• Strengthen their leadership and sense of social responsibility;

• Enable them to acquire the necessary skills in organising community service projects and doing voluntary work; and

• Provide them with on-going learning experiences, facilitating their continuous personal growth.

SAO is now inviting applications for Community Service Learning Grants 2011/12.

Conditions

1. Applicants will have to design and execute community service projects on their own. The activities involved can be of any format but the main focus should be on providing voluntary services to the community, including PolyU.  
2. The proposed project should be non-profit making and must not be used for political, religious or commercial activity for any individual or organisation. 
3. All successful applicants shall have to attend a volunteer training workshop to qualify for the grants. 
4. All activities under this Scheme must be completed on or before 31 August 2012.
5. The maximum amount of grants per project is normally HK$5,000. 
6. Without the prior written approval from the Student Affairs Office [SAO], no activities under this Scheme will be allowed to receive monetary sponsorship or donations. Collection of enrolment fees from participants is also not allowed. 
7. Items like wages, office rental, fixed equipment, hardware, and any expenses incurred before formal approval of the project will not be supported.
8. The project must be carried out according to the agreed details. Any deviation [e.g. dates, event nature, place, scale, type and no. of service recipients, etc.] must have the prior written approval from SAO. Failure to do so may result in the disqualification of the application and any advanced payment of subsidy shall be repaid to SAO immediately on demand.
9. To qualify for the grants, each successful team is required to submit a satisfactory project report and a financial report together with originals of related receipts to SAO within one month upon completion of the proposed activity.  The project report form is to be completed by the student co-ordinator.  The student co-ordinator as well as all other group members must each submit a reflective journal at SPECIAL ePortfolio at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/sao/special/portal. All the individual journals must be attached to the project report. 
10. SAO has full discretion over the acceptance or rejection of an application and the amount of grants.
11. Upon submission of the completed project report form, you will automatically be considered for the Community Service Learning Awards.

1. The approved funding will normally be reimbursed to successful applicants after you have submitted satisfactory reports with valid original receipts. SAO may however consider releasing an advance of partial grants to successful applicants to carry out the projects, if sound justifications are given. The actual amount is to be worked out case by case.
   

2. If groups receiving advanced payment cannot complete their proposed projects within the specified timeframe for whatever reasons, they shall repay the money in full to SAO immediately on demand.

Recognition

Students who have satisfactorily completed the projects will receive
- a Certificate of Achievement on community service
- an official record in Co-curricular Achievement Transcript (CAT)

Application Deadline

A minimum of 4 weeks before project implementation
(Application will close on 30 June 2012 for 2011/12 academic year)

Download the application form