Activity Report (Jan - Jun 2015)
Service Civil International Hong Kong China
Welcome Note
January 2015 - We were lucky to be able to organise group workcamps for university students from Hong Kong. At the end of last year and the beginning of this year we managed to send 134 volunteers on group workcamps (service tours) to four countries - Nepal, Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka.
February 2015 - We continued to carry out training programs for secondary school students as part of the Global Education. The leadership trainings workshops took place in five secondary schools. We took part in the regional workcamp in Japan in February this year.
German language class and Cantonese language class continue in this month.
March 2015 - SCI Hong Kong and SCI Japan together co-organised the second workcamp in Micronesia. Sarah - office LTV went to Micronasia as the camp leader and we sent one volunteer from Hong Kong and SCI Japan sent three volunteers to the camp. There was another volunteer from Spain. We organised a weekend workcamp with the financial support from GAIA micro-grants.
April 2015 - We organised the outgoing volunteer gathering and invited volunteers who are interested in volunteering this summer. It was an opportunity for all the past outgoing volunteers to share their experience with others and get to know each other.
May 2015 - International workcamp and the Capacity Building Training took place in April and May. 10 international volunteers joined the international workcamp and 48 students joined the training camp.
June 2015 - Three groups of volunteers went on projects in Mongolia, Vietnam and Sri Lanka. In total there were 68 volunteers. The outgoing volunteer pre-departure orientation day was held in June.
Our strength is the growing number of members and the volunteers. We would like to thank everyone who contributed to the activities and help organise each activity. Without the contributions and the commitment nothing would have happened.
Here in Hong Kong volunteers and members start to call ourselves the SCI family. Big thanks you to Billy, Pat and Louis for their commitment and taking up the responsibility and acting as the executive committee members.
Sam - SCI Hong Kong Coordinator
Language and Culture Classes
SCI's Language and Culture Classes have been ongoing throughout the year. Currently we are offering Classes in German, French, Mandarin and Cantonese. The classes are a fun and interactive way of getting to know different cultures. No prior knowledge is required and all of our members are welcome. For international participants, we also offer classes about traditional Chinese Culture, such as Calligraphy and Tea Ceremony.
Peace Movie Night
SCI started hosting Peace Movie Nights to give members and supporters a chance to discuss peace in a laid-back setting. So far we have hosted two Peace Movie Nights. We watched "All Quiet on the Western Front" and "Railway Man", two movies which portray soldiers' experiences in the First and Second World War. The movie night is followed by a small discussion after the movie.
Outgoing Volunteer Gathering
SCI Hong Kong has organized two gatherings (25 April, 20 June 2015) for volunteers to meet and exchange their experience. Previous outgoing volunteers have a chance to share their interesting stories and give advice to the volunteers who will be participating in the future. This is an opportunity for our volunteers to get to know each other and discuss any questions they may have about SCI or workcamps.
Global Education Project
“Our Colourful World” is a Global Education Initiative organized by SCI Hong Kong. Selected group of students took part in the project throughout the year. Schools taking part are selected across bandings and different regions in Hong Kong.
As part of the Global Education Project, we held the Youth Leadership Training at Secondary Schools in Hong Kong. About 100 students participated to learn about different leadership styles and leadership qualities. Additionally, we organized Human Library events in three schools so far and about 1000 students took part in the activities. The Capacity Building Trainings was held from 30th of April to 2nd of May. 48 students join the training camp along with 10 international volunteers.
The Global Education project continued for the third year and we are making plans for the fourth year and we are glad that the schools are interested in continuing the project.
Fundraising Event for Nepal Earthquake Relief
One of the volunteers, who has recently volunteered in Nepal, organized a fundraising event on June 12. The Rock Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to support people with disabilities, donated us a handmade painting by their member for fundraising. This event raised 5670HKD.
Weekend Workcamp
We went camping on Grass Island (Tap Mun) and spent the weekend (March 21-23) together. During this weekend workcamp we collected as much as plastic along the beach. This weekend helped us reflect on our impact on the planet of earth. Global Warming is the biggest challenge the world is facing today.
