LCSD recruited 950 volunteers to shine lights on HK’s cultural heritage

The Leisure and Cultural Service Department (LCSD) brought on board 950 volunteers through the Museum Volunteer Scheme last year to help preserve and share the cultural heritage of the city within the museums.

The volunteers, aged between 18 and 80, played a crucial role across the museums under the LCSD, contributing to educational programs, supporting mega-events, museum marketing and promotion, exhibit management, and visitor reception.

Training such as detailed introductions to each museum’s guided tours, introductory knowledge and techniques for cultural relics restoration, social media applications, customer service and interpersonal communication were provided to prepare volunteers for their roles.

Launched in 2017, the scheme aimed to establish a community of volunteers who love culture and museums. Many volunteers are working professionals who dedicate their spare time to cultural conservation.

As of the end of last year, the scheme had accumulated over 77,000 service hours, with about 100 volunteer service and training activities organized each year.

Yim, one of the volunteers, recently received the Hong Kong Volunteer Award in 2024. She has been involved in the Conservation Office for paper conservation, as well as managing film vaults and digitising film at the Hong Kong Film Archive since 2017.

Yim expressed enjoyment of the restoration work, highlighting the sense of achievement in serving different communities with a group of volunteers in her spare time.

Another award-winning volunteer, surnamed Wong, has been with the scheme for eight years, actively engaged in events organized by the Hong Kong Space Museum -- such as Starry Wonderland and Stargazing Camp for All and the Blind -- to promote astronomy and space scientific knowledge to the public.

Wong highlighted that volunteer work allowed her to gain the latest information while interacting with individuals from all generations.

The volunteer scheme previously received the Silver Hong Kong Volunteer Award 2024 Corporate & Non-Commercial Organisation Award(Volunteer Hours), with over 40 volunteers also receiving individual awards, some of which accumulated more than 100 service hours annually.

In the future, the volunteers will take on the “Cultural KOLs” role to promote more cultural activities to the public.