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Students of the Bachelor of Science in Cultural and Heritage Management programme at the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) recently participated in the local intangible cultural heritage festival, the Macao Festival of the Drunken Dragon, to experience and learn the atmosphere and values of the traditional festival as volunteers.

The Macao Feast of the Drunken Dragon and the Lion Dance Gala is a traditional folk custom in Macao. It is an annual event organised and celebrated among fishmongers, and was successfully listed in the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Macao and the National Representative List of Intangible Heritage Projects in 2009 and 2011, respectively. The event is organised by the Associação dos Comerciantes de Peixe Fresco de Macau, representing seven local markets located on the Macao Peninsula: Complexo Municipal do Mercado de S. Domingos, Complexo Municipal do Mercado de S. Lourenço, Mercado Municipal do Bairro Iao Hon, Mercado Provisório do Mercado Vermelho, Mercado Municipal Horta da Mitra, Complexo Municipal do Mercado de Tamagini Barbosa, and Mercado Municipal do Patane.

On the night of the seventh day of the lunar calendar of April, Macao fishmongers gather with friends, families, and volunteers to enjoy a Dragon Boat Rice traditional gathering dinner – ‘Poon Choi’ (Basin Meal) in front of their markets. During the banquet, Macao fishmongers and performers perform the drunken dragon dance and conduct a ritual ceremony. On the eighth day of April, the Association’s members gather in front of the Pagode Sam Cai Vu Cun, where they perform Taoist rituals, a Drunken Dragon and Lion Dance Parade, and distribute Longevity Rice for free in each market, symbolising the spirit of “selflessness”, “dedication”, “gratitude”, and “unity”.

Ms. Kate Kwan, an IFTM alumna of Bachelor of Science in Tourism Business Management, who is also the coordinator of this year’s event, has been sharing the origin, inheritance, and conservation of this traditional festival with many students from various disciplines for long. This year, she successfully engaged 17 undergraduate students from IFTM to this meaningful event. The students are mainly from the Cultural and Heritage Management, Tourism Business Management, and Tourism Retail and Marketing Management degree programmes. They actively served as volunteers to this event while helped preparing for the Free Longevity Rice Distribution at the Mercado Provisório do Mercado Vermelho. The students experienced and deepened their understanding of the festive atmosphere and culture through volunteering. They realised the significance of festivals as a community-based practice, inheritance, and deeply felt the social values and cohesive forces of this traditional folk custom. The students unanimously expressed that such practical activities enabled them to deeply penetrate and experience local traditional customs in the community, as well as enriching their knowledge and memories. Students also expressed their willingness to participate again next year.

This festival also gained support from the active participation by the IFTM faculty members and scholars. Through working within the community, both teachers and students can fully experience the uniqueness and value of this tradition regarding its role in representing Macao’s intangible heritage.

In 2021, the Macao Institute for Tourism Studies (IFTM) was appointed as the protection unit for national intangible cultural heritage linked to Macanese Gastronomy. As such, IFTM is responsible for the promotion and inheritance of this cultural heritage and must take measures to prevent it from disappearing. Chefs of the Educational Restaurant have been committed to the study, preservation and revitalisation of traditional Macanese recipes and therefore, nostalgic dishes such as stuffed bitter gourd (margoso lorcha), fried vegetables with shrimp paste (bredo raba raba), starfruit sambal (sambal de carambola) and jaggery egg (jagra com ovos) became part of the current restaurant menu. Other products such as Macanese shrimp paste (balichão), fig syrup (xarope de figo), cornstarch cookies (genetes) and winter melon jam (doce de camalenga) are available for sale at the retail corner. Macanese traditional cakes including coconut cake (bolo menino) and pineapple cake (bolo de ananás) are also available for guests to order and share on festive occasions.

For the ones who would like to savor many Macanese dishes at once, IFTM Educational Restaurant is now offering its Signature Macanese buffet on Saturdays, for lunch and dinner. Patrons of the restaurant can also learn more about this cultural heritage with the materials displayed at the Macanese Gastronomy Corner. The materials include valuable manuscript recipes, cookbooks, magazines, academic dissertations and videos.

Opening days and hours:

Monday – Saturday: Lunch 12:00-15:00 / Dinner 18:30-22:00

(Sunday and public holidays are by appointment/reservation open for events, meetings, or functions and require a minimum spending)

Kindly contact the Educational Restaurant at 8598 3077/3168 for any questions.

