Hong Kong Arts Centre is recruiting Docents NOW (2019-2020)!

The Docent Programme of the Hong Kong Arts Centre has long been a collective in bonding a group of art-lovers to promote contemporary art in Hong Kong, as well as to deliver a wide range of innovative arts programme to the audiences. In the past few years, through their docent programme, the Hong Kong Arts Centre strikes to make art accessible to all, and had delivered different forms of tours and arts experience programmes to a wide range of public, including students, community groups, tourists, minorities, and visitors with special needs.

This year – their programme is again opening for CALL OF DOCENTS! If you are enthusiastic in art, open minded, willing to accept challenges and is waiting for a chance to promote arts through a creative and interactive way, please JOIN the HONG KONG ARTS CENTRE!

Hong Kong Arts Centre is looking for docents with the following characters:
– Passionate in arts and art education
– Good and willing to communicate and interact with others
– Willing to meet with people with different backgrounds, ages and social status
– Looking for creative ways to share and interpret arts
– Ready for breakthroughs and challenges

Hong Kong Arts Centre will provide:
– Professional training programmes & Arts Experience Workshops
– Chances to curate your own format of tours & arts education programmes
– Exclusive opportunities to participate in programmes & performances of the Hong Kong Arts Centre

ACT NOW! Sign up by following this link

Application Deadline: Sunday, 9 June 2019

Enquiries: Please contact guidedtour@hkac.org.hk / 2582 0231 (Ms Flora Yip)

*After an interview session, successful candidates are required to join our 4-8 training sessions in July, each session is half-day long

About Hong Kong Arts Centre : Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) is a multi-arts centre that fosters artistic exchanges locally and internationally, bringing the most forward creations to Hong Kong and showcasing homegrown talents abroad.

HKAC stimulates innovation and promotes creativity. Being Hong Kong’s only independent non-profit multi-arts institution, HKAC offers exhibitions, screenings and performances, connecting the arts of Hong Kong to the rest of the world through programmes and collaborations.

In the past four decades, HKAC has been dedicated to building the local art ecosystem as well as facilitating cultural exchange between Hong Kong and the rest of the world. Aiming to make art accessible to wide public audiences, HKAC has presented over 2,000 programmes covering performing arts, visual arts, film and video arts, public art projects, art conferences, art festivals and more.

HKAC‘s education arm, the Hong Kong Art School (HKAS), was born in 2000 as an accredited institute staffed by a group of dedicated artists for the fostering of new talents for the local art scene. Its award-bearing curriculum focuses on four core academic areas: Fine Art, Applied Art, Media Art, and Applied Theatre and Drama Education. HKAC also diligently builds platforms at home and overseas to showcase potential local talents through measures such as curating exhibitions and commissioning projects.

At the juncture of its 40th anniversary, HKAC launched a rebranding and renovation project to strengthen its core concept of ‘Arts at the Centre‘ and to continue to promote internationally the development of Asian contemporary arts as well as the local art scene.

MSF Day 7 July – Donate a day’s income

Back in 2004, when Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Hong Kong celebrated its ten-year anniversary, “7.7 MSF Day” was first launched as one of the activities which aimed to raise awareness and funds. The concept of “by donating a day’s income, you are volunteering for MSF” was welcomed by different sectors of the public. Since then, “7.7 MSF Day” has become one of the significant annual events of MSF Hong Kong.

Each year, over 3,000 field workers work with MSF in over 70 countries, providing medical aid to populations in danger. Despite adverse circumstances and limited resources in the field, MSF field workers never give up on saving lives and alleviating suffering. However, with the increasing challenges over recent years, providing emergency medical aid to people in need has never been an easy mission. Not only do field workers have to prepare themselves for the special living conditions in the field, but also might suffer directly from the emergencies, including, but not limited to, attacks on medical facilities, massive epidemic outbreaks, and armed conflict.

Although it may not be possible for everyone to work on the frontline, all of us can offer a helping hand to the populations in need by donating a day’s income. Your support is vital to MSF’s field workers in carrying out the medical humanitarian missions.

This year is the 15th anniversary of “7.7 MSF Day”. MSF sincerely invites you to participate in their medical humanitarian work by donating one day’s income. To signify you are volunteering for MSF on 7 July, please put on the “MSF Day bracelet” on that day and show your support. Join MSF! Together we can break through obstacles and save more lives.

Date: After receiving your donation, a “7.7 MSF Day” bracelet will be delivered to you as soon as possible. As the administrative and postal procedures take time, enrolment and donations made from 21 June onwards may not receive their bracelets in time for MSF Day. Should you have questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch with MSF by emailing events@hongkong.msf.org

Donate: To make a donation, please follow this link

About MSF: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organisation that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, pandemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF offers assistance to people based on need and irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation.

MSF provides medical care to help people survive catastrophic situations, where communities and health structures may be overwhelmed. Their core work is providing emergency medical assistance in situations of armed conflict.

