Welcome to another “face of ACS”, an interview series starring ACS Volunteers and their journey in serving the non-profit community.
Eric Le is of Vietnamese heritage and grew up in Paris, France. After studying the sciences, he pursued his passion in Art and graduated from university with a degree in Graphic Design and Communication. He then spent 4 years in London, where he gained experience in art direction, graphic and web design, marketing, project management and English.
He moved back to Paris to be an entrepreneur and creative director in the fashion industry. Traveling between Paris and Hong Kong on business, Eric eventually decided to settle in HK.
After years in the commercial world, Eric wanted to have a deeper purpose to his work: he began volunteering his time and talents and, from there, became more and more involved with the non-profit world, feeling useful sharing his skills and experience.
What 3 words would your friends use to describe you?
Honest, thoughtful, driven
Please share with us your volunteering journey so far and your motivation for volunteering with ACS.
Volunteering at ACS, I was inspired by the slogan “We serve those who serve”: I liked the idea of serving an organization which helps and nurtures the vast community of NGOs in Hong Kong. It’s like a chain of positivity where we help one another.
Coming from the commercial world which can be quite aggressive, merciless and profit oriented – where “Time is money” and only results matter, so we may sometimes feel dehumanised – volunteering with ACS is like a breath of fresh air: it’s very human, open minded, collaborative and positive.
I enjoy being useful with my skills and expertise as much as I appreciate the quality of the relationship with the ACS team – it’s just a pleasure to do good work for / and with good people.
Naturally one project leads to another, and the journey continues. I just feel like doing more because I enjoy what I do and feel useful, it’s very rewarding. That’s the great gift of volunteering, it makes you happy to give.
From your volunteering experience with ACS so far, what would be your 3 top tips to those who have just joined the ACS Volunteer Community?
- Explore and exchange: not only is there a lot going on at ACS (programs, projects in development etc), but there are also many interesting people to meet who have different experiences and stories to share. Just explore different possibilities.
- Keep the journey going: ACS is a place where you can really use, develop and express your skills for good, but also where you can learn and grow. Time is important, remember that volunteering is time well spent.
- Let the positivity of volunteering influence your work life: what if your professional life could be as nurturing, spiritually rewarding and satisfying as your volunteering life? The corporate / commercial work place can surely benefit from more kindness, genuine care, team spirit and selflessness. Why not try to create a virtuous circle between work and volunteering?
Thank you Eric!
