An online inauguration ceremony was recently held for the new cohorts of UM Reporters and PR Student Ambassadors (PRSA) of the University of Macau (UM). During the ceremony, certificates were presented to the Top Ten UM Reporters and the Top Ten PR Student Ambassadors. In his speech, UM Vice Rector (Student Affairs) Mok Kai Meng encouraged the students to make the most of every opportunity at UM to reach their full potential.
The inauguration ceremony for the ten cohort of UM Reporters and the 12th cohort of PRSA was moved online as a precautionary measure in view of the latest development of COVID-19. Addressing the ceremony, Prof Mok Kai Meng said that UM implements a ‘4-in-1’ education model, which integrates discipline-specific education, general education, research and internship education, as well as community and peer education. According to him, under this model, students receive community and peer education via their residential colleges and through participating in activities across the university, which will help them build seven competencies, namely responsible citizenship, global competitiveness, knowledge integration, teamwork and collaboration, service and leadership, cultural engagement, and healthy lifestyle. Prof Mok added that the UM Reporters Programme and the PRSA Programme are good examples of community and peer education at UM. ‘I hope you will make the most of every opportunity at UM to reach your full potential, find your aspirations, and develop your skills. We count on you tell the wonderful stories of UM to friends from all over the world.’ says Prof Mok.
At the ceremony, Prof Mok presented to the 75 new UM Reporters and PRSAs their press passes and name badges, which symbolise their responsibility of promoting UM. Katrina Cheong, director of UM’s Communications Office (CO), then presented certificates to the Top Ten Outstanding UM Reporters and the Top Ten Outstanding PR Student Ambassadors who have done outstanding work in the past year. During the ceremony, Charlotte Lin, a representative of UM Reporters, and Connie Ren, a representative of PRSA, shared how they have put their knowledge into practice and their growth from different perspectives. A video of the highlights of the two programmes over the years was also played at he ceremony. In another video, several UM alumni who were members of the two programmes shared with the current members what they have learned in the programmes, as well as how the experiences have helped them in their career development.
Jasmine He, a newly inaugurated UM Reporter and a first-year student in the Faculty of Education, says that she has gained practical skills in interviewing, writing, and Chinese-English translation, adding that she has also improved her communication and response skills and become more active. Yang Bidan, a newly inaugurated PRSA and a student in the Master of Arts in Communication Programme, says that the PRSA Programme's various training sessions and workshops have helped her develop her presentation and organisation skills. She adds that these skills allow her to introduce UM to people of different ages and backgrounds, adding the programme has boosted her sense of belonging to UM.
The UM Reporter Programme and the PRSA Programme and were launched by the CO in 2010 and 2012, respectively. Their members come from various departments and disciplines across the university. Both programmes, with their outstanding results, have gained recognition within UM and the local community. The UM Reporter programme has trained a total of 360 UM Reporters. With its members divided into groups of writing reporters, photo reporters, video reporters, and short video reporters, the programme aims to provide a platform for students interested in interviewing, writing and multimedia filming to enhance their skills. The PRSA Programme aims to develop students' skills in guest reception, public relations, event organisation, and interpersonal communication. As of today, the programme has provided training for more than 500 student ambassadors, who have guided over 1,700 tours from around the world, with the number of visitors reaching more than 74,000.