澳門旅遊學院一直重視學生的身心健康發展，並致力推廣關注學生的精神健康。為了讓教職員對學生情緒和壓力有更深了解，教務部學生事務處早前舉辦“辨識青少年的壓力行為及處理方法” 講座，向前線教師及職員介紹有關精神健康的概念，如何辨識和應對青少年面對壓力和心理健康發展的需要，共19名教師及職員參與。是次講座邀請到何家輝博士擔任主講嘉賓。

為了讓教職員能理解受情緒及壓力困擾的學生，利用壓力評估工具，理論分析結合案例，幫助前線教職員提高對學生心理健康發展需要的理解，辨識青少年在面對壓力和情緒時出現的行為，以及如何適時地為學生提供支援和關懷。

有出席的教師表示，是次講座非常實用，透過掌握基本的理論與模式，能分析及明白學生的想法及精神健康問題之所在，結合個人經驗反思，獲得共鳴，藉著講座可以更好地理解和關心學生，以及如何把有需要協助的學生轉介給專業輔導員跟進，讓受到自我困擾的學生及早得到適切的幫助；並希望日後學院可以多舉辧同類的講座活動。

學院學生事務處會持續加強於校內推廣精神健康宣傳活動，並向師生表達關懷和鼓勵，加強支援有精神健康需要的學生，陪伴學生健康成長，營造和諧友愛的校園氛圍。

澳門旅遊學院積極配合特區政府啟動的全民核酸檢測，召集學院教師及員工組成義工隊，持續支援鮑思高粵華小學核檢站工作，在站內協助到場市民及維持現場秩序。在近期第四至第六輪全民核酸檢測中，每輪組織約80至115人次參加。學院義工們認真投入工作，務求為市民提供適切的服務和清晰的指引，與各政府部門及實體的義工們互相做好溝通和協調，令檢測程序更加順暢，讓市民檢測更加便利。

此外，學院早前亦曾組織人員協助中葡職中重點人群核檢站工作；並由7月6日起，派出多名工作人員支援應疾病預防控制中心進行流行病學調查，一起與時間和病毒「賽跑」，追蹤每一確診病例的行程紀錄，盡快找出相關密切接觸者及共同軌跡人士，及早阻斷傳播鏈。

澳旅院上下竭盡所能，繼續全心全意服務澳門，希望和各位市民一起努力，守護我們共同的家。

為落實澳門特區政府推行國家安全教育工作及響應“全民國家安全教育日”，澳門旅遊學院於4月13日舉辦認識《憲法》、《基本法》與《維護國家安全法》關係的專題講座，旨在加強青年學生對國家《憲法》、《基本法》和《維護國家安全法》的認識、責任和義務，培養國民身份認同。

透過澳門基本法推廣協會的協助安排，學院再次邀請到澳門大學法學院憲法與基本法研究中心主任駱偉建教授為主講嘉賓。

駱教授清楚說明國家安全是安邦定國的重要基石，國家統一和國家發展是互相依存，是人民安居樂業的最佳保障。講座上詳述了國家安全理念的十一個領域，包括政治安全、國土安全、軍事安全、經濟安全、文化安全、社會安全、科技安全、資訊安全、生態安全、資源安全和核安全；並闡述如何全方位保護國民，構建沒有外部威脅與侵害，也沒有內部混亂的狀態。駱教授還分享了兒時的記憶及長輩的苦難經歷，如何從中感受“有國才有家” 的深刻體會，確立貢獻國家和投身一國兩制事業的志向和理想。講座內容豐富，讓人心靈共鳴；同時，透過真情實意的分享，旁推側引地讓學生反思國民身份的角色，在共享國家和民族榮耀的同時，青年一代在維護國家安全及持續發展的應有擔當。他還寄語學生要以建設現代化強國，為實現中華民族的偉大復興而努力。

學院未來將繼續推動國家安全教育工作，更好地向青年學生傳播法律知識，加強國家觀念和民族意識，培養青年愛國愛澳情懷。

Students from the Tourism Retail and Marketing Management programme engaged in an industrial project to help a group of dynamic young entrepreneurs who started a very innovative company called MacCrew. This is an eclectic lifestyle business where arts, fashion, lifestyle and F&B are merged to create an innovative space for consumers to experience. As part of the business model, sports shoes or sneakers customisation service is one of the key elements of MacCrew. Customers pay for the design and customisation service for their chosen shoes.

