MoCC Ambassadorship Programme

Climate change poses an ever-growing threat. No one, rich or poor, can resist its impact. ‘Climate action’ is not merely a catchy slogan. We, the general public, must be prepared to take action and change our lifestyles. As the future leaders of our world, young people play a pivotal role in the struggle for sustainability. Our ‘MoCC Ambassadorship’ programme has been held every semester since the Museum’s establishment in 2013. Its aim is to train new generations of green leaders. They will deliver green messages in the community and spread them throughout Hong Kong. We also expect the programme to encourage the Ambassadors to make good use of their spare time to gain useful experience and skills for their future career.

The eight-month ‘MoCC Ambassadorship’ programme has been designed for CUHK students. Students selected to join the Ambassadorship will eventually serve as the Museum’s tour guides, after completing their training and passing an assessment which tests their knowledge of the causes and impacts of climate change and their proficiency in museum management. During their internship, the Ambassadors are required to show visitors around the Museum exhibitions and lead its Eco-tour.⁽¹⁾ To learn the skills of being a tour guide, they will review the tour content with the Museum staff regularly. The Museum also promotes the Ambassadorship in Hong Kong’s secondary schools and invites partner schools to nominate students to participate. Participating students will be expected to share their knowledge with their schools and encourage them to pursue a green lifestyle. The Museum has already trained about 900 students from CUHK and partnership schools, and these students have in total served over 580,000 visitors.

Guided tours give visitors an in-depth understanding of the challenges associated with climate change. As there are a large number of exhibits, there is a limit to the information visitors can absorb in a short period of time. Our tour guides connect the exhibition content through storytelling and express data and texts in a user-friendly manner.

Besides serving as tour guides, Ambassadors are also expected to organize on-campus and outreach activities, such as mobile exhibitions, workshops and carnivals. This allows them to give full play to their particular talents, and also deepens their experience of green educational activities, positioning them to become future leaders in environmental protection. A number of Ambassadors who have completed the programme are chosen as ‘Peer Mentors’, and will share their knowledge and experience with their successors.

In order to make the best use of the experience of its Ambassadors, the Museum has established the ‘CUHK–JC MoCC Alumni Association’ to establish a close-knit network of talent. Past and present Ambassadors are encouraged to work together and exchange ideas on climate change, environmental protection and sustainability. Below, three of our alumni share their personal voyages of discovery with us, and describe how being an MoCC Ambassador enriched their lives.