a quarterly journal from the hongkong federation of youth groups
March 2018
Volume 10 Number 1
Youth HONG KONG
Multicultural City
OVERVIEW 4 Multiculturalism in the city INTERVIEW 7 Melting pot of challenges Equal Opportunities Commission PERSPECTIVES 10 Diversity and identity Agnes Ku, HKUST 13 Mixed realities Shalini Mahtani, Zubin Foundation 15 Ethnic minorities: policy, surveys and censuses 16 Shifting barriers Gigi Lo, THeM 19 Lessons from skateboarding Paul O’Connor, Lingnan University 22 Third culture kids Joy Pamnani 25 Working towards equal opportunities with Kazy 27 Inclusive despite differences with Ho Kwan 29 Born and bred with Harpreet Singh INSIGHT 30 Deserving recognition Vicky Law SERVICES 32 Nei ho, neighbour! HKFYG Jockey Club Verbena Youth SPOT CITY SPACE 34 MultipliCITY: interaction and polarization Elaine Morgan 36 WEDO Global with Bosco Ng MicroForests with Rainbow Chow 37 Chungking Mansions: youth and insecurity 38 Co-living with Ada Chau HKFYG 41 Dragon Foundation Golf Tournament 42 Run for Wellness 44 PH3 46 A Cappella Festival 48 Youth IDEAS think tank reports
Contents
MARCH 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Volume 10 Number 1
Courtesy of WEDO GLOBAL
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YOUTH HONG KONG published quarterly by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups EDITORIAL BOARD Andy Ho (Chair) Elaine Morgan (Editor) Ada Chau (Assistant Editor) Amy Fung Angela Ngai Gary Tang Lakshmi Jacotă William Chung Hon Adviser Veronica Pearson CIRCULATION (unaudited) 11,000-12,000 in Hong Kong, throughout the region and overseas VIEWS EXPRESSED are the authors’ and interviewees’, may come from official
sources, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or publisher REPRODUCTION OF CONTENTS without written permission from the publisher is prohibited INTERVIEWS Elaine Morgan & Ada Chau OTHER CONTRIBUTORS Agnes Ku Shuk-mei Paul O’Connor Joy Pamnani Kazy Basnet Vicky Law TRANSLATION Ada Chau & Angela Ngai PHOTOGRAPHS By editorial team, acknowledged as captioned, stock images, or in public domain
TRADEMARKS All brand names and product names are registered trademarks. Youth Hong Kong is not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in articles. ARTWORK, DESIGN, LAYOUT & PRINTING DG3 ISSN 2071-3193 (Print) ISSN 2519-1098 (Online) WEB youthhongkong.hkfyg.org.hk CORRESPONDENCE to The Editor, Youth Hong Kong, 21/F, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, Hong Kong TEL 3755 7084, 3755 7108 FAX 3755 7155 EMAIL youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk ADVERTISING enquiries to Ada Chau 3755 7108
The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups was founded in 1960 and is the city’s largest youth service organization. More than 25,000 activities are organized by over 70 units annually with attendance of nearly 6 million. Youth SPOTs, M21 Multimedia Services, Counselling Services, Youth at Risk Services, Employment Services, Leadership Training, Volunteer Services, Parenting Services, Education Services, Creativity Education and Youth Exchange, Leisure, Cultural and Sports Services, Research and Publications WEB hkfyg.org.hk m21.hk Online donation platform giving.hkfyg.org.hk
Editorial March 2018　|　Youth Hong Kong
A truly cosmopolitan city
Hong Kong has the reputation of being an international city with cosmopolitan businesses and people. However, it is sometimes forgotten that this is not a recent phenomenon. Hong Kong has long served as a meeting ground, first as a centre of transnational trade and commerce and much later for global banking and financial services. Many people who came here for work had different cultures, traditions and languages, but they chose to make Hong Kong their home and have contributed greatly. Youth Hong Kong looks at this vibrant multicultural city and the major challenges faced by its ethnic minority population today, especially youth. Their sense of identity and the inclusion of the nonChinese population are considered as well as ways in which that might be bolstered. Personal experience is shared: of those who have been affected by circumstance, those who advocate policy change, and those whose practical efforts are going a long way to make Hong Kong more inclusive. Many of the articles conclude with optimism despite some very serious challenges. They say that Hong Kong has the ability to maximize the latent potential of its richly diverse population and ensure that it is an international and cosmopolitan city, not just a place for temporary sojourners but a home for all its belongers. We would very much like to hear from you, especially if you live in a city or country that values multiculturalism.
Andy Ho Wing-cheong Executive Director, HKFYG March 2018
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Overview March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Multiculturalism
in a diverse city A
ccording to its simplest definition, multiculturalism involves the presence of several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society. This makes Hong Kong, from its very beginnings, an undeniably multicultural city.
Given Hong Kong’s original role as an entrepôt, it is not surprising that people of diverse nationalities and cultures made the city their home along with the territory’s indigenous Chinese inhabitants. Traders and entrepreneurs included Europeans and people from the Indian subcontinent as well as modern day Asia and the Middle East. Over the years, more and more diaspora merchant communities from Iraq and present day Iran, pre-partition India and elsewhere joined an influx of immigrants that included professionals and labourers. Yet now there is a tendency to forget this rich history, preferring instead a very Chinese-centric view of the city’s development and progress. Current cultural discourse either tends to ignore or down-play the contributions of Hong Kong’s diverse population through time. Museums too are prone to this tendency which can only be called unfortunate. Such forgetfulness can only project an erroneous picture of Hong Kong. At its least offensive, it results in apathy to the community’s cultural diversity. At its worst, it results in overt prejudice. Given Hong Kong’s small size and relatively short history, there is really no excuse for lack of awareness of the variety of ethnic groups in the city nor, and more importantly, ignorance and lack of appreciation of their immense contributions. In the past, cooperation − often across cultural and racial lines − saw the founding of numerous social, economic and educational institutions, many of which have become icons of modern Hong Kong. The police force, for example, established in 1844, grew out of the collaborative efforts of Europeans − particularly the Scots – as well as Sikhs from the Punjab and Chinese.1
4
pp Indian and Chinese police officers c. 1900
Then there was The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Cooperation, founded in 1865 by Sir Thomas Sutherland with Italian-Indian-Jewish Emanuel Belilios. It was the first locally-owned and managed bank in Hong Kong. 2 Belilios also helped to found the first government school for girls in 1890. Originally the Central School for Girls, it is now the Belilios Public School and was the first bilingual school in Hong Kong. He also supported students at the Alice Memorial Hospital, Hong Kong’s first teaching hospital, attached to the Hong Kong College of Medicine for Chinese. In the 1880s, Mr Dorabjee Naorojee Mithaiwala, a Parsee, was running the first cross-harbour Morning Star ferry service from Pedder’s Wharf to Kowloon Point. This service became the Kowloon Ferry Company by 1888 and The “Star” Ferry Company by 1898. Meanwhile, Sir Paul Chater, an Indian of Armenian descent, had been taking seabed soundings from a sampan, becoming instrumental in the reclamation of Victoria
Cooperation saw the founding of numerous institutions, many of which have become icons of modern Hong Kong. pp Gurkha and British soldiers 1985
At the time of Hong Kong’s change of sovereignty, there was much discussion about a new sense of identity among local Chinese people. One result of this may have been a parallel change in some people’s attitudes towards nonChinese people. Once defined officially by nationality only, by the time of the 2001 census, non-Chinese inhabitants were classified as a distinct group of “ethnic minorities” and became known as such throughout the community. This labelling made them “separate others” rather than part of a combined, multicultural, diverse society.
pp Star Ferry c. 1920
Harbour. In the 1880s, he helped found Hongkong Land, Hongkong Electric and the original Hong Kong and Kowloon Wharf and Godown Company.3 The University of Hong Kong, officially opened in 1912. It is the city’s oldest tertiary education institution and was established with a generous benefaction of Sir HN Mody, an Indian merchant who was also a business partner of Chater.4 Noted contributions were made by Iraqi Jews such as the Kadoorie family. Sir Ellis Kadoorie invested in Hongkong and Shanghai Hotels which now owns The Peninsula Hotel brand. He later bought into China Light and Power. The Kadoories have also established educational institutions and many other charitable projects.5 By the mid to late 20th century, even more non-Chinese entrepreneurs, businessmen and professionals settled in Hong Kong, many of whom made their own notable contribution. The Gurkha soldiers from Nepal were among them. They served with the British Army, patrolling Hong Kong’s borders from the 1960s until 1997.
The dynamic involvement of the city’s non-ethnic Chinese population also changed. One major reason is lack of proficiency in Chinese. A high level of written and spoken Chinese is now mandatory for many civil service posts and is increasingly a requirement for white collar and skilled jobs. This is a consequence of the revised Medium of Instruction policy adopted from the 1998-99 school year onwards, except for teaching English language, and starting with Secondary 1. It excluded only 112 secondary schools that were allowed to teach in English. One might argue that general perceptions of so-called “ethnic minorities” changed and became more negative as a result. In 2014, overt racial stereotyping in both English and Chinese primary school text books was discovered, causing much controversy. In the English text about jobs, a white British man was depicted as a teacher and a Filipino woman as a domestic helper. In the Chinese text, approved by the Education Bureau, children were taught that “China is my motherland, I am a Chinese person.”6 Such stereotyping can easily take root and reinforce an “us” and “them” mentality in impressionable children. More recently, there have been high-profile cases involving racial slurs against non-Chinese members 5
Overview March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
of the judiciary. The most recent was that of principal magistrate, Bina Chainrai, who was insulted in racial terms for her non-Chinese background. The insults, roundly condemned by both the Hong Kong Bar Association and the Equal Opportunities Commission, illustrate current racial intolerance.”7 The government has been urged to address these issues and do more to integrate and support “ethnic minorities” who were born in Hong Kong and those who relocate here from abroad. This has seen government Policy Addresses that have spoken about enhanced measures in “education, employment and community outreach.”8 However, many would argue that these efforts are insufficient, inconsistent, lack depth and leave room for much improvement and augmentation. In February this year, the Chief Secretary met and learnt about New Year traditions from a group of South Asians. He used the opportunity to pledge the government’s “support measures Filipino to facilitate their [minorities’] 9 184,081 integration into our society.” More action rather than just 32% words would be welcome.
White 58,209
10%
6%
1. The Hong Kong Police Force, the first century police.gov.hk/info/doc/history/chapter01_en.pdf 2.
HSBC Company History hsbc.com/about-hsbc/company-history
3. Wiltshire, T. Old Hong Kong, Volume Two. Text Form Asia books Ltd, 1987 4.
chater-genealogy.blogspot.hk/2016/10/sir-hormusjee-mody-his-family-and-their.html
5.
scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/article/1661441/role-jews-making-hong-kong
6.
scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1595406/textbooks-fail-promote-racial-harmony
7.
6
scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-crime/article/2127157/bar-association-condemns-insults-directed-nonchinese-judge
8.
policyaddress.gov.hk/2014/eng/EM.html
9.
info.gov.hk/gia/general/201802/14/P2018021400459.htm
Pakistani 18,094
3% Japanese 9,976
As more and more people consider what it really means to Indonesian be a “Hongkonger”, especially 153,299 young people, is it not the right 26% time to include and involve Source had.gov.hk/rru/english/info/info_dem.html# the non-Chinese populace at every level? Multiculturalism is an integral part of Hong Kong’s rich history. Only with full integration can Hong Kong truly now claim to be “Asia’s world city.” Acknowledgements Photos: Indian and Chinese police officers, c. 1900, courtesy of Public Records Office, Hong Kong. Gurkha and British soldiers, 1985, courtesy of The 6th Queen Elizabeth’s Own Gurkha Rifles.
Indian 36,462
2%
Others 68,986
Other Asian 19,589
3%
Nepalese 25,472
4% Thai 10,215
2%
12%
香港自開埠便是多元文化的社會。除了華人外，來自世界各 地的居民，一直協助共建香港成為繁榮社會。他們包括來自 南亞、印度、中東等不同國家的移民及其後代。然而，少數 族裔人士在港生活，為香港作出貢獻之餘，也面對不少挑戰。 特區政府已承諾加以正視，並逐步處理相關議題。其中最重 要是社會各界同心同德，合力維持香港成為關愛共融的社會， 讓不同族裔人士的身分認同得到肯定；並延續香港多元文化 的特色，成為真正「亞洲國際城市」。
Melting pot of challenges T
he bold vision of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), founded in 1996, is to make Hong Kong a pluralistic and inclusive society. Professor Alfred Chan, EOC chairperson, and his colleagues from the Ethnic Minorities Unit, explained the priorities.
