NGO participation in School-based HRE in Hong Kong: Experience of the Pooi Kei Project

1. NGO participation in School-based HRE in Hong Kong: Experience of the Pooi Kei Project

2. The School: Stewarts Pooi Kei College • Secondary • Co-educational • Government-granted • Opened in 2004 • About 400 students, all F.1 & F.2 (13-14 years old)

3. The Project: Learning without Wall • Week-long programme for experiential learning • 14 programmes – overseas trips (Europe, Australia, Japan, Shanghai, Beijing…) on various subjects (music & art, history, sports, language classes …) • Some students chose to stay in Hong Kong ….

4. The Planning • Teacher approached HKHRM • HKHRM contacted other members of the Alliance on Civic Education for joint efforts • Meetings with the teacher – identify objectives and methodologies • Proposal drafted and revised • Meeting with parents * Teacher to work on the logistic side, NGOs to design and coordinate on programme details

5. The Partners - ACE • Amnesty International HK section • Hong Kong Christian Institute • Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor • Dr. Leung Y.W. (convener of ACE) – quitted later for health reasons • Dr. Cheung K.L. – quitted later also for health reasons

6. The Proposal • Theme • 未來的主人翁 (Teens of the Future) • Objectives • To introduce to participantsbasic concepts of human rights – respect, dignity, non-discrimination, equal opportunities • To sensitize them on life situations of children in different sectors of the Hong Kong society (poverty, handicapped, students in band-3 local school, ethnic minorities) • Initial introduction of children rights • Participants • 32 students (boys and girls) of F.1 & F.2 – 13-

8. Features & Implications • Initiated by teacher/ school • Schools have to respond to calls for experiential/ project learning/ life-wide learning as part of the new educational policy • NGOs role in initiating school projects can only be relatively passive • Project has to be tailor-made to meet specific needs of schools (specially designed worksheets, games, info pack…)

9. NGOs participation • Joint efforts of NGOs • Labour intensive • Require the input of large amount of time and resources • NGO workers, most of whom have received no professional training, may fall short on skills, techniques required to work with students • Role confusion (conflicts) – to what extent is a NGO human rights educator a teacher?

10. 3. Project-based • Short-term, piece meal • Lack of in-depth training/ learning • often lack of incentive to have follow-up on HRE on the part of the school/ teachers/ parents

11. Project could turn out be a programme for training/ sensitizing teachers as well • Stronger NGOs networking • Occasionally identify teachers with whom more long term partnership can be developement

12. 13H55-14H05 (winners: 1 group of 8)People chain (10 minutes) Children will act as facilitator instructs themChildren are divided into groups of 8 and each other with eyes closed and have their both hands out. Every hand will then catch and hold another hand tight, eyes remain closed. When all hands are held, facilitators will ask children to open their eyes. They then unknot themselves to try forming a circle. The group that can form a circle in the shortest time will win and will receive a big hand from the other children. • 14H05-14H55 (winners: 3 groups of 7 or 8)“Hello, can we be friends?”“Yes, of course, we are friends.” (50 minutes) • Languages collector - for the beauty of the Languages – if we learn more languages, we surely can make more friends (* Teachers/ volunteers please move around to facilitate group interaction.) Ask children if they are to learn a language, what language would they choose to learn and why? What is good about learning more languages – job, friends, appreciate other cultures…….Children form a big circle, call out 1 - 10. All the ones will form a group, etc.There will be ten groups. Each group is given a large sheet of paper. Write down on the paper the number of the group 1-10Each group will have to find out in as many languages/ dialects as possible how to say the following sentences: (for groups 1, 3, 5, 7, 9) “Hello, can we be friends?” (for 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) “Yes, of course, we are friends.”Each group will first have 10 minutes to figure out how many languages they can use among themselves for their respective sentence. (REMEMBER to write down the names of each language/ dialect used.)The group will then move around for another 10 minutes to collect or exchange more languages from other children. (REMEMBER to write down the names of each language/ dialect used.)All will be given 10 minutes to practice the sentences they have collected. Two groups will win – a) that collects most languages/ dialects for their sentence; b) that has a language that other groups don’t have.There will be a final part on chanting for about 5-10 minutes. Facilitator will invite the odd-number groups to chant the questions in a language they choose. The odd-number groups will point to the even-number groups for the answer in corresponding languages. The group that has made the best chant will be awarded too. • 14H55-15H15 (winners: 5)Bingo, tell me more about you….Now that we are friends, it’s time for us to learn more from and about each other. Children will each be given a Bingo grid. (Yellow for SPKC students, pink for UMAH students)They will walk around to find the answers from children of different ethnic groups.Anyone who can find the answers that either across, horizontal or diagonal to the grid will call “BINGO”.Facilitator will check and read out the answers with brief explanations. The rest of the children will have to cross out the answered questions on their Bingo Grid.

13. Initial feedbacks from students • “I’m most impressed by the camp cos this is the first time I heard about human rights…” • “I find ethnic minority people very friendly, not quite like what we thought before..” • “I’m touched by the handicapped students, they work very hard in spite of their physical constraints…”