CENTRE OF DEVELOPMENT AND RESOURCES FOR STUDENTS (CEDARS)

Campus Life

The Campus Life section of CEDARS provides high quality support services to enhance students’ overall learning experience. Specifically, it provides guidance and assistance in financial matters, accommodation, visas, student activities and any general concern students have on campus life. It works with other support units to promote students’ physical, social, emotional and environmental wellness.

If you want to know more about our work, you are welcome to:

visit the CEDARS website at http://cedars.hku.hk
call us at 2859 2305
e-mail us at cedars@hku.hk
visit us at 3/F, Meng Wah Complex

Careers and Placement

The Careers and Placement section of CEDARS is committed to:

facilitate students’ entry into personally rewarding careers;
support the community’s need for graduate resources; and
help HKU build its brand as the source of socially responsible young leaders with clear career objectives and plans.

Our experience indicates that students should start planning their career early, preferably in their first year of study. They could start with identifying a tentative career objective which could be done with the help of Prospects Planner at the Careers and Placement section of CEDARS website at http://cedars.hku.hk.

In addition to the website, our Help Desk has a lot of accessible resources for students. Live recruitment events, graduate sharing sessions, CEO and industry talks are organized from time to time and are announced through e-mail messages and posting on our website to all students.

After identifying career objective, the next step is to prepare oneself for a profession. Professional Preparation Programmes and internship positions are organized from time to time and are also announced through e-mail messages. Part-time and summer jobs are useful opportunities for students to prepare themselves for the world of work. These opportunities are posted on our website.

Besides responding to open advertisements, students may wish to post their particulars on our exclusive online system, where students could be approached by employers directly for job opportunities.

Final year students who are interested in graduate positions should watch out for job vacancies and recruitment events via emails and our website. Students can also check the Joint Institution Job Information System (JIJIS,www.jijis.org.hk) frequently for vacancies.

On top of the services listed above, CEDARS-Careers and Placement also runs workshops, and one-to-one consultations on career advice, CV writing and selection progress preparation. Again, watch out for our e-mail messages, call our Help Desk at 2859 2314, or come over in person to our office.

We welcome suggestions and questions and can be reached readily through e-mail to careers@hku.hk.

Counselling and Person Enrichment

The Counselling and Person Enrichment section of CEDARS (CEDARS-CoPE) is committed to empowering students to build up their character strengths, live a satisfying and psychologically healthy life, and develop positive attitudes and life skills for their personal success so that they are able to contribute to their communities by demonstrating leadership and sensitivity.

To help students live a successful and well-balanced university life, CoPE offers the following services and programmes:

“Psychometer”: It is a web-based psychological assessment hub at psyax.cedars.hku.hk. Take the psychological tests on university adjustment, learning styles, time management, social life and mental health to gain a better self-understanding and identify ways to achieve university success. Immediate feedback, recommendation and enrichment tips are available.
Professional Counselling Service: Seek early consultation on any personal issues (e.g. adjustment, study-related matters, relationships, mental health, life goals) from a professional counsellor and take steps to overcome personal blocks. The service is free and confidential. For appointments, please call 2857 8388. Drop-in Service for urgent consultations is available from Monday to Friday, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Person Enrichment Programmes: Each semester CoPE offers a great variety of small group interactive workshops on effective learning, self-management, time-management, social skills and emotional competence. Also watch out for the annual campaign to promote mental health and successful university life.
Accessibility Support Service for Students with Disabilities and Special Educational Needs: Students with physical disabilities, mental illnesses, specific learning disabilities such as dyslexia, autism spectrum disorders etc. are eligible for additional learning support and practical assistance. Go to CEDARS website > Counselling and Person Enrichment > Accessibility Support or call 2857 8388 for details.
Peer Support Networks: (1) Join “Peer English Tutoring”, a peer support initiative for one-to-one conversational English practice jointly managed by CAES and CEDARS. (2) Register for “Survival Cantonese” to learn 30 daily used Cantonese phrases from a student tutor. (3) For students with special needs, attend buddy programmes and support networks. (4) Check CEDARS website for other new initiatives.
Inclusion Funds for Learning Activities and Projects: Apply for “First-in-the-Family Education Fund” (for full-time local undergraduate students only), “HKU 81 Inclusion Fund and Henry Chan Inclusive Education Fund” and “HKU Class of ‘84 Social Inclusion Fund” to expand your horizons. Details are available at http://cedars.hku.hk/edufund.

Student Development

HKU adopts a whole-person education approach that combines learning in and outside the classroom. The educational aims of HKU include fostering students’ ability in intercultural understanding, commitment to global citizenship, and preparing them to be leaders and advocates for improvement of the human condition.

CEDARS is committed to enhancing students’ learning experience and providing co-curricular programmes to help achieve the HKU educational aims. The Student Development section of CEDARS nurtures students to become contributing members of the community through a variety of educational programmes and activities, covering:

-		Global Citizenship and Contribution to the Millennium Development Goals
-		Service-learning Programmes
-		Leadership Development
-		Non-academic Induction for First Year Students
-		Support for Student-initiated Projects, NGOs and Social Enterprises
-		Student Participation in External Competitions and Conventions

HKU Service Network

The HKU Service Network is an online platform specifically designed to support students to contribute to global issues through joining and developing sustainable and innovative service projects. Students may promote their service projects, recruit volunteers, identify partners and opportunities, share experience and even showcase their achievements to attract funding. Students can sign up using their HKU Portal account at http://cedars.hku.hk/servicenetwork.

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning is a distinctive feature of the new undergraduate curriculum at the University. The Gallant Ho Experiential Learning Centre (GHELC) collaborates with a wide network of local and overseas partners to identify experiential learning opportunities for students from all 10 Faculties. The Centre also organises workshops to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge to take full advantage of experiential learning opportunities in unfamiliar environment. For details, please go to http://ghelc.hku.hk.