At school, university or in the workplace, barriers to effective cross-cultural communication are common. In a city such as Hong Kong, the language barriers are especially complex. As Hong Kong’s non-Chinese population has grown to 8%1 awareness of the barriers has also grown. The Race Discrimination Ordinance (RDO) was enacted in 20082 but lack of respect, prejudice and failures in communication still underlie the racial discrimination seen in Hong Kong today, according to Professor Chan. “We have to recognize the arrogance that comes with the attitude that says, ‘We were here first and they are just newcomers.’” Professor Chan’s colleague, Raymond Ho of the Ethnic Minorities Unit (EMU), explains that most people from South Asian and Southeast Asian backgrounds are generally labelled as non-professional, low-income earners. This form of invidious stereotyping is common, although more effort is being made than in the past, he says.
Mr Ho remains optimistic. “Evaluative reports from the Education Bureau on teaching Chinese as a second language are starting to come through.” He also acknowledges that this is only an indicative start. As more data is collected and disseminated, so the evidence crucial for policy change will become more concrete and more convincing. Early education is known to be important in any language and learning Chinese is no different. However, the government has no prescribed attainment level for Cantonese at kindergarten. Furthermore, a study from Hong Kong Unison, an NGO that works towards equality for ethnic minorities, shows that 62% of kindergartens use Cantonese exclusively for admission interviews.
The first cohort in the subject graduated in 20173 and it is seen as an acceptable alternative for the purposes of admission to post-secondary institutions funded by the University Grants Committee. Nevertheless, much up-todate information about the curriculum is only available in Chinese.4 A 2016 draft Curriculum Framework5 in English and a bilingual promotional leaflet are available.6
by Todd Mecklem flic.kr/p/eVQpsr
To try to overcome these problems, attitudinal change and strong language skills are vital. Speaking Chinese, as well as reading and writing it, is essential. “Functional competence in Chinese should be the goal for everyone who makes Hong Kong their home,” Professor Chan affirms. To this end, the Education Bureau has developed a separate curriculum for non-Chinese speaking students, known as “Applied Learning Chinese.” Its level is between GCSE and the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education.
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Interview
by attitudezarah flic.kr/p/a6ce59
March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Ms Huma Zile, a colleague of Mr Ho and Professor Chan, has been working at the EMU for three years. She speaks from personal experience when recalling her own student days at a designated school for ethnic minority children. She learnt French as a second language rather than Chinese. It proved of “no use at all when I left school and wanted to go to university in Hong Kong and get a job.” Ms Zile thinks that generational change is now taking place and as the minority population grows so will demands for change. Having struggled themselves, many ethnic minority parents don’t want their children to go through what they did. “Parents now know that their children must learn Chinese in order to compete equally for higher education and jobs,” says Ms Zile. This means they might need to go to Chinese-medium of instruction government schools, but again, information about application processes is often only available in Chinese, further disaffecting the people it purports to serve. The EOC surveyed kindergarten admission policies and attitudes towards non-Chinese applicants in 2017. When findings were released in March 2018, Chairperson Professor Alfred 8
Chan said that “Equal access to good quality education is a fundamental right ... and non-Chinese parents and children [are] at a disadvantage compared with others.” The survey found that more than a quarter of Hong Kong’s kindergartens were negative in response to non-Chinese applicants. Over 20% of the schools required equal fluency in Cantonese in all enrolled three year-olds and 70% of the kindergartens’ websites were totally or mostly published in Chinese.7 Professor Chan insists that the language issue has resulted in the biggest challenge facing ethnic minorities in Hong Kong: employment, particularly in the civil service. This is in spite of Codes of Practice for employers and the fact that the RDO covers elements of employment in the government. Chinese language requirements have been relaxed for only 53 of the 400 categories of civil service jobs. The Labour Department has updated its internal guidelines, provided cultural sensitivity training to all Job Centre staff through the EOC, and hired two Employment Assistants
by Laurel McCormack flic.kr/p/ambz6g
The EOC is making some progress to rectify this and the practice of putting ethnic minority children only into designated schools ended in 2014. However, the former de facto racial segregation has long-lasting effects and the designated schools that many of today’s ethnic minority workforce attended equipped them only with rudimentary Cantonese, hindering their opportunities for university admission or white-collar employment.
School and university admissions as well as job recruitment must be on the basis of merit, not ethnic background or first language.
pp (left to right) Raymond Ho and Huma Zile, Ethnic Minorities Unit, with Prof Albert Chan, Chairperson, Equal Opportunities Commission
What we really need is a designated office that deals with all ethnic minority issues. from ethnic minority backgrounds. However, it is still frequently criticized for offering limited, low-end job choices to ethnic minority job seekers. It also closed down the dedicated job-matching unit that used to serve their needs. Nevertheless, Ms Zile sees the upside. “Hong Kong is not so bad. At least we have the RDO here. Although legislation needs to be more effective, we can learn good practices from Singapore where, for example, a specific ministry is responsible for overseeing ethnic minority issues.” Raymond Ho agrees. “What we really need is a designated office that deals with all ethnic minority issues. At present, for each complaint we receive and each initiative we
want to push forward, we have to deal with multiple government offices with varying requirements and regulations.” This laborious process could be much simplified if the EOC had a single body to turn to. “We need to work towards turning discrimination around,” concludes Professor Chan. “For this, greater respect for diversity and affirmative action is needed. School and university admissions as well as job recruitment must be on the basis of merit, not ethnic background or first language.” This is a highly worthy goal and the EOC maintains a very positive outlook, but the road to social inclusion is long and the outcome is uncertain. 平等機會委員會 ( 簡稱平機會 ) 的使命是協助香港成為多元共融的 社會。主席陳章明教授和他的同事在訪問中指出，對於在港居住 的少數族裔來說，語言障礙是他們及其下一代在社會向上流動的 最大困難。在港出生的少數族裔，講和聽廣東話都沒問題，但書 寫中文則較難掌握。他們的教育、語文學習和就業前景也受關注。 平機會的工作挑戰雖大，但他們對未來改善現況，深感樂觀。
Note and sources 1. eoc.org.hk/eoc/graphicsfolder/ShowContent.aspx?ItemID=15355 2. Equal Opportunities Commission web page with useful links: eoc.org.hk/eoc/graphicsfolder/showcontent.aspx?content=information%20on%20race%20discrimination 3. hkcss.org.hk/uploadfileMgnt/0_201722410502.2_hkcss_symp_2017-_ppt-final.pdf 4. Applied Learning Chinese (for non-Chinese speaking students) - Course Information (2018-20 Cohort) edb.gov.hk/en/curriculum-development/cross-kla-studies/applied-learning/applied-learning-chinese/ course-information%20(2018-20%20Cohort).html 5. edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/cross-kla-studies/applied-learning/ref-and-resources/ApL(C)%20Curriculum%20Framework%20(updated%20as%20at%20Jan%202016)_ENG.pdf 6. edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/curriculum-development/cross-kla-studies/applied-learning/ref-and-resources/information-leaflet/ApL(C)%20Promotion%20Leaflet_HK.pdf 7. eoc.org.hk/eoc/GraphicsFolder/ShowContent.aspx?ItemID=15520
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Perspectives March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Diversity and identity: distinct and disguised H
ong Kong is a place of multiple, intersecting and sometimes conflicting identities. Agnes Ku says that although the vast majority of people share a common ethnic identity and heritage, their daily lives and culture also show elements of a distinct Hong Kong character. Identity is relational, fluid, multiple and changing. It reflects both what people have in common and the differences between them, creating a distinction between “us” and “them”, between member and nonmember and between insider and outsider. The multiple identities of Hong Kong include “localness,” “Chineseness”, “nationalism” and “global-ness” but there is no single brand of “Hong Kongness.”
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After the handover in 1997, the HKSAR government attempted to renew the city’s identity. On the one hand, it drew on the prevailing colonial narrative to project a world city image. On the other hand, it increasingly incorporated a framework of integration between Hong Kong and mainland China. Although no reference was made in this framework to the colonial legacy of values, institutions and identities, this legacy is, nevertheless, often so intertwined
Scholars have advocated discarding clichés such as East meets West. with the local culture that it has become impossible for one to reject the former without rejecting parts of oneself. 1 Scholars have celebrated a local culture characterized by hybridity, between-ness, periphery and subversive potential. They also embrace a global and cosmopolitan outlook that emphasizes openness, diversity, transnationality and reflexivity. They have affirmed the “local” whilst simultaneously being wary of any essentialism regarding Hong Kong’s identity.2 Such scholars have also advocated discarding clichés such as “East meets West”3, although the government often draws on this metaphor using the image of a “melting pot” of Chinese and Western cultures and as a symbol of cosmopolitanism. “East meets West” leaves out an entire range of ethnic minorities who have been in Hong Kong for a long time, including not only Caucasians but Indians, Pakistanis and Filipinos. Indeed, the metaphor shows the limitations and inadequacies of the prevailing understanding of this global city. In two separate senses, “East meets West” reduces what is or should be a complex space of cultural diversity into a structure of facile binarism. This omission is not just a simple rhetorical oversight but perhaps reflects certain forms of racism present in the mainstream culture. The metaphor, moreover, has had the effect of making invisible the variety of national origins of the people who fall into the umbrella category of “the West.” It also cloaks and disguises the cultural diversity and pluralism of the Chinese community in the umbrella category of “the East.” How did a specific Hong Kong identity come about? Prior to the 1950s, there was relatively little sense of a distinct collectivity among the city’s inhabitants. A series of events changed that. The birth of the People’s Republic of China in 1949 gave rise to increasing ideological, political and socio-economic differences
from Hong Kong, especially in the context of the Cold War. Meanwhile, changes were taking place regarding immigration control and on the demographic, economic, social, cultural and political fronts. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the continual influx of mainland Chinese immigrants who saw themselves as sojourners whose homes were in mainland China not only swelled the population but also bred a new local-born generation. Although a fully-fledged sense of citizenship was not yet in the making, a local identity known as “Heunggongyan” – a Hong Konger or a Hong Kong person – emerged in the 1970s under the governorship of Sir Murray MacLehose. The slogan “Hong Kong is our home” was promoted through a host of initiatives and civic campaigns to enhance a corresponding sense of social citizenship and belonging. The goal was more to cultivate a sense of communal belonging and civic responsibility rather than to nurture a culturally or politically independent identity. This local sense of identity developed with a greater sense of self-awareness which was brought about by constructing the “other.” The “others” were Chinese immigrants from the mainland – legal and illegal. They had been coming to Hong Kong on a daily basis or as a result of China’s open door policy. Legislators depicted these newcomers as an unwelcome group of unskilled labourers. The mass media popularized an image of mainlanders through the character of “Ah Chan” who represented a different and inferior “other” in socio-economic and cultural terms.
The local sense of identity was brought about by constructing the “other.” The “others” were Chinese immigrants from the mainland, legal and illegal. In the early 1980s, facing the 1997 handover issue, a significant change in Hong Kong identity took place from half-passivity to active anxiety. Those who did not emigrate became more interested in preserving 11
Perspectives March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
the past and recording the changing face of the city, in museums, memoirs, movies, archives and architecture.
92% ethnic Chinese majority, disguises the identity of the 8% of non-Chinese people completely.5
People also began to publicly consider themselves as Chinese. This can be seen in public opinion polls of ethnic identity regularly conducted by the University of Hong Kong. The figure rose from 18.6% in 1997 to as high as 36.8% a decade later. But a generic “Chinese” identity then gave way to a very specific “Hong Konger in China” by 2017, with 67.8% of people identifying themselves as such, followed by a group classified as “Mixed Identity” with 45.1%.4 While these findings are subject to interpretation, it seems pertinent to question the ways in which growing sentiment against mainlandization has influenced Hong Kong’s identity.
Identity is a multifaceted and highly contested concept that relates to ethnicity, cultural affiliation, belonging, political identification and other aspects of subjectivity. On a deeper level, however, a more fundamental question concerns how far such sentiment interacts with a fluid sense of local-ness, Chinese-ness and global-ness in constituting and reconstituting our identity on multiple levels in changing contexts.
The simplistic binarism of “East meets West” cloaks both major components of Hong Kong’s cultural mix. However, the focus on Heunggongyan versus mainlanders, with its exclusive fixation on Hong Kong’s
香港科技大學社會科學部谷淑美教授認為，香港作為多元文化社 會，來自不同國家、族裔的居民，不免會面對身分認同問題。儘 管香港整體上已有其獨特身分認同及文化承傳，少數族裔市民或 來自不同地區的華人，在生活細節上仍存在差異。她認為身分認 同是一個隨時間改變和流動的概念，如何在各層面，如文化整合、 歸屬感、政治參與、核心價值等，建構出共同的理念框架，值得 社會深思。
Agnes Shuk-mei Ku, Associate Professor of Social Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, teaches courses in Hong Kong culture and civil society. Her research interests include cultural sociology, civil society and Hong Kong culture and politics. She completed her Ph.D at UCLA and is a Faculty Associate in the Center for Cultural Sociology of Yale University. Her many publications include, “Remaking Citizenship in Hong Kong” edited with Pun Ngai. (Routledge, 2006) and “Hong Kong Mobile” edited with Helen Siu. (HKU Press, 2008.) Acknowledgement The contents of this article are based on extracts from Professor Ku’s “Identity as Politics - Contesting the Local, the National and the Global.” In T. L. Lui, S. Chiu and R. Yep (eds). Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Hong Kong. London: Routledge. (Forthcoming 2018).