As part of the industrial project, IFTM students developed innovative guerrilla marketing strategies aiming to help MacCrew to generate maximum media impact and alternative business models that allow the brand to market million-dollar custom shoes. The founders of MacCrew, Allen Choi and Michael Mak were impressed with the presentations from students and noted that several ideas could be followed up.

The course leader Dr. Fernando Lourenço emphasised the importance of engaging local stakeholders to create meaningful projects where multiple parties can benefit from the process. In this case, higher education institutions support local entrepreneurs whilst creating a better learning opportunity for students that goes beyond textbooks.

澳門旅遊學院一直重視培養學生對社會的責任感，提供機會讓他們參與社會服務，實踐理論知識。早前，學生為澳門戒毒康復協會提供商業方案建議及市場分析，以營運位於九澳聖母馬路的咖啡館和畫廊。

為幫助戒毒人士重新融入社區，澳門戒毒康復協會於九澳七苦聖母小堂旁開設Hold On To Hope Cafe咖啡館。協會主席羅專一(Augusto  Nogueira)表示，營運咖啡館具雙重意義，一是讓康復者獲得重返職場所需的技能，二是為暫時留在協會的人士獲得工作和財政支持。畫廊也有雙重功能，既為展示完成藝術療程的學員作品，亦成為來自其他非牟利社團的年輕藝術家的作品展示空間。他強調，兩者雖非以營利為目的，但仍需用心經營，逐漸地以商業營運模式、提升服務質素、持續改良餐飲出品，最終目的是讓康復人士擁有一技之長。

澳門戒毒康復協會營運咖啡館和畫廊的工作，得到澳門旅遊學院的支持。雙方在咖啡館及畫廊開幕前展開合作，由創業課程導師羅導謙博士帶領國際餐飲管理碩士課程的研究生，以及修讀創業課程的本科生共同參與。羅導謙表示，學生負責為開幕前的咖啡館和畫廊項目構思商業概念，提供解決方案和建議。其中，研究生主要協助戒毒康復協會進行市場分析，把握消費趨勢和需求、評估商品售價以及了解競爭對手，從而為咖啡館設計菜單，激發吸引顧客前往消費的創意。本科生的任務是將該地區變成本地人和旅客休閒娛樂的新去處，推出配套產品、服務和活動以協助商店創造更多的收入和吸引人流。目前，咖啡館已實現收支平衡，成為熱門打卡點。

羅導謙認為藉由這些社會服務，成功鼓勵學生將知識和技能應用在現實生活中，也能提升其組織管理和溝通技巧，真正達到學以致用，踐行澳門旅遊學院“理論與實踐並重”的教學理念。

A group of 20 IFTM bachelor degree students used the Christmas break to travel to Congjiang County to volunteer on a project to support education at a local school. The project took place from 20 to 26 December at the Congjiang Second National High School. It was jointly organised by the IFTM Volunteer Circle, the IFTM Alumni Association and the Education and Technology Bureau of Congjiang County, and sponsored by the Higher Education Fund of the Macao SAR government. The organisers’ aim was to strengthen English-language education in Congjiang, and to promote exchanges between young people in Guizhou and Macao.

In order to encourage Macao youths to pay more attention to the people and events in Macao during the epidemic, to promote positive energy and to express their feelings in the face of the epidemic, Macau Association of Jiangmen Youths organised the 6th "Macao in my eyes" essay contest. IFTM student Lucy Zhang Zhanyue was awarded the third prise in the open category. IFTM actively encourages students to participate in extracurricular activities to explore their potential, allowing them to enjoy the fun of after-school activities while learning and fostering their diversified development.

This year, students from IFTM completed a consultancy project to help two newly built social enterprises by the ARTM (Associação de Reabilitação de Toxicodependentes de Macau) located in a redeveloped touristic spot in Ka-Ho Our Lady of Sorrows Church. With the support from the government, these social enterprises comprise of a coffee shop “Hold On To Hope” and art gallery will be open in December 2020 aiming to provide skills development and social mobility for the clients at the rehabilitation and treatment centre.

Dr Fernando Lourenço led students to explore innovative ways to drive in more traffic to the coffee shop and art gallery, propose business models for different market segment, to create two new platforms to allow these social enterprises to be financially independent and allow clients from ARTM gain valuable work experience. This is another example of the holistic teaching approach offer at IFTM to make education more relevant via service-learning approach.