Welcome to another “face of ACS”, an interview series starring ACS Volunteers and their journey in serving the non-profit community.
My name is April Tai, a Hong Konger who has lived and worked aboard for some years. I was a senior corporate executive before I became a business consultant on sales enablement and innovations. Hong Kong has a special place in my heart, and I am grateful for all the amazing opportunities ACS offers to serve the local community here.
What 3 words would your friends use to describe you?
- Outgoing: enjoy meeting people
- Intellectual: “the renaissance woman”
- Left-brained: logical
What has your ACS volunteering journey been like? What particular instances which have stood out for you (and why)?
Unusual circumstances usually trigger a rethink about one’s relationship with different parties including the local community. I came across ACS during COVID in 2021 and my first engagement was the design and execution of a thematic programme “InterGeneration No Boundaries.” Working with people from ACS (both staff and volunteer consultants) is fun and intellectually stimulating. The theme itself allows fresh, creative ideas for designing community services differently and more holistically with all the NGO participants. Helping NGOs see and do things differently for greater impact is true enablement and this is a deeply satisfying experience for both the NGOs and volunteers. Since then, I’ve been doing facilitation work with ACS: 7 Engage, 2 Sprint, 2 Ignite to date.
What advice do you have for a new ACS volunteer?
Be patient and invest sufficient time to understand the NGO and its people you’re working with – put yourself in their shoes and learn to speak their language – because true enablement starts with mindset change, not tools and processes.
“Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.”
Thank you April!