Sources 1. Pieterse, JN and Parekh, B. “Shifting Imaginaries: Decolonization, Internal Decolonization, Postcoloniality.” In The Decolonization of Imagination - Culture, Knowledge and Power. JN Pieterse and Bhikhu Parekh (eds). London: Zed Books, 1995. 2. Law Wing-seng (ed) Whose City? Civic Culture and Political Discourse in Post-War Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1997. (In Chinese). 3. Chan Ching-kiu (ed) Cultural Imagination and Ideology – Commentaries on Contemporary Hong Kong Cultural Politics. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1997. 4. hkupop.hku.hk/english/popexpress/ethnic/eidentity/poll/eid_poll_chart.html 5. had.gov.hk/rru/english/info/info_dem.html
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Mixed realities S
halini Mahtani, founder of the Zubin Foundation, a think tank, is optimistic about the present administration’s policy agenda for ethnic minority groups. However, she says we have a small window of opportunity in which to achieve a shift in perceptions. YHK
How would you say Hong Kong’s has succeeded as a “multicultural city”?
I think there has been a massive, positive shift that is reflected in the current government’s focus on ethnic minorities. I believe that this government understands the gap between minorities and others in terms of opportunities and skills. As a result, light is being shed on issues such as lack of inclusion, lack of opportunities and lack of voice in decision-making. It’s essential to see these issues clearly if you really intend to fix them and the current climate is allowing this. SM
YHK
Would you say Hong Kong is making progress on behalf of ethnic minority people?
Desegregation of schools and increased literacy in Chinese are both positive steps but work so far has focused on “fixing” the situation of the 8% who belong to ethnic minority groups. We are taking steps to provide them with greater skills and opportunities so that they can improve their lives but the mindset of the majority of the population, the other 92%, is not being addressed at all. Exclusion and discrimination cannot end if we do not address all mindsets. We need a culture of inclusion that allows ethnic minorities to succeed and I believe it has to start with the government. We need pictures of ethnic minorities in posters and books and magazines, as “regular Hong Kong people.” We need to normalize this group, not stigmatize them. SM
YHK SM
How would you say minorities are being excluded?
Take a real-life example of an ethnic minority woman, a native English speaker and a qualified English teacher who was turned away by a
local school for a job because “Chinese parents want a white English teacher.” Another real example is that of a kindergarten teacher who says she has to put more ethnic minority children in the afternoon session than in the morning session because the “Chinese parents do not want their children in the class with the ethnic minority children.” YHK
Do you think a generational change has been taking place?
Yes, certainly. Take young people belonging to “Generation X” and “Generation Y”, for example. Generation X people, born between the 1960s and early 80s, got on with life and complained less about being unhappy than Generation Y. Generation X ethnic minorities born in Hong Kong were much more inclined to just accept discrimination and try to live with it. To be fair though, there were also many more opportunities then for an English speaker with no Chinese reading and writing skills. SM
YHK
How has the experience of being at school here changed since you were a student?
Ethnic minority children growing up in Hong Kong after 1997 are more likely to have attended Chinese medium of instruction schools, as the change in the language of instruction by the HKSARG to the mother-tongue, Cantonese, took place at this time.* Generation Y speaks good Cantonese and yet they are not likely to have social mobility and are more likely to make it known that they are unhappy about that. SM
YHK SM
What about entering the workforce?
Many want to enter the civil service but are not able to because their Chinese reading, and writing is not great. They are turned away from 13
Perspectives March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
office jobs because they cannot read and write Chinese. And yet they feel like they belong in Hong Kong. Many ethnic minorities in Generation Y feel stuck, with few job opportunities apart from work in the construction industry or in restaurants and bars. This is not the future they wanted. They have hopes and dreams like other youth. YHK
Do you include the white population when speaking of ethnic minorities?
Whites are an ethnic minority but at the Zubin Foundation, we do not focus on them. Although they are a minority they have traditionally been on the receiving end of positive discrimination as a result of Hong Kong’s colonial past. Today, we should really be referring to the white population as the “Caucasian population.” We should also note that there is a growing population of “white folk” who are not wealthy and who want to send their children to public government schools. SM
YHK
What priorities do you think should be set to boost empowerment among members of minority groups from various ethnic backgrounds?
In addition to the upskilling of the ethnic minorities, we need to change the perceptions of the majority of the population. We need leadership commitment and a real will to change mindsets in order to achieve that. I would like to see on every advertisement – on TV, on buses and the MTR − pictures of ethnic minorities together with their Chinese counterparts. I would like to see not just
white, Eurasian and Chinese on Hong Kong tourism advertisements, but brown and beige-coloured people too. YHK
How might this happen?
A public campaign on “Multicultural Hong Kong” where thought is given to change mindsets and make people more inclusive. At The Zubin Foundation we are giving much thought to this. Hong Kong needs to know that its ethnic minority population has a long and fascinating history in Hong Kong and that they are all equally Hong Kong people. On the one hand we are told that as ethnic minorities we are one Hong Kong family. On the other hand, we are treated like the illegitimate children who no one wants to talk about and who never appear in any family pictures. Never. This needs to change. SM
小彬紀念基金會（The Zubin Foundation）創辦人馬 夏邐（Shalini Mahtani）對現屆特區政府的少數族裔 政策非常有信心，認為政府能正視有關的核心問題， 包括部份人士未能完全融入社會、缺乏機會，以及缺 少表達聲音的渠道等。但香港近年正在進步，她也期 望未來有更多正面改變。
SM
Shalini Mahtani, MBE, is the founder of the Zubin Foundation. zubinfoundation.org
Sources for page 15
14
1. edb.gov.hk/en/student-parents/ncs-students/about-ncs-students/index.html
12. Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities, 2011. statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11200622012XXXXB0100.pdf
2. Survey on the Chinese Learning Challenges South Asian Ethnic Minority Kindergarten Students from Low-income Families Face, Oxfam Hong Kongoxfam.org.hk/filemgr/2639/Oxfam_Surveyon_ Dec2.pdf
13. Kapai, Puja. Status of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong 1997 – 2014. Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, 2015.
3. ibid 4. wikisites.cityu.edu.hk/sites/newscentre/en/Pages/201407141615.aspx
15. scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2126710/just-how-much-melting-pot-hong-kongasias-world-city
5. Survey on Hong Kong Ethnic Minority, Hong Kong Council of Social Service, August 23, 2016. hkcss. org.hk/e/cont_detail.asp?type_id=9&content_id=3486
16. Hong Kong Poverty Situation Report on Ethnic Minorities 2016. info.gov.hk/gia/general/201802/07/ P2018020700902.htm
6. Chinese Language Requirements in the Hong Kong Job Market: A Survey on Job Advertisements, Hong Kong Unison, May 2016. unison.org.hk/DocumentDownload/Researches/R201605%20Job%20 Ad%20Research.pdf
17. Hong Kong Institute of Education [now the Education University of Hong Kong]. Study on Educational Inequality and Child Poverty among Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong, 2013. ied.edu.hk/ media/news.p hp?id=20131029
7. scmp.com/news/hong-kong/community/article/2136815/shortfalls-found-public-services-hongkongs-ethnic
18. legco.gov.hk/research-publications/english/1617fs08-poverty-of-ethnic-minorities-in-hong-kong20170608-e.pdf
8. Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities. 2001. statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11200332001XXXXB0200.pdf
19. legco.gov.hk/yr17-18/english/panels/1718policy-e.pdf
9. Loper, Kelley. Race and Equality: A Study of Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong’s Education System Faculty of Law, University of Hong Kong, 2004.
20. budget.gov.hk/2018/eng/index.html
14. Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities, 2016. statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11201002016XXXXB0100.pdf
10. Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities. 2006. statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11200502006XXXXB0100.pdf
21. povertyrelief.gov.hk/eng/pdf/A%20Study%20on%20EMs’%20Awareness%20and%20Satisfaction%20 towards%20Selected%20Public%20Services%20-%20Report.pdf
11. eduhk.hk/diversityproject/Outputs%20and%20downloads/Doc/First%20Interim%20Report_final.pdf
22. HKFYG Youth IDEAS Report 2016. Challenges Faced by Ethnic Minorities in Hong Kong.
Ethnic minorities: policy, surveys and censuses Commitment to non-Chinese Students The Education Bureau (EDB) says, “Our aim is for our students to be biliterate (ie master written Chinese and English) and trilingual (ie speak fluent Cantonese, Putonghua and English). The EDB is committed to assisting all nonChinese speaking (NCS) students in adapting to the local education system and integrating into the community as 1 early as possible.” A Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework has been implemented. Source edb.gov.hk/en/student-parents/ncs-students/about-ncs-students/index.html
Comparing youth educational attainment Pakistani, Nepalese, mixed ethnicity and Chinese
Ethnicity
School dropouts aged 13-19 before Form 5
19-22 yearold university students and graduates
Pakistani
15.6%
4.3%
Nepalese
20.6%
7.7%
Mixed ethnicity
9.6%
22.1%
Chinese
6.4%
28.6%
Kindergarten to primary to secondary Only one in 151 official preschool quality reports is available in English. The Learning Framework excludes kindergartens. Nearly 60% of Hong Kong’s primary and secondary schools have fewer than ten non-Chinese 2 speaking students according to a 2015 Oxfam survey. Most of these have no separate Chinese language learning, provide no adapted Chinese language textbooks and teaching materials and most Chinese language teachers have not trained in second-language teaching.
Limited by language • An Oxfam Hong Kong survey of low-income South Asian parents of non-Chinese speaking kindergarten students found that 27.0% of the parents were “weak” in Cantonese 3 and 26.6% could not speak the language at all. • A survey of 378 ethnic minority students aged 12-23 by the City University of Hong Kong found that more than 60% overall and 50% of the senior secondary students surveyed had a level of Chinese comparable to that of an 4 average local primary student only. • A Hong Kong Council of Social Service survey conducted in 2016 with the Hong Kong Christian Service Ethnic Minority Service found that 49.8% of the respondents could speak Chinese but only 10.3% could read it and 5 only 9.5% could write it. • A 2016 Hong Kong Unison survey of 1,500 job postings found 49% stated that they required spoken Cantonese, 51% required written Chinese skills, and 26% required 6 spoken Mandarin skills. Phyllis Cheung, Unison’s executive director says Chinese-language teaching and learning are the major cause of social problems among ethnic minority students and that government services for 7 them should be brought into the mainstream.
Timeline for Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities 1991
Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance (Cap. 383)
1996
Hong Kong Equal Opportunities Commission established
20018
5.13% of the whole population were non-Chinese inhabitants in a new category: “ethnic minority”
2004
Primary school admission system reformed allowing ethnic minority students 9 to study in mainstream schools
200610
5.0% of the whole population were non-Chinese
2006
Education and Manpower Bureau designated 10 primary and 5 secondary schools to receive intensive on-site support in order to enhance 11 the teaching of ethnic minority students.
2008
Race Discrimination Ordinance enacted
201112
6.38% of the whole population were non-Chinese
2014
Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework announced
2015
Major HKU report on status of ethnic 13 minorities in Hong Kong released
201614
8% of the whole population were non-Chinese
2016
Nearly 20% of Hong Kong’s ethnic minorities living below the poverty line compared 16 17 18 to 14.7% in overall population
2017
Policy Address states intention to enhance relevant legislation, employment and other support services for ethnic minorities and 19 provide them with equal opportunities
2018
February: budget speech earmarks HK$500 20 million for the welfare of ethnic minorities
2018
March: Study on Ethnic Minorities’ Awareness and Satisfaction towards Selected Public Services by Policy 21 Ltd and Centre for 21 22 Civil Society and Governance, HKU
census
by-census
census
by-census
15
15
Perspectives March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Shifting barriers with THeM G
igi Lo realized how the needs of ethnic minority women in Hong Kong were being neglected so she set up a very useful WhatsApp translation service with a group of friends. It’s called THeM.
I founded THeM (Translate for Her: community information for ethnic minority women) with six other friends in July 2014. It caters specifically to minority women’s needs. Their children may learn Chinese at school and their men can find job information in English. But what about the women? For them, there is so little. I learned a lot about Hong Kong’s systemic problems when I was an undergraduate at CUHK. The social awareness I gained then led me to work for a women’s services NGO first and after graduation I went on to teach English to ethnic minority women in Wong Tai Sin. That’s where I met Bushra, an English teacher, like me. Bushra is from Pakistan. She told me about the problems that even a well-educated person like her has to cope with in Hong Kong. Many formal documents in Hong Kong are available only in Chinese. Rental contracts, for instance, school and building management notices, and information about activities in youth centres, as well as some government publications. As a non-Chinese speaker she needed help, not only with written documents but sometimes also with spoken Cantonese. Without it, daily life in Hong Kong can be difficult. That’s when the idea took root.
