.jpeg)
.png)
.png)
%20(1).jpg)
17 July 2022
Getting drunk for the first time might be a good way to end this journey 🤭…The whole thing is like living a life. Despite all the highs and lows, I never regret being a part of this. This is truly eye opening, how people with different backgrounds and values can get together and pulled off all these projects and the Summit. Getting to know everyone also helps me understand more about myself and the kind of people I want to become. It’s just such a shame that we didn’t have many opportunities to meet people from the other groups ;/
Of course, shit happens, but as the melo slogan goes - GET SHIT DONE. Now I fully understand what it means at the cost of feeling 5y older now 😄
To conclude, it’s absolutely a tough but rewarding journey. It may take weeks for me to get over the mental fatigue. Super grateful anyway
In a world where capitalism fails, socialism corrupts; hard workers are rewarded, lazy thinkers are resulted; mobilized crowd turns silent, hopelessness lurks for another revolution; then history repeats, yet never really improves; The utmost romance may be - never give up seeking even when we are confined by reality.
Constantly bouncing back and forth between having conversations with CEOs and youths is both intriguing and REALLY thought-intensive, when the former is the experienced UHNWIs who have already unlocked the wisdom to shift in realities, while the latter is the resemblance of wildest dreams and youthful romanticism who hold a fervent passion to change the world for the better.
During the project, I was founder of the youth project Infinita, which captures different youth stories through exhibition. I have interviewed youths of diverse profiles, be it top scorers or grass-roots, multi-talents or marginalised, while listening the exact opposite views from the ultra-wealthy CEOs in the society bi-weekly. I am privileged to work with CEOs of leading corporations, including Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, MWYO and Two Sigma, to amplify youth’s voices. I treasure both the sparks that were steered in the conversation I had with different CEOs, and the well of thoughts that lingered in my mind for days after interviewing. All these conversations with various society stakeholders have contributed to the climax of my melo journey - Melo Summit, where I could confess, as the speaker, the structural gap I realised between generations and social statuses. The tears that I saw in the eyes of the CEOs, social leaders and scholars were unbelievable to me: I was able to move leaders twice my age, double my wisdom, with only one thing – authenticity.
My Melo journey has been very fruitful and inspiring. There are truly a lot of exciting experiences and if i were to pick one, it would be the co-creation project with CEO. The end product is definitely impactful but I find the process most exciting. Provided with the chance to pitch our ideas to a CEO, I get to reflect on my shortcomings and understand the thinking process of a CEO. This is a very precious opportunity as I would never have such experience if I did not join Project Melo. I truly agree with the four founders' idea of starting such a special project instead of a simple internship and I would like to thank all the parties that have participated in making this happen.
I have grown a lot through listening to different successful individuals sharing their stories and even working with some of them. Instead of learning different skillsets and knowledge on an area, I am able to develop a whole new mentality for life. I have always been very competitive, trying to get to the highest possible in all areas. But when I have encountered different brilliant individuals, I understand I do not have to the best in everything and should always learn to accept and even cooperate with individuals who are stronger than me. I believe every individual has his/her own distinctive position in the society and we certainly do not have to compare too much with each other. This is certainly an important life lesson and Project Melo has assisted me in developing such mentality.
“It is a meaningful program that offers young people here in Hong Kong the chance to take part in an experimental growth journey through a number of leading businesses and people across the city.”
“I really enjoyed the anticipation before each meeting with the students -- you never knew what they would present or what topics would be discussed! Every meeting was refreshing because I felt like I was getting a glimpse of the same world, but through different eyes. Besides the project on hand, we had the chance to discuss a wide range of issues that I normally wouldn't get to discuss with young people, and that was very rewarding for me.”
Thank you Project Melo for bringing me valuable opportunities to meet and connect with our futuremakers through reverse mentoring. As the perfect wrap-up for everyone’s effort, I’m eagerly anticipating the launch of our Fellows’ “21-Day Challenge Climate Change” Happy Meal book this June! Looking ahead, I cannot wait to connect with more young friends and be inspired by their new ideas and creativity. Together, we can drive positive change for Hong Kong and envision a brighter future for all!
Who can apply?
Any full-time university undergraduates from these six universities can apply - Baptist U, City U, Chinese U, HKU, HKUST, and PolyU. We will select 20 Melo Fellows from this pool of applicants. Our selection criteria is simple - we are looking for high calibre students with a passion and track record of leadership and impact on the society. We look for authentic stories and real passion.
The program will kick off at the end of January 2025 and end with a graduation in June 2025. The Fellowship has two main components - Co-Creation and Joint Discovery.
In Co-Creation, 20 Melo Fellows will be divided into 5 teams of 4. Each team will be paired with two leading CEOs / social leaders. Each will work towards a proposal on delivering the most impact on their topic for Hong Kong society. One of the leading region VC firms and its managing partner will seed one or more of their proposed programs for implementation.
In Joint Discovery, these are events for the entire fellowship where Melo Fellows will experience and learn from leaders of our society on a few key themes, in the most intimate and engaging way.
In terms of time commitment, each Fellow will be asked to:
Melo Fellows will go through a one-of-a-kind journey of learning and mindset growth. They will learn hard and soft skills and have direct exposure to leading CEOs, social leaders and thought leaders. The Fellowship includes project based learning as well as group-based interactive learning.
For the first time ever, two Fellows will be selected and be awarded the SHK x Melo Scholarship, which will cover the full tuition fee of the remaining years of undergraduate studies of the awardee.
1. Background details
Your name, mobile number, email contact and your year and degree in HKUST.
2. Choose a topic
Choose from one of the five themes we listed as your preferred topic of interest or you can write to us what one other topic you are interested in
3. Tell us your story
Share why you want to join this program and why you are passionate about the topic you choose in one of three formats (A 500-word essay, a 90-second video, or a PowerPoint of fewer than 10 slides). We care a lot about authenticity. We would love to hear stories that come from your personal experience.
