinese version only)
- Activity Examples (Kindergartens/ Primary Schools/ Secondary Schools) (Chinese version only)
Promotional Resources

Online Resources

Four characters of mascot (樂諾小太陽) have been designed by the EDB to represent the positive values of "gratitude", "cherish", "proactive" and "optimistic". Schools can download the mascot related resources to facilitate activity implementation.
- Electronic Poster
- Sticker Template(Chinese version only)
- Certificate of Appreciation for Parents
- Certificate of Appreciation for Students
- Template design (horizontal)
- Template design (vertical)
- Instant messaging stickers(Chinese version only)
(Schools can download the instant messaging stickers and create their own custom sticker packs according to the needs of school-based activities).

Distribution of resource materials
- Details will be announced in due course.
Remarks: Schools are welcome to utilise the "mascot" (樂諾小太陽) for printing school-based ‘My Pledge to Act’ activity resources after seeking copyright permission from the EDB by email (mcne@edb.gov.hk) .

Promotional materials for loan
- 「樂諾小太陽」Promotional Materials
The EDB has produced three sets of「樂諾小太陽」promotional materials, including theme props, encouraging quotes and photo props(Chinese version only). These promotional materials are now available for loan by schools for organising theme-related activities. Interested schools may download the application form (Chinese version only), and fax or email the completed form to the EDB.
- Regulations and procedure (Chinese version only)
‘My Pledge to Act’ (2019) Official Facebook Page

The EDB launched the "My Pledge to Act" Official Facebook page (Chinese version only) in November to provide the latest information on the scheme (2019) as well as a platform for schools to share their experience gained in implementing activities related to the ‘My Pledge to Act’ (2019).

Examples of Key Learning Areas/ Subjects related topics
- Related information will be uploaded later.
Examples of Home-School Co-operation Activities

Parent-child talk
- Schools hold parent-child talks to encourage parents to collaborate with schools to nurture positive values and attitudes including "gratitude", "cherish", "proactive" and "optimistic" in children as well as create a harmonious family, that children can appreciate, accept and cherish each other, to let them grow healthily.
  Parent-child voluntary activities
- To encourage parents and children to participate in voluntary activities organised by the schools/ the community, such as visiting elderly centers and centers for disabled people, taking part in charity sales, serving others with appreciation in a proactive manner, in order to care for people in need.
  Parent-child reading activities
- Schools organise reading activities related to "gratitude", "cherish", "proactive" and "optimistic", for example, reading and sharing sessions for parent-child, book recommendations, creative writing, etc., to promote moral education.
  "My Pledge to Act 2019 - I Can Do It!" Activity (I) - Video Sharing of School Implementation Experience
  In addition to the online resources provided on the ‘My Pledge to Act’ (2019) resource website, the EDB invites schools to share their related experiences with a view to sustaining the impact of "My Pledge to Act" on student learning. Schools are invited to submit to us short videos (not exceed 3 minutes) to showcase their schools’ good practices for conducting learning activities under ‘My Pledge to Act’ (2019) which help students develop positive values and attitudes of "Expressing gratitude, to cherish, be proactive and optimistic". Participating schools should upload their short videos to YouTube and send the completed application form to the EDB via email (mcne@edb.gov.hk).
- Details of video sharing activity
  Entries showing creativity or good presentation skills will be selected and uploaded to the EDB’s website/「我的行動承諾 My Pledge to Act」Facebook page for sharing with other schools and stakeholders. Schools with selected entries for sharing will be complimented with certificates, book vouchers and souvenirs. Entries will be accepted in two phases. Selected entries will also be uploaded to our websites in the following two phases.
  Phrase I
  Submission of entries: 2/12/2019 – 16/2/2020
  Uploading of the selected entries: on or before 31/3/2020
  Phrase II
  Submission of entries: 17/2/2020 – 30/4/2020
  Uploading of the selected entries: on or before 30/5/2020
  "My Pledge to Act – I can Do It" Award Scheme
- Details will be announced at a later stage.
Back to top
Links for References

Enquiry

For general enquiries about ‘My Pledge to Act (2019)’, please contact Ms Cristal Chow of the Moral, Civic and National Education Section, Curriculum Development Institute, Education Bureau on 2153 7490.
For enquires about the details of the Quality Education Fund (QEF) Programme, please contact the QEF Secretariat on 2921 8833.