Ah Shek (a pseudonym) was once a secondary school student. Throughout his time in school, he repeatedly struggled in many subjects. His homework came back covered in red marks—many of them large crosses. Faced with these corrections, he gradually felt defeated in his learning.
After one particular round of marking, Ah Shek spent hours reviewing and revising his homework, working nonstop until 11 p.m. His parents sensed something was wrong and went to check on him. They stayed by his side for a long time, comforting and encouraging him before he was willing to step away from his desk and set aside his work for the night.
As his schooling continued, Ah Shek found it increasingly painful that he didn’t know how to express himself, nor could he explain clearly what he was experiencing. Eventually, he decided to pause his studies and leave school.
During that period, what worried his mother most was not his grades or his future, but his emotional well‑being. She hoped to find suitable support for her son, but she wasn’t sure where to start. Later, through another organisation, she learned about us and attended a talk on neurodivergence. Holding onto a small hope of finding a new direction for her child, she enrolled Ah Shek in the “Everyone is a Champion” programme.
A Different Kind of Learning Experience
In the programme, we provide participants with a learning environment unlike traditional classrooms. The curriculum is designed to embrace individual learning rhythms and does not rely solely on grades for evaluation. Instructors do not force participation; instead, they offer ongoing encouragement, support, and space for autonomy. Through a mentor‑style approach, Ah Shek gradually began joining different learning activities.
It was during this programme that Ah Shek completed his very first personal learning project and shared the results with others. This became a major milestone in his learning journey. As time went on, after about six months, he started arriving on time for activities and fully engaging in each learning and practice session.
Later, we invited Ah Shek to join us on a school visit for a STEM activity. The original intention was simply for him to observe how other students brainstormed and created, hoping this would inspire new ideas for his future projects.
However, during the activity, Ah Shek noticed that some students were struggling with wiring their mechanical components and handling the programming. Without any prompting from us, he took the initiative to walk over to different groups, demonstrate how to operate the components, explain the steps, and help the students solve their problems one by one.
After the activity, Ah Shek shared that the experience gave him a strong sense of accomplishment—he could clearly see that the knowledge he had learned could be applied in real situations and could genuinely help others. When speaking about the future, he said that he hopes to use what he has learned to contribute to society’s transportation development. From a child once dismissed and overlooked, to someone now willing to give back and help others, Ah Shek’s story reminds us once again: with the right support and opportunities, every person can become a champion of their own journey.