This weekend workcamp was organized with the help of GAIA Microgrants. In cooperation with PVB Micronesia and SCI Nepal, two events with ecological focus took place on the same weekend.
Regional Workcamp in Japan
This is a regional project for participants from Japan, Korea and China including Hong Kong and Macao. The aim is to strengthen the mutual understanding and cooperation between these neighbouring countries. Participants will help to build bookshelves in a library used by a local village community.
Micronesia Workcamp
SCI Hong Kong and SCI Japan together organised a workcamp which took place in Micronesia in March. Micronesia is a remote island in the South Pacific. Volunteers helped with coffee farming near Pohnpei, the capital of Micronesia. Volunteers also participated in clean-up activities of local public spaces, as well as visiting schools and conducting activities for the local children.
Human Library Workcamp
Human Library Workcamp took place from April 25 – May 5 2015. 10 international volunteers participated, among many local volunteers. We visited three schools in Hong Kong to conduct the Human Library and introduced different cultures to the students. Our volunteers helped to organize a Capacity Building Training during April 31 – May 2. We provided an interactive leadership training to local students.
Human Library at Sai Kei Wan School
Human Library at the Institute of Education
Human Library at the Hoi Ba Primary School
Service Tours
We are happy to facilitate service tours with the help of our branches around the world. SCI HK organized several Service Tours for university students from Hong Kong.
Destinations include
1. Indonesia (in cooperation with IVP Indonesia): Volunteers worked in a local education project.
2. Nepal (in cooperation with SCI Nepal): Volunteers worked in a local primary school.
3. Malaysia (in cooperation with SCI Malaysia): Volunteers assisted in a centre for aboriginal children.
4. Vietnam (in cooperation with SJ Vietnam): Volunteers worked in a disabled centre
5. Mongolia (in cooperation with Lotus Center): Volunteers organized free time activities and health check for former street children.
6. Sri Lanka (in cooperation with SCI Sri Lanka & SDS Sri Lanka): Volunteers worked in a school and rebuilt the library
Repairing a School Building
Service Tour - Sri Lanka
Disabled Center - Vietnam
Travelling Workcamp in rural China
This summer, SCI Hong Kong China aims to organize a travelling workcamp to Yunnan and Beijing. Yunnan is the most ethnically diverse province in China. Through this tour, SCI would like to bring inspiration from another side of the world to empower the youth in this region. Cultural and social interaction between Beijing and other cities marks the capital one of the most colorful cities in the world. There will be 10 participants from Hong Kong, as well as several international participants from within the SCI network.
International Training Programs and meetings
Sam participated in the Global Volunteer Action Project steering committee meeting which was held in Rome in March this year. Billy went to Argentina to attend a training on fundraising in April. Penny and Molly attended a media training in Hungary in June.
SCI Hong Kong Office
We are three of us working at the office now. Sam - the coordinator, Sarah from Germany is our office LTV and Dadi from Beijing is also our office LTV. We have been working on new funding applications and new projects. We have a group of people who come to help in the office on part time basis. Jerel (USA) joins us on a part-time basis and Linda (Australia, India and HK) assists us in delivering the training program for secondary school students.
Office LTV
After October 2015, there will be an EVS volunteer at our Office. The selection process is now ongoing. We hope that our Office volunteers enjoy their stay with us!
Tech Team
Chris, Eric and Neil who like to build websites and play video games for fun helped us to build a good looking website. While they were getting ready for the exams they managed to put together our website which looks up-to-date. We are very pleased with the outcome and proud to show our website to others. The website is available in three languages for visitors and is kept up-to-date.
Louis is our communications officer. He has been keeping our Facebook page up-to-date. The executive committee has made a decision not to pay Facebook for new likes despite the fact that it can bring a bigger audience to our page. We continue to attract visitors to our Facebook page and the website gradually and steadily.
External Funding
Publication
As of January 2015, SCI Hong Kong has a new website design. Our new website also includes a feature about upcoming events and options for involvement, as well as a publication section for volunteer stories.
Membership
The membership fee is 500 HKD and it is valid for two calendar years after the date of first payment. The application fee for work camps abroad is 1350 HKD (20% discount for students). There is no application fee for local work camps, the only condition is that local participants must be members of SCI HK.