Having the chance to meet and exchange ideas with "very important" and powerful people, when I am just a small potato. Get to feel empowered and know that my voice is heard. I am also surprised by the authenticity, sincerity, and openness that these leaders displayed.
Before I was very reserved (maybe still am), but I become more willing to share my views and thoughts with others. Through Melo, I also realized the importance of having or creating an atmosphere and platform that can foster genuine exchange, where people can truly express themselves while listening to others. In terms of technical skills, I think I have gained more experience in driving a project of my own, and in aligning the interests and concerns of different parties.
Looking back on all the ups and downs during my MELO journey, I think my biggest takeaway was to understand the importance of commitment and passion. Commitment makes you more determined in what you do; passion allows you to enjoy what you do. Creating impact and making changes is never easy. But with those 2 elements, I believe we could go a long way even with challenges surrounding us. Our commitment and passion helped us overcome challenges and complete our MELO journey, and I'm grateful to have had this experience during my university years. Besides, I think the most exciting part of our project was to witness the establishment of our ecotour from 0 to 1. By visiting Kukpo several times and discussing with CEOs and the team over and over again about the itinerary, I got a better picture of product development, stakeholder engagement, and marketing. Eventually, the tour was launched on Klook, and I hope it could bring some sustainable impacts to local tourism and society.
Hope I can experience more of my life.
Public speaking and storytelling have been my dream since day one. Those kind of genuine and heartfelt stories that build rapport and spark inspiration with the audience. Hope I can experience more of my life, and someday return with more meaningful stories to be shared, with more meaningful changes in the making.
"Really well organised conference. Superb contents, articulate speakers, fantastic venue, noble aim. Well done. Congratulations."
“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.