16
Many formal documents, rental contracts, school and building management notices, information about activities in youth centres Kong and so on are available only in Chinese. Not only are there language barriers, there are cultural barriers too, even within ethnic minority communities. When Bushra told me that some of her female students had missed her English class because their husbands forbade them to come, we were even more determined to help them.
We came up with the idea of a WhatsApp translation service and several other volunteers joined us. The minority ethnic women send us photos of written documents they can’t understand and we send them translations via our WhatsApp group. We also upload translated information proactively from time to time. Community information, body check discounts and so on. Sometimes the women concerned have no idea what services they are entitled to. Occasionally we use voice messaging too so that they know how words should be pronounced in Cantonese. Even if the women can communicate in English, their accents mean that it can be difficult to make themselves understood.
Sometimes the women concerned have no idea what services they are entitled to.
We have two kinds of WhatsApp group. The first is for women of the same nationality. It provides a forum where the women speak in their own language and the volunteers respond to them individually. The other group is mixed nationality who all understand and communicate with our volunteers in English. After providing translations online, we found out more about the problems they were facing and could offer more help as a result. We do that by linking them up directly to mainstream NGO or government services. Sometimes we actually go with the women to visit service centres, to make sure that the staff understand their needs. Usually they are more than willing to help. Some even realize that a review of the services they offer to ethnic minority folk is needed and on one occasion a service centre began issuing notices in English as a result of our intervention. Recently, a mainstream social worker was so impressed that she started to make her own organization more user-friendly. That made me very happy. These services are for everyone and should exclude nobody, but sometimes minority women do feel excluded. By acting as intermediaries we create a win-win situation.* We never thought of getting sponsorship until at one point Oxfam invited us to submit a proposal after seeing one of our presentations in a school. Now we can afford to employ a fulltime social worker and a part-time programme worker from Pakistan, like Bushra. 17
Perspectives March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
The women send us photos of written documents and we send them translations via our WhatsApp group. They can ask for help at any time and in any place and it feels safer and more private than using Facebook. Behind the language barrier, there is a kind of blindness. Many people don’t recognize Hong Kong as a multicultural society. We cannot ignore the needs of people who do not speak or read Chinese in such a society and to get to the root of this problem, we have to work within the system. That means we are doing more research to understand the problems and make recommendations to the government. We also want to make resource kits that explain to ethnic minority women about the community services they are entitled to. We think it’s very important to build up a network like this and it works well. These women have very little else by way of support. Some of them seldom use Facebook because it is not private and they are afraid people might spread rumours about them. They feel safer using WhatsApp and I know of no other platform like THeM which means they can ask for help at any time and in any place. TheM 創辦人之一盧善姿（Gigi）和朋友一起為少數族裔提供翻譯 服務；她以 Whatsapp 為平台，向不懂中文的少數族裔婦女進行即 時和免費翻譯，包括文字及錄音。Gigi 發現，日常生活接觸的文件， 如簡單的租賃合約、學校通告、大廈通告等，一般只有中文版本； 對少數族裔人士來說非常不便，他們亦難以獲得協助。故此她與 朋友一起招募義工，做這項富有意義的工作。
Gigi Lo, founder of THEM Translate for Her: community information for ethnic Minority women WhatsApp 5307 6555 Web translateforher.org *Read more Study on Ethnic Minorities’ Awareness and Satisfaction towards Selected Public Services. HKU, March 2018
18
Facebook TheM See Pages 32-33 and 36 for more services
Instagram@sammie.lawenko
pp Sammie Lawenko, a Filipina, at Tseung Kwan O skatepark
Lessons from skateboarding S
kateboarding, widely dismissed since the 1970s as a fad, youthful rebelliousness or even vandalism, will debut at the Tokyo Summer Olympics in 2020. Parents, teachers and youth groups now take an active interest in supporting in programmes that cross the ethnic spectrum, says researcher Paul O'Connor.
After last summer’s news that skateboarding would indeed become an Olympic sport, the city’s 14 public skateparks became noticeably busier. Locally sponsored skateboarders have been appearing in the media more frequently, receiving new endorsements, and a variety of skateboard coaches are finding that they have plenty of students eager to learn, and parents willing to pay. Unfortunately, this flurry of activity obscures the true value of skateboarding and how it can help youth in Hong Kong. Its unfettered nature means that for youth it can be a valuable resource in multiple ways. It is at once inclusive, creative, social, physical and even entrepreneurial. It also knows no cultural or ethnic boundaries.
How does this work? Skateboarding can be said to have a rich, coded subculture. For some this may appear intimidating and esoteric. Yet fundamentally, inclusion in skateboarding is premised on the simple notion of commitment: if one is motivated to practise and overcome the difficulties of the sport, one will be recognized and understood. The benefits for young people are tremendous. They include access to a broad and diverse range of people from different ethnicities, classes, genders and ages as well as a sense of community, selfconfidence and the wellbeing that comes from exercise. I advocate for the value of skateboarding in Hong Kong 19
Perspectives March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
precisely because of the pressures that are placed on young people. The cliché is that while so much of adolescence is focused on success and fear of failure, skateboarding teaches young people to recognize failure as a wholesale part of the learning process. This is no small feat in a territory where the issue of student suicides is a pressing concern.
What skateboarding offers is a combination of exercise, sociability, self-reliance and creativity all enmeshed in recreational fun. I am a sociologist and have turned my passion for skateboarding into part of my research focus. Since I began skateboarding at the age of 11 and still continue over 30 years later, my bias as a skateboarder could overshadow the objectivity of the academic. So, let me balance this discussion with what academic research has shown about skateboarding, youth and education. As a social researcher I have explored issues concerning ethnic and religious minority youth in Hong Kong. I have also observed how skateboarding works to bridge some of the social boundaries and isolation that ethnic minority youth experience in the territory. While skateboarding offers no panacea for the wider ills of society, I have witnessed how it can provide opportunities for dialogue, inclusion and youth empowerment. 20
Instagram @alicemay09
While skateboarding is competitive in the sense of the pending Olympics and other organized competitions, even these are subjectively judged on ambiguous criteria such as style. In most contexts, skateboarding is an individualized sport with no final goal and you neither win nor lose. If there is an objective, it is simply to have fun. There is no time limit and no uniform, nor are there prescribed skateboarding rules. Even more liberating is the fact that theoretically, you can skateboard anywhere in the urban setting, you don’t need a skatepark or designated space. Skateboarding is also free. Skateboards themselves are relatively inexpensive too, and within the culture of skateboarding people share their spare parts.
pp Alicemay Abagian, an Italian, competing in Tseung Kwan O
In Hong Kong, the school system is segregated. There is a lack of social exposure and little engagement between local Hong Kong Chinese and ethnic minority youths of all backgrounds and classes. Working-class ethnic minorities, with a few exceptions, are streamed into English-speaking schools and are burdened with the expectation that they cannot learn Chinese well. Wealthy ethnic minorities are streamed into international schools and seldom have the opportunity to develop friendships with local peers. Even if schooled together, cultural norms of socializing, language and work ethic tend to create parallel lives. In my observations at the skatepark, this is less evident. Skateboarding is its own social space and while language barriers persist, there is much less emphasis on ethnic difference and age. Schools throughout the world have started to embrace skateboarding as part of their physical education programmes. But the most successful and innovative of these also incorporate board and ramp construction, graphic design and video editing as part of a suite of
skills embraced by skateboarders. The message here is that in a capricious employment market, youth can thrive through the skills and networks they develop through following their own interests and passions. What skateboarding offers is a combination of exercise, sociability, self-reliance and creativity all enmeshed in recreational fun. For ethnic minority youth in Hong Kong, skateboarding provides a means to an identity beyond their ethnicity, an expanded social world and self-confidence. To Hong Kong Chinese, skateboarding is an antidote to the world of rigid rote learning that can nurture a creative outlet. Equally important is the fact that skateboarding teaches that failure is okay. One consistent problem with skateboarding in Hong Kong is the risk-averse approach of parents and bureaucracy. A recent report by Playright, a Hong Kong NGO, emphasized that the uninspiring playgrounds of Hong Kong were boring for children who would rather be placated by the visually stimulating games accessible through phones and tablet computers. This dovetails with an increasingly anxious and overweight population of young people. A theme of the research from sociologist Frank Furedi is that fear over the safety of children too frequently places them in a path toward other risks, such as depression, eating disorders and obesity. In my research at the local skatepark in Tseung Kwan O, I have observed an interesting mix of skateboarders. One morning at the end of last year I was the only male there, with a mix of women between the ages of 17 and 30. I was also the only white person at the skatepark. On average, the ethnic mix of the skatepark is 70% Hong Kong Chinese, 30% other ethnicities. This is interesting because Hong Kong’s ethnic minority population accounts for only 8% of the population and thus the space of the skatepark is, both importantly and valuably, more diverse for all of its users. Ethnic minorities and Hong Kong Chinese benefit from the social space of skateboarding. The encounter flows both ways. The goal should not be for educators and parents to push their students and children into skateboarding but to learn from what skateboarding offers. One parent confessed that in all the years he had lived in Hong Kong, he had never found a social space like the skatepark. He claimed that there were too many rules in Hong Kong, but at the skatepark his children could be free and they could also
Skateboarding knows no cultural or ethnic boundaries. meet a wide range of people. Too frequently I see parents who have never stood on a skateboard pester their child to “try harder”, berating them and telling them to “do it again.” Instead, I say they should listen to what skateboarders say to each other at the skatepark, like “Almost there”, “So Close”, “That is going to look so good when you land it.” The reason skateboarding is able to conjure up such an invested community with such passion and commitment is precisely because it is a departure from all of the constraints and regulations imposed on young people in other parts of their lives. It is explorative, open and fun. Skateboarding can be a model for youth to learn on their own terms and to participate in a community of their own making. If we are willing to listen to skateboarders and nurture what they are passionate about, then the benefits will spread. If we try to only take the good without recognizing the risk, adversity and failure involved, we will not succeed in giving young people support to find their own way. These are simple lessons and they are not restricted to skateboarding.
嶺南大學社會學社會政策系助理教授 Paul O’Connor 表示，滑板作為體育 活動，充滿趣味、容易入門且深受青 少年歡迎，更可打破隔閡、建立友誼， 發揮共融、創新和健體等作用。2020 年東京奧運已將滑板納入比賽項目。
Paul O’Connor is a Research Assistant Professor in Sociology and Social Policy at Lingnan University. See page 35 for a review of his book, “Islam in Hong Kong”
21
Perspectives March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Third Culture Kids a complex “trilemma”
by International Society HKU
B
enefits and challenges come with being what’s known as a “third culture kid.” Indian student, Joy Pamnani, who was born in Hong Kong, explores some of them.
pp HKU students from different cultural backgrounds
When somebody asks “where are you from?” most of us quote our nationality or birthplace. When somebody asks me, I say, “It’s complicated. Are you asking where I was born, where is home, what is my nationality or what is my ethnicity?” As an Indian who grew up in Hong Kong, I feel obliged to give this long explanation. I grew up in Hong Kong and so I feel at home here. I am ethnically Indian, but geographically Chinese. Any “third culture kid” (TCK) would feel similar.
Both sides of the coin The TCK experience comes with pros and cons. Pros include the competitive edge of knowing several languages, an inarguable plus. Take Priya Gandhi, for example. Born in India, she moved to Hong Kong at a very young age and grew up in the local education system. Now 22
What is a third culture kid (TCK)? TCK is a term coined in the 1950s by an American sociologist. It refers to children who spend their formative years in places that are not their parents’ homeland. The first culture is the child’s original home, or where the child’s parents originated from. The second culture is the host country, or where the child currently resides. The third culture is a combination of the two. Globalization has contributed to the rise in number of TCKs. They are often the children of expatriates and transnational couples and tend to develop an identity that’s rooted in people rather than places.
a 19-year-old business student at HKUST, she speaks five languages: English, Cantonese, Hindi, French, and basic Mandarin. “I admit I’m not fluent in all of them, and I sometimes confuse words. Still, I’m very grateful to have learned so many languages,” she says.
An example of an adult TCK with cultural empathy is former US president Barack Obama. He has been likened to a chameleon. One of his gifts was finding “a way to move seamlessly between different worlds” and mediate political conflicts calmly.3 Obama was born in Hawaii, the son of a black Kenyan father and a white mother from Kansas. When his parents got divorced, Obama’s mother married an Indonesian and the family moved to Jakarta. Obama came back to Hawaii for elementary and high school and completed his post-secondary education in America. According to Professor Kao, Vice-President and ProVice-Chancellor (Global) at HKU, TCKs are inclined to be more sensitive and better at picking up cues from their environment. “They always tend to get information from people quickly and ask, ‘Who am I and how am I going to be part of this environment?’ I was born in Taiwan but we moved to many places because of my father’s job. Then, because of my studies and career trajectories, I moved around the US east coast, Midwest and west coast. I’ve also spent some time in Europe and have used more than 25 addresses as home,” he jokes. What may sound like a perfect childhood spent travelling around the world has its downsides. It can take a heavy toll on stability and mental health. For example, a blogger called Marilyn R. Gardner shares her experience as an adult TCK who grew up in Pakistan and then lived in Egypt and the
US. In one of her posts4 she writes, “I was not aware at the time of the complex grief, the convergence of multiple losses that is a part of the TCK experience. I was not aware of the frozen sadness of ambiguous loss that was a part of me.”
