On 11 January Hong Kong Unison held a briefing session on the 2021 Unison Community Project Competition for the interested ethnic minority youth to help them understand the details of the competition and the expectation of the judges. In the briefing, we explained in depth the problems faced by ethnic minorities in four districts- Sham Shui Po, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long and Kwai Tsing, and in what ways the judges expect the participants to help them solve the problems.
6 February is the deadline for submitting the proposal. So hurry up, apply and win the prize of $15,000!
Please click here for the competition details:
Hong Kong Unison is selected for a pro-bono Social Impact Assessment project by HKU consultant team and HKCSS. We are thrilled that our application is successful and we had a fruitful kick-off meeting. Stay tuned for the findings!
融樂會有幸獲選參與由香港大學顧問團隊及社聯合辦的「社會影響評估」無償諮詢服務，開展會議富有成果。
Online Learning Support for Ethnic Minority Students
Hong Kong Unison is concerned that suspension of face-to-face classes is hampering the Chinese language acquisition of ethnic minority children and the impact will be long term. In the summer of 2020 we conducted one-to-one Chinese tutorial for ethnic minority primary and secondary students and online Chinese class for ethnic minority kindergarten and junior primary students. Due to the incredible response from students and parents we are rolling out the program again! With the support of Chen Yet-Sen Family Foundation we will provide support to ethnic minority students from January to August 2021 and aim to strengthen Chinese proficiency of these students.
Delay in dispatching ethnic minority helpers in Yau Tsim Mong Covid-affected buildings - Jordan lockdown
In order to understand the plight of ethnic minorities in the 4th wave of the outbreak and to ascertain if the government has adequate support measures, Hong Kong Unison inspected the Yau Tsim Mong area and spoke with ethnic minority residents in mid-January. We found that ethnic minorities are often unable to receive the latest epidemic information updates and government notifications due to language barriers. Some residents are frustrated by the government's sudden demand for mandatory quarantine. We have contacted the government officials and urged them to arrange more manpower support as soon as possible. Hong Kong Unison would also like to appeal here that ethnic minorities should not become the scapegoat of the outbreak and be discriminated due to the virus.
Submission to LegCo on Administrative Guidelines on Promotion of Racial Equality
On 18 January Hong Kong Unison sent a submission on the execution of the “Administrative Guidelines on Promotion of Racial Equality” by the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau. In our submission, we pointed out that the Guidelines lacked full accountability and failed to effectively protect ethnic minorities. In addition, we also requested that the Equal Opportunities Commission should play a more active role and should not be limited to providing cultural sensitivity training.
Submission to LegCo Subcommittee to study the Development of textbooks and teaching materials
On 12 January Hong Kong Unison sent a submission to the Subcommittee to Study the Development of Textbooks and Teaching Materials for Kindergartens, Primary and Secondary Schools regarding the school-based teaching materials for Non-Chinese Students. We urge the Subcommittee to include “teaching materials of Chinese Language Subject for Non-Chinese Students” in their agenda. We also pointed out that there is still room for improvement in policy especially support for teaching Chinese subjects to Non-Chinese Students and school-based curriculum designs.
Submission on the briefing by the Secretary for Home Affairs on the Chief Executive's 2020 Policy Address
Hong Kong Unison sent a submission on the policy briefing of the Home Affairs Bureau on 11 January. In our submission, we pay special attention to how the Bureau will identify and provide appropriate support to ethnic minority new immigrants. We are also concerned about how the Home Affairs Bureau will follow up on support measures for ethnic minorities during the epidemic and the Yau Ma Tei fire last year.
On 28 January Hong Kong Unison conducted our popular public education talk: Unison Talk via zoom. In the talk we speak of difficulties ethnic minority face & Unison's work approach. The attendees found the talk informative and some of them showed enthusiasm to become a volunteer of Unison. Hope to see you soon!
On 7 and 21 January, Hong Kong Unison conducted 2 career workshops for senior secondary ethnic minority students. The topics were Meeting people from various careers and Education Pathways. The workshops were conducted on zoom and were facilitated by 12 professional volunteers and awardees. On 16 January we participated in a Career Development talk organised by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. The talk participants were ethnic minority parents and students. Two Unison awardees joined the talk and spoke about their career pathways. We hope that such inspiring stories will motivate students to aim big.
January is the time for kindergarten parents to apply for Primary One admission. Hence, Hong Kong Unison conducted three parents' talk, two on zoom, and one in a kindergarten in Sham Shui Po. We covered different aspects including the procedure of Central Allocation, primary school information in their district and support measures for ethnic minority students and parents in schools. During the talks, parents shared their difficulties and worries in choosing appropriate schools and were happy to know more about Primary One Admission.
This month we did 2 training workshops for teachers on cultural sensitivity and ethnic minority education. One workshop was for current kindergarten teachers and the other one was for student-teachers of Early Childhood Education. The participants found the training content useful for teaching ethnic minority students.
End of December we conducted a Tutor evaluation and sharing session for the current batch of 8 volunteer tutors. They spoke about the challenges in learning during the pandemic. Many found online-teaching impedes learning for example Chinese writing. Some families cannot afford to buy a tablet or laptop, so tutees using mobile phone to have classes. They also exchanged techniques of teaching Chinese with each other.
ED as a group leader in The Amber Foundation EMPOWER program
Our Executive Director was invited by EMPOWER by The Amber Foundation to join the workshop- Power of Interview Skills to Drive your Career, as a group leader. EMPOWER is a series of leadership workshops, conducted by experienced professionals, enhancing the business network and improving career opportunities for ethnic minority university women.
融樂會總幹事獲The Amber Foundation 的EMPOWER 計劃邀請，擔任其工作坊組長，主題為「面試技巧如何讓你的事業更上層樓」。EMPOWER 是一系列由富經驗的專家所舉的領袖工作坊，旨在增加有大學學歷的少數族裔女性的人脈及事業機會。
WE ARE CURRENTLY HIRING FOR A PROJECT OFFICER. Click here to apply.
We are always looking for smart, organized and capable individuals who are passionate about social justice and racial equality. If you fit the description and would like to intern or volunteer at Unison, please reach out to us at info@unison.org.hk.
Hong Kong Unison would like to express our gratitude to our donors, supporters
and grants from the following funders:
Amber Foundation
American Women's Association
Dr. Chan Nim Chung
Chen Yat-sen Family Foundation
Citi Foundation
Emerging Market Foundation
Fu Tak Iam Foundation
Oxfam Hong Kong
Dr. K.K. Wong Charity Acts
