"The programme has given me a completely new perspective on life planning and redefined the definition of what it means to follow the direction of life," said the fifth-year student double majoring in Chinese and Education.

Leung experienced rock climbing in one of the workshops.

The Trailblazers programme took place earlier from September to November 2023. It included company visits, where participants got to visit the workplaces of the partner organisations and gain first-hand knowledge of the industries. Furthermore, there was an action learning project where they collaborated in teams to come up with solutions based on a scenario-based task of the partner organisation. The programme helped participants develop a future-focused mindset for their continuous enrichment in lives and careers through a series of workshops. They were also offered a one-hour private life coaching session, which helped them clarify their values and passions and set goals for their personal and career paths.

Leung's perspective on the definition of life planning has been greatly influenced by the life planning workshops, even after completing the entire programme.

Leung, feeling inspired by a whole new perspective on understanding life goals, said, “Numerous events occur in our lives. All we need to do is know what our core values and our life's purpose are, so that regardless of what occurs, we always know which path to take. This allows us to assess whether such endeavours we are engaged in are consistent with our core values.”

She discovered that although the ultimate life aim may be highly abstract, it remains true and unaffected by changes brought about by one's own experiences or personal growth. She stressed that establishing a fundamental life objective is crucial to always remind ourselves of our purpose and the essence of existence.

She also learned, in particular, that life planning does not always involve having a workable plan. Instead, it might also involve identifying your main objective, using that as your compass and heading in that direction. 

Leung (left) made new friends through group projects in the programme.

Leung had initially intended to figure out her life's purpose through the programme, but she has accomplished more than she had anticipated thanks to the group project– which did not only help her clarify her objective but also brought her some wonderful friends.

Despite that the members of the groups were shuffled multiple times in the process, she was grateful to have met her group members for the month-long project. Together, they were able to work well on research and come up with solutions for the scenario-based task they were assigned. In the end, they received the highest marks for their pitch alongside another group having worked on the same case.

She was impressed by how everyone was deeply engaged in the entire process. She could see that the efforts she and her group members had made had paid off. There had also been plenty of opportunities to pick up knowledge from others. 

Leung and her teammates put up an outstanding performance in their pitches for the scenario-based project.

Yet, Leung also found that participating in the rock climbing workshop has provided her an occasion to learn about perseverance and teamwork. It was undoubtedly not going to be easy for her to complete the assigned mission in the allotted time considering her lack of climbing experience. 

She had to rely on her teammates in particular to finish the mission under challenging circumstances: one person had to pull the string from the bottom, while another had to climb to the top and set a record. Without perseverance, the team would not be able to complete the mission at all. 

Imagining herself not being part of the programme, Leung expressed this as a loss of “finding the course of my life planning, like what I did in the past, feeling uneasy to develop workable plans to reassure myself that I had prepared for my future rather than identifying the main objectives of my life.”

To explore more possibilities, instead of diving headfirst into the career, she has decided to take a year off after graduation to join the Working Holiday Scheme. She could take the time to learn more about herself, and expand her horizons beyond her academic and internship experiences. This will not only help her become more resilient to setbacks in the future but also boost her self-esteem.