HKUST UG HALL VIII & IX Organizing Team
According to the coauthor of “Third Culture Kids”, Ruth Van Reken,1 TCKs, by learning the very different ways in which people can see life, have “a great opportunity to become social and cultural bridges between worlds that traditionally would never connect.” Research shows that many TCKs develop better social skills and have significantly higher levels of cultural empathy, social initiative pp Priya Gandhi celebrates Chinese New Year and open-mindedness, although acculturation tends to be stressful and some TCKs tend to be less emotionally stable than their peers.2
Echoes of this can be heard in the confused feelings of this Singaporean 15 year-old. “What is my identity? Although I was born in Singapore I never once had the opportunity to study in a local school and to mix with local friends. In fact I have had very few local friends because for the past seven years of primary education, I studied in a Japanese school, surrounded only by Japanese people … Sometimes I feel that I don’t belong here because I don’t speak Chinese. At times when I am with my local friends I feel that I’m a bit of a foreigner to them.” 5
A solution to identity conflict Acknowledging your identity and accepting it is the first step towards progress but TCKs often have a hard time integrating into communities, and cultivating friendships can be tough. TCKs may fail to find a group to identify with that fits perfectly. According to Priya, TCKs sometimes have to make an extra effort to fit in. “I was the only Indian in my class and as a vegetarian I couldn’t go out for lunch with them.” Others have different solutions. Hong Kong born Senthil Asokan, a 19 year-old HKU law student, was raised in Hong Kong. He believes in having the right attitude. “It’s important to have an open mind,” he says. Priya recommends embracing your TCK identity. “Take inspiration from all the wonderful people that are TCKs too. Obama wouldn’t be where he is if he wasn’t a TCK,” she says. Professor Kao says making the most of your experience is important. “It’s easy to focus on the differences which can often be transparent and raw. But it’s important to pick up similarities and common values. For example, language can be both a barrier and a vehicle for understanding.” Friendship and technology both play important roles in any teenager’s life today and social media make setting up online communities easier, bringing together TCKs who share ideals and culture but who might never get a chance to meet in person. It’s a tool many TCKs have used to develop social support circles. 23
Perspectives March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
by International Society HKU
Optimism matters
pp Exchange students try local Hong Kong food.
Hong Kong’s TCK story According to Hong Kong’s Census and Statistics Department, the number of non-Chinese ethnic people living in the city has increased by 70.8% in the last 10 years to 8% of the total population. Senthil believes Hong Kong’s multicultural environment makes it easier for TCKs and doesn’t recall many problems settling in. “Hong Kong has many ethnic minorities and I think this contributes to our being more easily accepted,” he says. Priya feels it’s time the government improved the alternative Chinese curriculum for non-Chinese students. “I’ve studied in Hong Kong for so many years and by the time I graduate I should at least be able to speak fluent Cantonese,” she says. Senthil believes local schools have a lot to learn from international schools, where cultural integration is better encouraged. “Local schools could organize more activities to bring locals and TCKs together to promote integration. For example, around Chinese New Year, schools could allow ethnic minority students to try Chinese calligraphy,” he suggests.
University students see a much more welcoming environment. According to Priya, HKUST is a friendly campus. “There are so many diverse people, and it’s so common to see international students and TCKs,” she says, although she also points out that many university clubs and societies conduct their activities in Cantonese. “At HKU, most people may have black hair and look like they have Asian characteristics. But if you bring them together and truly engage, you’ll hear a lot of interesting stories about their journeys to get here,” says Professor Kao. “We don’t expect our student or staff population to be homogenous. This doesn’t apply only to culture but also to values. HKU has an aim of creating an environment where no one feels alienated or excluded.” On a personal note, I should say that knowing I’m not alone is encouraging. I am part of a supportive community where individual TCKs accept their individual identities and look at life through an optimistic lens. The next time someone asks, “Joy, where are you from?” I’ll let them guess. After all, with my mixed American-Chinese-Indian accent, my Indian appearance, my European clothes and my love for Italian food, I make a good guessing game, don’t I?
Joy Pamnani, a regular contributor, is studying journalism at the University of Hong Kong.
Sources 1. Pollock, DC & Van Reken, RE. Third culture kids: The experience of growing up among worlds. 3rd ed. Boston: Nicholas Brealy, 2017. 2. Dewaele, JM & van Oudenhoven, JP (2009). The effect of multilingualism/multiculturalism on personality: no gain without pain for third culture kids? International Journal of Multilingualism 6(4) November 2009. 443-459. 3. dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1082237/Obama-chameleon--way-seamlessly-different-worlds.html 4. communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2016/12/27/depression-and-the-third-culture-kid/ 5. Cockburn, L. Children and young people living in changing worlds. School Psychology International, 23(4), 2002, 475-485. 6. Hong Kong 2016 Population By-census - Thematic Report: Ethnic Minorities Read more • theloophk.com/hong-kong-city-guide-signs-youre-a-third-culture-kid/ • theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/mar/09/third-culture-kid-identity-different-cultures • als.hku.hk/hkudos/are-you-a-third-culture-kid/ • Wang, S. (n.d.). Third culture kids: co-construction of third culture identity (Unpublished master’s thesis).
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K
azy is Nepalese. He was born in Hong Kong and this is his home. He writes about how his life has changed since he grew up in the New Territories, how he took wrong turnings and then changed for the better.
by Maureen Barlin flic.kr/p/AuMnrp
Working towards equal opportunities pp RAF Sek Kong airfield, New Territories, Hong Kong, 1983, where Kazy went to school.
In 1996 my father retired after serving in the British army for 30 years. I was one of the last batch of Gurkha children to study here in an army school. In those days, we had no social contact with local Chinese people outside the camp and I went back to Nepal with my father for two years after leaving school. When I returned to Hong Kong in 1998 I was 19 and I wanted to continue my education but the schools here would not accept me. The most difficult part was the barrier to effective communication. I spoke no Cantonese at all and found it very hard to become integrated. Frustrated, I became increasingly annoyed and angry at the Hong Kong system. I started losing hope and for a while I just wanted to leave, go abroad and further my studies elsewhere. But I realized that living alone while studying abroad would be too expensive, so I decided to look for alternatives, a job for a year perhaps, to save some money that would pay for my education later. The job search did not go well. Most places required spoken Cantonese, some wanted Mandarin as well. Even while trying to get into the workforce I felt discriminated against because of the language requirement. It felt as if equal opportunities did not exist. Finally, a friend introduced me to construction
Many young people have no vision and no goals in life and this is certainly true of most youngsters belonging to ethnic minority groups. work where there was no language requirement. I was young and the job came with a handsome salary. Then I started going to bars and bingeing. One thing led to another and I got into substance abuse. For almost 18 years I had a very rough time. Relationships with family and friends broke down and society started labelling me. My dreams were shattered into a million pieces. I had no self-esteem and felt totally disempowered each time I tried to reach out for help. I knew I had made wrong decisions along the way but my life with drugs had literally put me out on the streets. Trying to get rid of my bad habits was a constant battle. In the end, I found a social worker who helped me. From then on, he was with me at every step. He really believed in me, told me that I could change 25
Perspectives
Everyone should learn to respect one another’s culture, tradition and religion.
and make things better. I learned to have hope again and most importantly I learned to help myself. Coming back to society in one piece was difficult. I wanted to be accepted again and I wanted the community to give me equal opportunities. I wanted a platform where I could share my feelings and experiences – everything going on in my mind and my heart − without being judged, without guilt or shame. The greatest thing was the acceptance of my family, all of whom were very supportive. It was overwhelming and made me feel immensely loved. Revealing and sharing my past is not easy, even today, but such sharing connected me with many people who accepted me for who I was and who I am with a non-judgmental attitude. Now I am working for the Society for the Aid and Rehabilitation of Drug Abusers as a peer counsellor. Our service targets are all non-Chinese from different ethnicities. Many young people have no vision and no goals. This is certainly true of most youngsters belonging to ethnic minority groups. They are excluded by society even if what they want most is to be assimilated. If this goes on, they will become totally alienated and there will be a vicious, cross-generational circle that is self-reinforcing. We have to listen to, recognize and guide them. It is time for us to stand up and make our voices heard. I want to raise awareness about the right to equal education and the 26
right to equal opportunities in the workforce. I can give advice on educational priorities and promote the voice of young ethnic minority people, mobilizing them and convincing the government to pledge support for them. I would also like to promote cultural sensitivity in schools and the workplace, where everyone should learn to respect one another’s culture, tradition and religion. It is very important because it allows us to understand one another better and reduce cultural barriers. If we can do this, then we can live together in harmony in a multicultural environment where true integration can benefit all of us. Listening to and believing in my ethnic minority peer group is equally important. It can bring back their drive for success with a rush of adrenaline. First, I need to motivate them and teach them to take up responsibilities and set goals. In order to make such a change possible there needs to be a change in others as well, and that includes people from all walks of life, including teachers and social workers, youth and seniors. Role models and mentors will help. They can guide young people from minority groups so that they feel at one with their ethnicity. They can walk with them towards a better future. Kazy is currently studying social work at Caritas Institute of Higher Education. He attended a British army school in Sek Kong Camp in the 1980s and 1990s.
by keso s flic.kr/p/bF1xrg
March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Inclusive despite difference H
o Kwan teaches at a secondary school in Caroline Hill. He specializes in sport and his students come from all over the world.
YHK
What are the nationalities of your students?
Ho Kwan Australia, France, India, mainland China, Nepal, the Philippines, Spain, the UK, the US – my students come from all of those countries and they all get along well with each other. They range from 11 to 18 years old, both boys and girls. About 20% have recently arrived in Hong Kong from mainland China. I see no signs of discrimination or racism in our school, despite all the cultural differences.
YHK
What language are lessons given in?
That depends on the class. Some are taught in Chinese, but there are English-medium classes too and those are usually for the non-Chinese speakers. However, this has never been a school designated specifically for students from ethnic minority communities. We get our mix of students because news about the school is passed on by word of mouth. Our school is mainly Chinese medium of instruction. Ho Kwan
YHK
Do your students speak Cantonese?
They tell me that they never had the chance to learn Cantonese when they were young, even though some were born in Hong Kong. The Nepalese students in particular find it very difficult to learn Cantonese in my experience. Maybe weak Cantonese is the result of little contact with Chinese people, inside or outside the classroom. However, the Indian, Filipino and western youngsters can usually speak Cantonese, but they find Chinese a difficult language to write well. Ho Kwan
YHK
Which exams do your non-Chinese students do? The public Hong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), GCSE or the International Baccalaureate (IB)?
For Chinese Language they take GCSE. In other subjects they take HKDSE, just like everyone else. Our school provides them with extra classes in Chinese that focus on writing because we think that will be most useful when they join the workforce. These classes begin in Secondary 3 and 5 but don’t lead to exams. Ho Kwan
There tends to be a higher drop-out rate among non-Chinese students in some Hong Kong schools. Is that true of your school? YHK
Normally our students stay till they reach Secondary 6. But it is true that, because of family, financial or personal development problems, maybe 50% of them will go to work after Secondary 6, unlike our Chinese students, who go on to further studies. The main hurdles that they all face are acquiring language skills and finding good jobs. University entrance is also very difficult, but there are signs of improvement. Some universities here now accept GCE ‘A’ Level results for matriculation purposes instead of the local HKDSE results, so these young people are getting a better chance than in the past. Ho Kwan
YHK
Does your school have other ways of helping them overcome these hurdles?
Ho Kwan We try to provide some society-oriented programmes that give students more experience of being an integrated member of Hong Kong’s society. For example, we take them to visit elderly people who
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Perspectives March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
live alone and encourage them to speak Cantonese during the visits. They can learn a lot from listening to the elderly people and it helps them make sense of how Hong Kong works and how they are connected to it. YHK
Do you think Hong Kong is an inclusive city?
Ho Kwan
Generally, I’d say Hong Kong is an inclusive place but in education somehow I think we can do better. I cover the subject of national identity in my lessons and although most of them think of themselves as Hongkongers,
many still find it difficult to fit in with the typical fast-paced Hong Kong lifestyle with all its pressures and deadlines. Also, even though they have always lived here, some local people still think of them as foreigners because they do not look Chinese. But some of these so called“foreigners” were born and raised here. Some of their families have been here for more than 100 years. We locals should acknowledge that this city is not exclusively Chinese and welcome its diversity.
