July 2015 - Hope of the City Newsletter
Dragon Boat Dumplings to Show We Care
The exuberance of festival seasons in Hong Kong often leaves our city’s poorer residents feeling left out. That’s why during this year’s Dragon Boat Festival, Hope of the City teamed up with several local partners to deliver rice dumplings to the elderly and low-income families. We visited families in Sham Shui Po with a Yan Kei Church team on June 13, and elderly and families with the Family Welfare Society in North Point on June 14.
Then, on June 18, we joined with a new partner, Christian Concern for the Homeless Association (CCHA), to share dumplings with families living in partitioned homes. Eighteen Hope volunteers joined CCHA volunteers in two teams to visit families in Sham Shui Po and Cheung Sha Wan. Residents of these cramped substandard homes regularly have to deal with challenges like bug infestations, and some of our volunteers bravely pitched in to help kill lice during their visits!
In all, 54 volunteers participated, visiting 45 households. Our thanks go out to all of you!
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SEN Training for Front-line Workers
Working with children who have Special Education Needs (SEN) can present challenges for social workers and community center staff. To support their efforts, Hope of the City invited two experienced educational psychologists from Hong Kong EP Services to help equip these front-line workers with basic knowledge to identify and help SEN students. Mr Danny Wong and Dr Eva Sum conducted training sessions on July 6 and July 9 respectively, with 25 workers from six partner centers in attendance.
The speakers introduced key strategies and case studies in regards to children with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia and Speech Delay issues, among others. The workers were given advice on treatment options and handling of special cases, which they found very helpful. Our wish is that this type of training will give our partners more confidence in supporting the SEN children they encounter through their work.
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Breakthrough Leadership
Academy
With over 40 students and 10 volunteers, the Breakthrough Leadership Academy went off with a bang! From July 13 through July 31, this free English enrichment program taught students confidence, communication, and leadership through a variety of educational activities led by American native-English speaker Cynthia Lam. This year's participants ranged in age from 9 to 18, and came from several different local schools. The class concludes on August 1 with a special showcase celebrating the students' accomplishments.
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Shining Some Light on HK's Housing Issues
On June 28, Hope of the City organized a lunch-time seminar at Island ECC for anyone interested in learning how ordinary people can play a part in addressing the serious housing issues in Hong Kong. Our guest speaker was Ricky Yu, CEO of LightBe, an organization which has come up with an innovative approach to providing adequate housing for the needy through a concept of righteous landlords and home sharing. Ricky provided some great food for thought to the 38 participants, many of whom asked questions and shared contacts after the session.
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Konnichiwa,
Sham Shui Po!
From July 7- 10, a group of P2-P5 kids had a truly unique experience as they took part in a Japanese Cultural Exchange program at the YWCA in Sham Shui Po. It was all part of a joint-university summer program between the Social Services departments of CUHK and a Japanese counterpart. Four students from each school volunteered to spend two hours a day with the kids to help them broaden their exposure to different cultures through language lessons, games and activities.
In addition to mastering some simple Japanese greetings, the kids were given lessons in origami, Japanese dancing and traditional Japanese cartoon drawing. One highlight of the program was learning to create original bento boxes, using a variety of ingredients and food cutters. The children had so much fun that by the end of the week it was hard to say sayonara.
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