City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) attaches great importance to supporting the well-being of students. Apart from providing various cultural exchange activities and opportunities off campus, the Chow Yei Ching School of Graduate Studies (SGS) launched the Home Hospitality Programme (HHP) this year fostering cultural connections for non-local postgraduate students. On 7 September, CityUHK senior management, host families and postgraduate students came together at the first Greet-and-Meet Lunch Gathering.

The HPP will last for 10 months, from September to next June. The programme attracted over 1,200 new postgraduate students and more than 180 host families, including CityUHK staff, alumni and church members. During the period, host families and students will meet at least twice per semester and engage in regular communication and interaction.

Professor Freddy Boey, CityUHK President, expressed gratitude to the host families for showing the students what the Hong Kong lifestyle is like beyond the campus. “The best way to learn about Hong Kong society is by connecting with a local family,” he said. “This programme links non-local students with local residents to learn about life in Hong Kong as the locals live it.”

President Boey encouraged the students to excel in their studies, become more globally minded, cultivate a curiosity about diverse aspects of life beyond their academic pursuits, and enjoy the inspirational, interactive and innovative education at CityUHK.

Professor Sylvia Kwok Lai Yuk-ching, Associate Dean of the SGS, expressed overwhelming delight at the response to the HHP, adding that the programme offers students an immersive, multidimensional experience that encompasses social, cultural and linguistic aspects of life in Hong Kong.

The HPP has three main goals: to facilitate wider exposure of non-local students to local communities and enhance their understanding of Hong Kong; to make it easier for non-local students to adjust to living in Hong Kong; and to enhance cross-cultural interaction and integration among non-local and local participants to promote the well-being of non-local students.

CityUHK also encouraged the HPP participants to collaboratively plan and join activities of mutual interest, such as shared meals, hiking, community service and sports, to foster meaningful relationships and support one another.