Ho Kwan was a participant in a Federation leadership programme before he became a teacher.
Not born biased Children are not born with prejudiced attitudes or stereotypes. They learn values and beliefs from their family, peers, teachers and the media through a process of socialization and reinforcement. Children get their first hint of what prejudice really means from language, from certain powerful words loaded with emotional impact. Parents teach prejudice directly through reinforcement but children often learn their parents’ attitudes by simple observation. Towards adolescence, peer groups take over in the transmission of social norms although their attitudes often match those of a child’s parents. When peer groups and parents hold different values, the peer group’s values become increasingly important. The media are also a tremendously important source of social learning about prejudice. Members of socially disadvantaged groups are typically under- or mis-represented on TV, in advertisements and in popular movies. However, agents of socialization, be they family, friends, teachers or the media, can also be powerful forces in teaching values that counter prejudice and bigotry. Read more Allport, GW. The Nature of Prejudice. Addison-Wesley Pub Co 1954. Bandura, A. Social learning theory. Prentice Hall, 1977.
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Born and bred L
ocally born Indian student Harpreet Singh writes about realizing his dreams. It involved being firm and not always being prepared to compromise. I‘ve always thought of myself as a Hongkonger and although my first language is English I’m also fluent in Cantonese, Punjabi and Hindi. I know how to read and write Chinese as well as how to speak Mandarin. I go to a local school and 90% of my friends are Chinese. We speak a mixture of English and Cantonese when we are together. Living in a multicultural society for most of my life and spending most of my time with people from different backgrounds, with different skin colors, religions and cultures, I have learnt tolerance and mutual understanding which are very useful skills to me in the future. I have had personal experience of discrimination in Hong Kong. Sometimes people would not want to sit next to me on public transport: I guess it’s because of my skin colour. This has given me some insight into how to treat others. I hope to take up public speaking as a career one day. To speak well in front of people you must first know about their backgrounds and respect their differences. It does not come naturally to everybody. When I was younger, I used to be a quiet, introverted kid who was bullied quite a lot. Then I discovered standing up and expressing myself, talking about things that mattered to me. I am grateful to my school teachers, Ms Teresa Leung and Ms Belinda Ko, for inspiring, nurturing and mentoring me throughout my public speaking journey. I have promised myself to turn their inspiration into my aspiration to become a professional speaker. It is now my number-one dream. Of course, sometimes I do wonder whether I will ever truly achieve that dream. In a society like ours, we are given a checklist, we are told to complete it and tick all the boxes as we go, otherwise they say we will have no hope of ever being successful. We are so busy trying to complete this checklist that many of us never realize our dreams. Instead, we are given a frame into which we must try to fit. We are shown prescribed pathways to follow. As
a brown boy, my parents, friends and peers expect me to have good grades and to be good at mathematics, to be a person who gets into a good university and graduates with a good degree in law or medicine. But ever since I was a little kid I knew this wasn’t something I wanted. From time to time, confusion, frustration and doubts beset me and by the time I was at high school I kept thinking … what if I were to fail? Although I would like a career as a public speaker, wouldn’t a stable career as a doctor or a lawyer with good pay be safer and much wiser? Maybe my idea of becoming a presenter or a talk show host one day was just crazy or stupid. Just a dream perhaps. Then I realized something. There is one thing that comes between us and our dreams. It’s not simply fear. It’s recognizing that just “good enough” is not enough. It’s just something that we are prepared to settle for. That’s when I decided I shouldn’t settle for something that was only “good.” Instead of aiming for a good university and a good degree followed by a good job, I should aim high and see if I could win. Maybe I will fall and maybe I will fail but I am willing to try. It’s because I know that although trying may not bring success, there is only a chance of succeeding if we try. Just as I did with the public speaking trophy – but it took me six years of failing and trying first.
Seventeen-year-old Harpreet Singh of Raimondi College recently won the senior division of The HKFYG Standard Chartered Hong Kong English Public Speaking Contest.
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Insight March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Deserving recognition S
hared language, tolerance, respect and mutually held values are at the heart of a sense of belonging in a multicultural society. Vicky Law, whose roots are in the Philippines, relates her experience of discovering such an environment.
Growing up in Hong Kong for me meant assimilation right from the start. I was born here and I have never even asked myself where “home” is. For me there is no question. It is right here.
I was born here and I have never even asked myself where “home” is. For me there is no question. It is right here in Hong Kong.
Learning Chinese characters began for me at kindergarten and primary school in Causeway Bay. We were also taught in Cantonese for the first few years, but I must also have picked up some Cantonese as a toddler at home. The lady who helped my mother with household chores spoke no other language. She also cooked Cantonese food for us and that has been my “comfort” food ever since. I crave typical street snacks just like any other Hong Kong person.
In fact I remember feeling edified by the resilience of classmates who fasted for weeks because of their religion. We students learned to respect each other’s beliefs rather than let them become an obstacle but I was aware of some unfairness among the teachers. Their favourites were not identified outright but stereotyping took place where fair skin, blond hair, certain family names and financial resources were concerned. On the other hand, I had great respect for the teachers who treated us with equal strictness, discipline and sincerity. Their genuine care and affection was obvious.
by Johanna Alexis flic.kr/p/bg5hNx
At secondary school, my classmates came from all over the world: Malaysia, Britain, Indonesia, India, the Philippines. By then, our common language was English. We sometimes quarrelled in English too, but I still have great affection for friends I made in those days. We were a close-knit group and there was never any sense of exclusion.
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Although school was a multicultural environment, my parents, who came here from the Philippines, gave me a strong sense of Filipino culture as well as the family ties and traditional values that go with it. After all, parents play the most important role as leaders of their own children and the family is our first school of human values and virtues. We often spoke Tagalog at home and went to the Philippines regularly for holidays so I grew up with a great sense of belonging to family life there as well. Near the end of my school days, my parents asked me how I felt about studying in Spain. What an adventure
but I knew no Spanish! Nevertheless, I applied, and was accepted on the condition that I passed a Spanish language proficiency exam. I had one month to prepare and it seemed impossible, but miraculously, I managed to pass. The real test followed, when I sat side by side with my Spanish fellow students, trying to absorb the lessons. I hardly knew what was going on in class, let alone understand what the professor was trying to tell us. But once again, there was no sense of exclusion and with the help of friends and classmates, I coped. They went out of their way to patiently revise and study with me and I realized that if you open your eyes wider and see your surroundings, your neighbours and colleagues, it can be such a blessing.
Recognition of the diversity and uniqueness of other cultures lies in the hands of each one of us.
As I have grown older, I can’t deny the racist attitudes that exist in Hong Kong: the sad experiences of nonChinese people who are treated as inferiors, those who are looked down upon, or denied their basic rights because of race. They present a complex social problem that cannot be solved without adequate legislation. On the other hand, I also see the positive effects of globalization, whereby tolerance as well as mutual understanding have grown. The world has become smaller and people and places are more closely linked through technology. In my own experience, there have also been few manifestations of discrimination in the workplace as an increasing number of high achievers come from Southeast Asian and South Asian countries. I meet more and more young non-Chinese parents whose children go to local Hong Kong schools and are taught in Cantonese. The local language is so important. It helps you to understand others and be understood in return. Being able to communicate, empathize, and ultimately identify with others, learn about their joys, concerns and sorrows in everyday language, brings with it a feeling of being at ease even if one doesn’t share the same skin colour or if one’s features are those of a Filipino.
by IDWF flic.kr/p/e1LS6u
A mentor once told me, “We are not golden coins, accepted by all people. There are bound to be some people in life who will exclude us, irrespective of race and culture.” There are times when we simply don’t “click” with others and we also sometimes see discriminatory attitudes in people of our own ethnicity, as well as an oblivious blindness to people in need. However, although this is home, I must admit that I have asked myself: Am a HongKonger? Am I totally Filipino? What is my citizenship? To this day, I have difficulty answering these questions. One cannot help but appreciate and love one’s own race, mindset and culture. These form an integral part of identity and they are precious. But open-mindedness is necessary and important. Out of courtesy, respect and basic good manners, migrants from other countries should be ready to adapt to their new environment and adopt a new culture with all its idiosyncrasies, mentality, pace and lifestyles. To do so implies recognition of the diversity and uniqueness of other cultures as well as the rights of the individual. This recognition lies in the hands of each one of us and does not mean we have to do anything extraordinary. That is why it is important to cultivate such values in youth, the desire to serve others and always reach out to them. Vicky Law de Rosas, who sometimes uses the Filipino version of her maiden name, works for a non-profit educational association that provides training for youth, young professionals and married people. Her current focus is on family education.
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Services March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Nei Ho Neighbour! Hello!
F
inding out about other cultures is fascinating. Whether through food, handicrafts, landscape or language.
by UK Department for International Development flickr. com/photos/14214150@N02/11173833666 **
Practising Chinese characters, experimenting with henna hand-painting, knitting, cookery, K-pop dance or photography − these are some of the topics included by the Federation’s free interest classes in Tseung Kwan O. For Chinese and nonChinese speakers alike, they open the door to other cultures. All young people are welcome at this inviting hub for cultural exchange.
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你 好
This programme has grown out of efforts made by volunteers on the HKFYG Neighbourhood First Project to work with ethnic minorities in a community setting. Youth participants are from that Project’s volunteer teams. Another facet of this programme is the guided tours given by Hong Kong people of a variety of nationalities. These promote openness and inclusiveness while giving a chance to experience Hong Kong’s multiethnic communities from a new perspective. The “Hello, Neighbour! Cultural Exchange Hub” project is funded by the Equal Opportunities Commission. Partner Equal Opportunities Commission Participants 8-25 year-olds Dates March-May 2018 Venue HKFYG Jockey Club Verbena Youth SPOT in Tseung Kwan O More details vb.hkfyg.org.hk Enquiries Wing Wong or Caca Leung 2997 0321 Register at goo.gl/hZ6e43 and goo.gl/rxSEQK Apply here
Chi
Eng
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City space March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
MultipliCITY
interaction and polarization
M
uch has been written about the Hong Kong identity and the unusual mixed background of its citizens. Elaine Morgan introduces some recent books on the subject and gives a selective list of other readings.
Hong Kong has been an immigrant society for most of its history. Such a multiplicity of people makes for a fluid sense of identity that has become even more complex with the recent increase in immigration, including that of mainland Chinese people. The Chinese terms for ethnic minorities ( 少數族裔 ) in Hong Kong include South Asians ( 南亞裔 ) and IndoPakistanis ( 印巴裔 ). Caucasians ( 白人 ), commonly known as expatriates ( 外籍人士 ), are also ethnic minorities according to official statistics but the characters ( 族 / 裔 ), which denote race or ethnicity, are absent in the Chinese phrase. Mainland Chinese immigrants ( 新移民 ) are also often considered members of a subcultural minority group. Although this terminology gives clues for forming a definition, sense of identity and sense of belonging among such a mixed population is inevitably multifaceted. As one writer says, identity encompasses at least two concepts. “The first is a set of personal characteristics that make up an individual… The second concept is a social one, denoting characteristics shared with others in a group, a sense of belonging, and membership of a social category, community, tribe, faith or nation.”1 Is Hong Kong becoming increasingly multicultural as a result of its diversity or is it becoming more polarized? The books included here throw light on the question although, as another writer says, “the social sphere exhibits a considerable tension … the Hong Kong polity seems to be situated in between the liberal pluralist agenda of ‘everyone for themselves’ and the corporate liberal ethos of caring for the community.” 2 Sources 1. Hirsch, Afua. Brit(ish): On race, identity and belonging. Jonathan Cape, 2018. 2. Erni, John Nguyet & Leung, Lisa Yuk-ming. Understanding South Asian Minorities in Hong Kong. HKU Press, 2014.
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Elizabeth Sinn & Christopher Munn (eds) Meeting Place: Encounters across Cultures in Hong Kong HKU Press, 2018 In 1841, when the British arrived in Hong Kong, there were just 7,000 to 8,000 people living on Hong Kong Island, mostly Tanka fishermen and Hakka charcoal burners. From then onwards, not only the British but large numbers of immigrants from mainland China have come to Hong Kong, swelling the population of Hong Kong people to 7.377 million in 2017. Many people from South Asia have also joined western and Chinese migrants, followed by a large inflow of domestic workers, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia. This level of immigrant and emigrant flow makes Hong Kong unusual and the interaction between cultures that has taken place is the subject of this new book edited by historians Elizabeth Sinn and Christopher Munn. Its contributors include Hong Kong “belongers” from various backgrounds, including Japan, Germany and Britain. As Dr Sinn says of Hong Kong in her introduction, “We see not just East meeting West, but also East meeting East, and South meeting North, and we find that ‘East’ and ‘West’ are too complex and dynamic to oversimplify. People from all over the world shaped the diversity that Hong Kong represents, from its business people to its educators and from its seafarers to its entrepreneurs, helping to create a sense of belonging that has been constantly changing.” People who we now think of as Hong Kong belongers, whatever their cultural and ethnic background, have developed a sense of identity that makes Hong Kong their home. “Meeting Place” begins the process of charting their history. Readers will find insight into their diversity and identity that has always been, again to quote Dr Sinn, “in a constant process of becoming.”
