Love All Ways: A Celebration of Diverse Love
In a world where love takes many forms, Love All Ways transcended Valentine's Day norms by celebrating diverse love. Amidst our bustling lives, the event offered a space for self-care and reflection, hoping to spread warmth and affection to all.
Valentine’s Day, traditionally a celebration of romantic love, was reimagined this year by the Green Team at our campus. Love All Ways emerged as a vibrant celebration of love in all its forms—whether it be self-love, friendship, familial love, or a deep connection with animals, nature, and humanity. This event aimed to spread warmth and affection on the 14th of February, ensuring that everyone felt cherished and valued.
The Adventure:
The adventure began at the Love Zones, where participants engaged in various love actions, each designed to foster deeper connections with the entities they hold dear. By partaking in these activities, participants received stamps on their love passports, which could later be redeemed for a special gift. The Love Actions at the event encompassed a range of heartfelt gestures, including sending loving messages to family members, embracing friends with warm hugs, volunteering for community services, taking a moment for self-appreciation, and many more.
The final destination of this heartwarming journey was a grand celebration featuring hot chocolates generously sponsored by Oliver’s Super Sandwiches, a love language quiz enabling participants to explore their unique expressions of love, and soulful live music performances by talented UST buskers, comprising undergraduate and postgraduate students, staff members, and alumni.
The Driving Force:
Behind the scenes of Love All Ways stood the dedicated members of the Green Team— a collective of students, staff, faculties, and residents who share a deep-rooted passion for sustainability, well-being, and community care. For these individuals, the campus is more than just a place of work or study; it's a cherished home where they spend the majority of their time and nurture their social connections. This unique connection empowers the Green Team to offer innovative solutions that resonate with the values and aspirations of the campus community, fostering a culture of compassion and mindfulness.
The Purpose:
Beyond the desire to expand the boundaries of Valentine's Day, the Green Team envisioned Love All Ways as a sanctuary—a respite from the bustling pace of our community's daily life. The event was conceived as a space for our members to pause, reconnect with themselves, and indulge in moments of self-care and reflection. In a campus environment often characterized by hectic schedules and demanding responsibilities, Love All Ways aimed to provide a precious opportunity for community members to prioritize their well-being and recharge their spirits.
Love All Ways epitomizes the transformative potential of love and wellness in fostering meaningful connections and inspiring positive change within the campus community. By celebrating diverse forms of love and promoting holistic well-being, the Green Team continues to cultivate a culture of care and mindfulness that enriches the lives of all who call our campus home.
Love All Ways stands as a testament to the transformative power of love in all its manifestations. By celebrating diverse forms of love and fostering meaningful connections, the Green Team continues to inspire positive change and cultivate a culture of care and compassion within our campus community.
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (https://hkust.edu.hk/) is a world-class research intensive university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. Over 80% of our research work were rated “Internationally excellent” or “world leading” in the Research Assessment Exercise 2020 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee. We were ranked 3rd in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2022, and our graduates were ranked 23rd worldwide and among the best from universities from Asia in Global Employability University Ranking and Survey 2021.