Ruby Lai Yuen-shan
Gordon Mathews
Colours of Justice
Ghetto at the Center of the World: Chungking Mansions, Hong Kong
Joint Publishing (H.K) Co. 2017 [Chinese edition. English translation in preparation.] This biography of Fermi Wong, founder of Hong Kong Unison, tells of her youth in mainland China in the 1970s and her discovery of Hong Kong’s inequalities. She set up her NGO to support ethnic minority people in 2001. At that time, out of 1,200 government-funded schools there were only four “designated” for ethic minority children. So Fermi Wong contributed to the 2004 consultation on legislation against racial discrimination and went on to contribute to the work necessary to ensure its implementation, despite strong opposition. Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee, barrister and former member of the Legislative Council writes, “Fermi’s persistent advocacy certainly has done much to force the Hong Kong public to accept the existence of ethnic minority communities in Hong Kong. Most important of all, she has succeeded in moving the government to acknowledge that they have a right to education, and being able to learn Chinese in an effective way is essential to their advancement in Hong Kong society.” Fermi Wong believes that Hong Kong will lose its unique qualities and become “just another Chinese city” if its cultural diversity is not warmly embraced. As Margaret Ng continues, “Merely being more visible is not enough. There has to be greater understanding of the difficulties ethnic minorities face at the grass-roots level, greater respect for the genuine efforts they are making to function as an integral part of Hong Kong society, and above all, to truly appreciate the cultural richness they bring with them.”
HKU Press, 2011 The World in Guangzhou HKU Press, 2018 This is a great introduction to Hong Kong’s melting pot, where entrepreneurs from Africa and India rub shoulders with Pakistani restaurateurs, Filipino hoteliers, Hong Kong shopkeepers and travellers from around the globe. As Gordon Mathews puts it, “I had dinner one night at a food stall at which a Bangladeshi, a Cameroonian and I all wound up conversing in Japanese.” He predicts that the niche underworld of Chungking Mansions will disappear in a few decades. Yet low-end globalization is likely to grow elsewhere and, in an extension to the world of Chungking Mansions, Mathews explores “The World of Guangzhou,” an environment where there is trust between ethnic groups that have little else in common.
Paul O’Connor Islam in Hong Kong HKU Press, 2012 Many people in Hong Kong are curious about Islam, especially after the recent arrival of so many Indonesian Muslim workers. Paul O’Connor explores their history here and the stereotyping they endure. Accounts of Muslims who grew up in Hong Kong follow. The research embraces fascinating insight into their world and their ambivalence about the racism they experience, despite its humiliations and frustrations. They find freedom and safety in Hong Kong that is unavailable in many other countries, western or Islamic but, they say freedom here comes at a price: that of social distance and indifference.
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City space March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Empowerment and inclusivity I
n 2017, Bosco Ng and Rainbow Chow won the Hong Kong Youth Service Award that is given by HKFYG. Their social enterprises work to increase understanding of people in ethnic minority groups and to empower marginalized women in Hong Kong. WEDO GLOBAL offers multicultural education that brings people from different cultures together, both in Hong Kong and abroad. Themebased walking tours and workshops are guided by young ambassadors who give a glimpse of how those with different cultural roots live and work. Bosco Ng explains how his social enterprise enhances cultural sensitivity. “We train those who are under-represented in Hong Kong and believe that misunderstanding and miscommunication lie at the roots of low tolerance of them. Well-structured programmes like ours connect people from differing cultural backgrounds such as Chinese and Nepalese. When they meet and interact they have a chance to embrace cultural differences and break down communication barriers.” Increasing understanding of difference while raising awareness of racial discrimination and stereotyping can change negative perceptions. After all, we may look different from one another but that difference is often only skin-deep. We have many human features in common and those that we lack are far outnumbered. Read more wedoglobal.com/en WEDO GLOBAL team members are pictured on the cover of this issue.
Rainbow Chow founded MicroForests as a social enterprise to enhance the social mobility of marginalized women. Her workshops are designed to be inclusive and empowering for women belonging to ethnic minority groups, amongst others. With Rainbow, they find not only training and the fulfilment of creative work but also opportunities to regain confidence and boost their income with dignity. MicroForests workshops create employment by teaching women how to make miniaturized container gardens. As Rainbow explains, these mini-gardens are inspired by Japanese floral art: “We create living artwork that brings green, peace, happiness and balance to the busy lives of Hong Kong people. Each MicroForests artwork is a unique ecosystem made just for you!” Weekly workshops No. 9-10, 1/F, Fook Tin Building, 38 Wai Chi St Shek Kip Mei, Kowloon, HK Read more microforests.com/
Read more about efforts to explore the issue of race and multiculturalism in National Geographic “The Race Issue”, Exploring Race and Diversity in the 21st Century. April 2018. natgeo.com/TheRaceIssue The issue is accompanied by a discussion guide aimed at parents and educators with the latest research, anecdotes and stories about labels that define, separate and unite us. 36
Chungking Express youth and insecurity
T
he famous Shanghai-born Hong Kong director Wong Kar-wai recently won an award for his films, including Chungking Express, reviewed here by Ada Chau.
The film is set in an iconic Hong Kong building on Nathan Road: Chungking Mansions. Many Indian and Southeast Asian people make their home there, as do visitors from all over the world, for a while. In itself, a symbol of crowded, cosmopolitan space, the building is also an example, in microcosm, of the way in which Hong Kong mixes cultures with busy, yet sometimes lonely and frustrated lives. The two parallel stories in the movie involve policemen, No. 223 and No. 663. Both have recently lost their girlfriends. Although their stories are unrelated, they are linked by the Chungking Mansions setting and a fast-food shop inside. Cop 223’s girlfriend leaves him on 1 April − April Fool’s Day −and every day since then he buys canned pineapple, all expiring on 1 May, hoping that by then, his birthday, his girl will come back. Otherwise, like the pineapple, their love will have reached its expiry date. He starts to ask himself whether everything has its inbuilt expiry date when, on 30 April, he meets a woman in a bar, wearing a blonde wig. He falls in love, simply because she is the first to enter, but he doesn’t know she’s a drug dealer and murderer.
by ilmari hyvönen flic.kr/p/3g2sfg
Wong Kar-wai is famed for his use of light and music to create a mood. His most significant work includes The Days of Being Wild (1990), In the Mood for Love (2000), 2046 (2004) and The Grandmaster (2013). Chungking Express, made in 1994, is another of the movies that have helped to make the director into the equivalent of a Nobel Prize winner in the world of film.
In the second story, Cop 663 and his flight attendant girlfriend break up suddenly. The shock leads him to start talking to all his belongings at home, telling them how sad he is. Then a new waitress in the fast food shop, Faye, secretly falls in love with him and gets the key to his flat from his ex-girlfriend. She cleans it up, gradually transforming it, but then Cop 663 finds out how much she loves him. What happens next is up to you, the audience, to imagine. What did I make of it? In 1994, audiences saw metaphors about Hong Kong’s future in this film. For me, borrowed identities, places and times all come through clearly in the uniforms, the wigs, the secrets, the loneliness and the insecurity. Maybe it’s a good time to watch this movie, and feel it all again, more than 20 years on.
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City space March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Co-living with like minds T
he city was the world’s most expensive for accommodation in 2017 for the seventh year running. Young people here continuously ask themselves: Where should I live? How can I live independently? Ada Chau looks for some answers.
Hong Kong is the world’s most unaffordable city when it comes to buying a flat. Not only does it seems increasingly impossible but also the cost of renting is so high that even the well-educated with good professional careers cannot afford to live on their own. To rent a decent small flat in Hong Kong costs around HK$10,000 a month, maybe over half 38
a young person’s salary. What are the options, apart from staying at home with parents? Fashionable nano-flats are attractive but may not be cheap. Prefabricated container homes have been proposed by the Development Bureau in a move that follows both London and Amsterdam. Concrete water pipe homes have also been mooted, albeit perhaps less realistically. What else?
Sub-divided flats, cage homes and co-living In the past, when public housing was not available, many people used to live together in small spaces with their families, as in the TV drama The House of 72 Tenants “72 家房客 ”. But problems always emerge when people live too closely together: hygiene problems, conflicting habits, the need for personal space. So once public housing and subsidized government flats became widely available, subdivided flats and cage homes remained an option only for people who were left out, or didn’t want to move to a public housing estate or were ineligible for various reasons. In recent years, the new concept of co-living emerged with projects like Eton Properties’ Mini Ocean Park Station in Aberdeen, Synbox in Hung Hom and You+ International Youth Community in Shenzhen. The rent is HK$3,000 a month upwards, depending on size. But no matter how big they are, they are a growing trend among university students and young professionals in need of a solution to their housing problems.
New ways out So, what’s the big difference between living in a subdivided flat, a cage home and co-living? One major difference is that it is a deliberate lifestyle choice. The people you share space with are likely to share your mindset too. You get your own room and bed but you share common areas, like a kitchen, sometimes a bathroom.
A café or cinema may also be options. Co-living fills all sorts of social needs as well as bringing your costs down. Imagine being a young accountant living in a small family flat with your parents or in a sub divided unit where you share little and have nothing to talk about to anyone. Now, let’s change the scene. You come home to a coliving space. Two space sharers are also accountants. Another works in finance. You can discuss work pressure and careers as well as fashion and boyfriends, all on the sofa of your communal living room! What a huge difference and what a great opportunity to develop not only your network but friendships as well.
The long term This may look a bit like an extension of university hall life, and the co-living idea is not everyone’s long-term solution, especially if you want a family. Still, as May says, “I work in the IT sector and I would prefer to postpone buying my own flat. For now, co-living is good enough for me. I have my own room for when I need some private time but I also have a social life right outside my bedroom. It is much more than just sharing a flat to save money.” There will be plenty more innovative options coming up but I seriously think that co-living is here to stay, even if we do also have to recognize that it might only be a short-term option. Photos from Synbox acknowledged with thanks
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The Dragon Foundation
10 th
Golf Tournament
at Mission Hills Golf Club This annual tournament raises funds for The Dragon Foundation. Date Friday 18 May 2018 Time 9:00am – 4:00pm Venue Mission Hills Golf Club Dongguan Clubhouse
pp [left to right] Mr Tenniel Chu, Vice Chairman, Mission Hills Group; Mr Ken Chu, Chairman and CEO, Mission Hills Group; The Hon Andrew Leung, Officiating Guest, receiving a souvenir in 2017; Dr Rosanna Wong, Director, The Dragon Foundation
pp Officiating Guest, Dr Raymond Chan awaits his turn
pp Louisa Mak, Miss Hong Kong and Dragon Foundation alumnus
pp Officiating Guests, The Hon Jeffrey Lam and Mr Peter Wong set off for the course
Eligibility • Maximum of 4 players for each team • Individual players will be grouped into teams by the organizer • Individual prizes will go to amateur players who have not represented their region • Professional players and coaches are eligible for team competitions only. • Children under 18 should be accompanied by an adult player
Game format Double Peoria Handicap Stroke Play Transport Players may take the complimentary bus or use private transport on the day of the event Enquiries The Secretariat of The Dragon Foundation Tel (852) 2811 2779 Fax (852) 2811 2669 Email info@dragonfoundation.net Web dragonfoundation.net Facebook The Dragon Foundation 龍傳基金
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HKFYG March 2018　|　Youth Hong Kong
Run for
Wellness
Wellness, emotional and physical, are super important. To raise awareness, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups is organizing its second Run for Wellness on Sunday 29 April 2018 at Hong Kong Science Park.
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Sweat for a good cause!
Don’t miss out!
The first Run for Wellness had nearly 2,500 participants. This year, with courses of 3km and 10km, the event is again open to participants of all ages who will carry a souvenir backpack of books as a token gesture of sharing young people’s load.
Open for enrollment now
THANK YOU PARTNERS
Categories
The 2018 Run for Wellness is part of the 5-year HKFYG Project STEP - Emotional Wellness for Young People, generously supported by the HSBC 150th Anniversary Charity Programme.
• Individual • Team • Organizations • Schools • Families
Prizes
Main Sponsor
Join the Q & A game to win: • Round-trip Hong Kong Airline economy class tickets to Seoul: two prizes, valid for two tickets each • Marathon training course: One course prize, valid for two people
Gift Sponsor
• TANITA body composition monitor • SPI School bags : Three prizes, each valid for one SPI school bag • Peak Tram Sky Passes: four prizes, valid for two tickets each
Added extras include • Cool souvenir backpacks • Run For Wellness T-shirt • Towels • Salonsip gel patches • Hung Fook Tong energy drinks
IN-WAY
• Ingrid Millet Brigtening Revital Cream • Medals for finishers
R
• Top Fundraising Award The individual /team raising most in donations receives a trophy and fabulous prizes.
Plus the popular Wellness Carnival with an exclusive range of fabulous activities
and workshops alongside the races.
Call to action
Fundraising for HKFYG Wellness Mind Centre and its Youth Wellness Psychiatric Service Scheme, providing subsidies and timely intervention by professionals for young people in need.
Light background
TAPE Dark background
Join us and run for wellness! More details runforwellness.hk
TAPE
School Teams Special Sponsor:
Enquiries Christa Cheung tel 2788 3433 43
HKFYG March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
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HKFYG March 2018 | Youth Hong Kong
Pop culture K
a cappella style
icking off this year’s Hong Kong International a cappella Festival, HKFYG booked three hot overseas groups to wow teen audiences. More talent coming up in April.
The Festival began with the International a cappella Extravaganza in March at the Queen Elizabeth Stadium. It continues in April with school groups and well-known local a cappella bands. Our very own Hong Kong Melody Makers will join them for two nights of wonderful music at the Parade.
COMING SOON Hong Kong a cappella Parade: TWO SHOWS Time & Dates 8pm, Saturday-Sunday, 7-8 April 2018 Venue Hong Kong City Hall Theatre Performers The Hong Kong Melody Makers and Hong Kong’s recognized a cappella groups Tickets HK$180 & HK$130 AVAILABLE AT URBTIX NOW
TOURS Venues Schools and shopping malls in the community DISCOUNTS n 50% off w full-time students w senior citizens aged 60+ w people with disabilities w CSSA recipients n 10% off standard ticket price at two Festival performances n 10% off standard tickets for 10 or more seats at the same performance n 10% off standard ticket price for HKFYG members Please note that above offers may not be combined. Internet booking www.urbtix.hk Ticketing enquiries 3761 6661 Credit card telephone booking 2111 5999 Mobile ticketing app My URBTIX (Android and iPhone/iPad version) Programme enquiries 2395 5753 More details acappella.hkfyg.org.hk 46
Three for the Extravaganza : group from overseas
Accent, a truly international supergroup carves out its own niche with arrangements by its six male singers from France, Sweden, Canada, the UK and the US. They met and then recorded together via the internet before meeting in person to record and tour with wizardly jazz harmonies. Now they take their love of close-harmony jazz singing – the denser and more intricate the better – as far as it can go.
The Apex Project, a fresh-faced, award-winning a cappella group from Singapore, performs a pop/ jazz repertoire with a theatrical twist. The first band from the city state to successfully crowdfund their debut EP titled ADAM on Kickstarter, they have performed all across Asia and now have their sights set on music festivals further afield.
The Nor’easters, a co-ed a cappella group from Northeastern University in Boston, had the honour of being named ICCA champions in 2013 and 2017, and Wildcard champions in 2015. They have performed all over the world and sang at the White House for the President and First Lady’s Christmas Gala.
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Government & Citizens Building Trust
T
ension between Hong Kong’s people and its government can hinder long-term economic and social progress. Building public trust is essential for good governance. What do 15-34 year-olds think of this state of affairs? Trust is precious and for an enlightened, harmonious society it is essential. The Chief Executive, Mrs Carrie Lam, said in her inaugural speech that strengthening trust in her government was a key task. This survey’s findings suggest that if the government gave examples of the ways in which integrity, fairness and transparency can be seen in the policymaking process, this would help to build trust. Key points from survey respondents
Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members
79.1% believe that lack of trust is a major obstacle to policy implementation
Ray Poon, group convener People today usually lack the time and the patience to read policy documents in detail. It would be more efficient and might help to build trust if the government used infographics or other visual tools to explain its policies.
70.8% feel that the HKSAR government does not trust young people 63.4% say that they do not trust the HKSAR government 43.6% distrust the election system most 38.5% trust the judicial system most 31.4% doubt the government’s ability to grasp public opinion
Ansel Lam, deputy convener District officials act as a bridge between the government and local residents. They should be more proactive at district level to strengthen this relationship between the government and the public.
28.2% doubt its ability to communicate with the public 63.6% say listening to public opinion more would build public trust 35%
believe that mutual trust could benefit policy implementation most
31.8% believe integrity is the most important factor for boosting trust 29.3% ability to manage public finance is trusted more than other functions
Polarization of trust In OECD countries, where responsiveness, openness, inclusivity and integrity are among the main factors for building trust, only 43% of citizens trust their government.* Another global measure of distrust that includes both Hong Kong and mainland China, * oecd.org/gov/trust-in-government.htm ** cms.edelman.com/sites/default/files/2018-01/2018%20Edelman%20 Trust%20Barometer%20Global%20Report.pdf
Report No. 25 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S. Governance & Constitutional Development group Title Building Public Trust in the Government Five focus groups with 20 young people took part in this survey in October 2017. 525 15-34 year-olds responded to an on-site poll survey in early November 2017. Five specialists were also interviewed. Full details [in Chinese] with tables can be found at yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2017/12/YI025GC_FullReportForPress05.pdf) Enquiries Sharon Cheung 3755 7039
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STEM Education Resources Maximizing Use
I
n the 2016/17 academic year, the government provided every local secondary school with a one-off subsidy of HK$200,000 to promote science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) education. How useful has the subsidy been in terms of extra resources, equipment and teaching materials which are so important for promoting STEM education?
78.8% of schools in the survey promoted STEM with the HK$200,000 government subsidy. 83.6% found it useful but did not explore other resources and 19% did not cooperate with any other stakeholders for this purpose. When asked to evaluate their implementation of STEM education, the schools’ lack of confidence was evident. They rated their effectiveness at an average of 5.6 on a scale of 0-10 where 10 signifies very effective. 5 major obstacles to STEM education in secondary schools 75.7% reported lack of timetabled STEM lessons 71.8% found it difficult to organize cross-curricular teaching on various STEM subjects 57.3% found insufficient EDB examples for teaching STEM
Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members Mac Chan, deputy convener STEM education can maximize students’ potential in science and technology and equip them with necessary knowledge and skills, yet current funds are mostly oneoff subsidies, constraining schools from developing sustainable STEM education. A HK$1 billion fund should be allocated to support a ten-year STEM education subsidy programme. Daneil Cheung, group member Young people face challenges in technological advancement which STEM education can help them tackle. STEM should be valued more highly and more resources should be allocated. For example, STEM education resource centres in the city should be extended. Jason Cheung, group member STEM education can nurture creativity, collaboration and problem-solving skills. All stakeholders should work together to set clear goals and formulate strategic plans as well as providing better guidelines and models of cross-curricular STEM teaching.
48.6% complained of insufficient teacher training 48.5% reported unclear STEM teaching guidelines
Corroborative findings A recent Hong Kong Federation of Education Workers’ survey of 426 schools backs up HKFYG findings. Its survey reveals that only 36% of the city’s teachers are confident about teaching STEM subjects. Over 80% feel facilities are insufficient, 83% say they do not have enough STEM training and support and 82% feel there is inadequate infrastructure for teaching STEM. 71% lament the lack of support for teaching materials. Sources scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/2123367/majorityhong-kong-teachers-not-confident-teaching-stem
Report No.26 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S. Education and Innovation group Title STEM Education in Secondary Schools: Improving Resource Utilization Surveyed 105 local secondary schools and 9 of them with outstanding STEM education performance were interviewed in November and December 2017. And follows up Report No 20, “STEM Education in Primary Schools.” See Youth Hong Kong June 2017 for more details. Full details https://yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/en/2018/01/14/stem-education-in-secondary-schools-improving-resource-utilization-2/ Enquiries Esther Law 3755 7041
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eSports in Hong Kong Challenges and Opportunities
T
he world’s fastest-growing sport is live video gaming, a business that is estimated to be worth about US$1.5 billion by 2020. Controversial for a number of reasons, eSports are popular with young people. Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members
What are eSports? In competitive video gaming, known as eSports, players compete for prize pools of up to US$24 million. It is also a popular spectator sport online and offline. The majority of popular eSports are team-based games played in leagues or tournaments culminating in a final. Many leagues now offer regular salaries and player rights. Counter-Strike, League of Legends, StarCraft 2 and Dota 2 are some of the most popular eSports.
Key points from respondents
68.4% want greater development of the eSports industry in Hong Kong 38.5% watched eSports tournaments in the 6 months before the survey 13.4% entered casual eSports competitions occasionally 9.2% were interested in eSports careers
Ernest Chan, group convener This study reviews eSports in South Korea, mainland China and Taiwan where it has been promoted by building eSports stadiums, by making it a formal part of the sports industry and by launching undergraduate professional training programmes. Keith Leung, group deputy-convener The global eSports economy has grown to US$700 million and audiences reached about 400 million in 2017. They are forecast to grow with eSports becoming a medal event at the 2022 Asian Games. This study of youth perceptions shows that they believe it has job opportunity and economic development potential. Denis Huen and Andy Leung, group members The HKSAR government should recognize eSports officially and help participants to take part in recognized, world level tournaments. It should study how eSports can be developed by setting up an e-Sports hub and encouraging IVE and THEi to organize tertiary professional training programmes, for example.
Reported hurdles to working in the industry 58.9% family opposition 48.3% stigma attached to eSports
by Jakob Wells, CC BY 2.0 commons.wikimedia.org/w/ index.php?curid=34125895
Controversy: beware The head of the British eSports Integrity Commission (Esic), says eSports are largely unregulated and ripe for exploitation. The South Korean government acknowledged a problem by introducing the “Cinderella Law” in 2011 to counter youth gaming “addiction.” It forbids children under 16 from playing computer games between midnight and 6am. Sources theguardian.com/sport/2017/jun/16/top-addiction-young-people-gaming-esports en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shutdown_law en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ESports
pp Annual international Dota 2 tournament at the KeyArena in Seattle Report No.27 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S. Employment and Economic Development group Title e-Sports in Hong Kong 1,407 HKFYG members aged 15-29 responded to the survey. 20 eSports workers, players and spectators of similar age took part in focus group discussions. Seven industry experts, professionals and interested student leaders were interviewed. More details [in Chinese] yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2018/01/e-Sports-in-Hong-Kong-Full-Report.pdf Enquiries Amy Yuen 3755 7037
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Promoting Organ Donation
O
rgan donations can be made by both dead and living people. In Hong Kong, the rate of deceased donation is currently among the lowest in the world: 6.3 per million*, seven times lower than in Spain. Yet, every day, more than 2,000 patients wait for vital organ transplants. Why is there such a shortage of donors – living and deceased − while patients die waiting? This survey found that only 6.6% of the 527 respondents had signed up or registered as organ donors even though more than half were willing to do so. They said the main barriers were lack of clarity about registration procedures and lack of time. A large majority agreed that their donations could be life-saving but over a quarter considered themselves either too young to think about it or were concerned about objections from their families.
Comments from Youth I.D.E.A.S. think tank members Aaron Mou, deputy convener Generally, Hong Kong’s teenagers are willing to participate in organ donation although some say they don’t have the time or find the procedures for registering unclear. Since a territory-wide identity card replacement exercise will start soon, we recommend that anyone applying for the new card be asked if they want to join an optional organ donor programme. This should make the process more efficient and could significantly boost the number of registered donors. Ronald Chan & Petra Pun, group members We recommend that Hong Kong hospitals make reference to the end-of-life care practice in Spain where deceased donation is optimized and possible donors who are brain-dead can be admitted to an intensive care unit. The government should also expand the number of Organ Transplant Coordinators from the current total of just nine for all Hong Kong hospitals to two in each hospital cluster. Jenny Liu & David Li, group members Educating the public about the ways in which a healthy lifestyle can prevent suffering from organ failure is a top priority. Also, subsidies should be available for living organ donors who normally stop work and have to stay in hospital for up to six to eight weeks. A government subsidy from the Community Care Fund, equivalent to at least two months paid leave at the same rate as the minimum wage, should be given to them. Understanding brain death Brain death, including the brain stem, involves the irreversible loss of brain function. When the brain stem response completely disappears together with the ability to breathe independently, doctors formally declare a patient’s death. Under these circumstances, family members may be asked to understand that their loved one has died and that organ donation is an option that could give life to others.
*More details IRODaT, International Registry of Organ Donation and Transplantation at irodat.org/
Read more organdonation.gov.hk/eng/introduction_bsd.html
Report No.28 HKFYG Youth I.D.E.A.S. Society and Livelihood group Title Promoting Organ Donation in Hong Kong Respondents 527 young people aged 18-34 More details [in Chinese] yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/wp-content/uploads/sites/56/2018/02/YI028SL-Full-Report-for-Press-04.pdf Enquiries Beji Ho 3755 7042
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Publisher : The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups
香港青年協會
hkfyg.org.hk．m21.hk
Youth Hong Kong: 21/F, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, Hong Kong Tel : 3755 7084．3755 7108．Fax : 3755 7155．Email : youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk．Website : youthhongkong.hkfyg.org.hk The title of this journal in Chinese is Xiang Gang Qing Nian 香 港 青 年
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