MSF actions are guided by medical ethics and the principles of neutrality and impartiality. MSF does not take sides but seeks to bring assistance to those who need it most urgently. In situations of conflict, they do not accept funds from governments or other parties who are directly involved.

MSF has a commitment to address the suffering people endure and the obstacles encountered in providing assistance. MSF is constantly seeking to improve the quality, relevance and extent of their assistance, and are dedicated to the pursuit of innovation. When MSF witnesses serious acts of violence, neglected crises, or obstructions to its activities, MSF may speak out about this.

MSF was founded in Paris, France in 1971. Today, MSF is a worldwide movement of 24 associations. MSF International, which binds these associations together, is based in Geneva, Switzerland.

MSF is an independent, self-governed, non-profit organisation. It operates programmes in more than 60 countries worldwide. Its work is carried out by thousands of health professionals, logistical and administrative staff, the vast majority of whom come from the countries where the organisation is providing medical assistance.

Celebrate World Ocean Day in Hoi Ha Marine Park 8 Jun

World Oceans Day is a global day of ocean celebration and collaboration for a better future. Encompass HK, a local social enterprise promoting the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, is organizing an outing at Hoi Ha Wan, one of the first Marine Parks in Hong Kong, with an expert guide accompanying you to introduce the fauna and flora of the area.

With an AFCD-estimated 45,000 visitors in 2015, Hoi Ha Wan is Hong Kong’s most accessible Marine Park and is a popular destination for day-trippers. Watch out for monkeys in the trees, cows on the road, and a stunning view over Long Harbour as the road drops down from Pak Tam Au. With a wealth of corals, including 64 of the 84 species of stony corals found in Hong Kong, Hoi Ha Wan has been a Site of Special Scientific Interest since 1986 and was gazetted as a Marine Park in 1996. You will explore the diversity of marine life in the mangrove and sandy shore habitats at HHW.

Programme: Introduction to Hoi Ha Wan (by Friends of Hoi Ha chairperson Nicola Newbury)
– Guided walk along Hoi Ha Nature Trail and Marine Park area, including visits to Hoi Ha’s Antiquities Monument, Hoi Ha ecologically sensitive stream
– Introduction to marine fauna with expert guide Dr. Cynthia Yau
– Marine naturalist ID with a demonstration of the iNaturalist app

Who is this for?: Everyone! Families including accompanied children over 3 are welcome.

What to wear: Closed-toe shoes (no sandals or flip flops please, as the beach may have sharp dangerous items including broken glass, oyster shells), comfortable clothes, hat. Do be warned you may get your footwear wet on the shore, so please bring your own change of dry shoes if needed.

What to bring: Water (minimum 0.5 L in reusable container – Bonaqua bottle, Watsons bottle etc. are not allowed). Water refill during the trip is possible. Sun screen, hat and insect repellent. Small umbrella for shade.

Not allowed: No flip flops or open sandals during intertidal excursion. No one-time use plastic bottles or food containers/wrappers!

Other remarks:There is no wheelchair access anywhere in Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park.

Date: Saturday, 8 June 2019

Time: 2 pm-7:30 pm (Coach will return to Kowloon Tong MTR with drop off at Choi Hung station by 7:30 pm)
Gathering location: 2 pm outside Kowloon Tong MTR Exit C

Place: Hoi Ha Marine Park

Price: $300 (including coach fee, guided walk, snacks, handouts about Hoi Ha Wan, donation to Friends of Hoi Ha)
To register please follow this link to Eventbrite.

*No parking available for external guests in Hoi Ha Village, please do not drive there.

About Encompass Hong Kong : Encompass Hong Kong is a social enterprise that promotes diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace through guiding employers to create a work environment that is more D&I friendly. Encompass Hong Kong offers training and consultancy services to educate and support organizations to be more diversified and inclusive, including meeting global standards e.g. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Encompass Hong Kong will achieve these aims with a strong team of staff and advisors, as well as with partnering organizations that work with differently-abled individuals, senior workers, ethnic minorities, and gender and sexual minorities.

Volunteer at the Hong Kong Arts Centre

Are you art lovers? Do you have time to spare? Join the Hong Kong Arts Centre as a volunteer! Their volunteers come from a variety backgrounds, helping with events and programmes and providing administrative support to the Hong Kong Arts Centre. Volunteers are also trained to give docent tours. Volunteers can participate in various types of service, depending on your knowledge, interest and availability. No previous experience is required.

Requirements:
* Aged 18 or above;
* Holder of the Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card;
* Fluent in at least one of the following languages: Cantonese, Mandarin, English; and
* Be enthusiastic and enthusiastic about the Hong Kong Arts Centre’s vision and mission.

How to apply:
Please send your application with resume to hr@hkac.org.hk

About Hong Kong Arts Centre : Hong Kong Arts Centre (HKAC) is a multi-arts centre that fosters artistic exchanges locally and internationally, bringing the most forward creations to Hong Kong and showcasing homegrown talents abroad.

HKAC stimulates innovation and promotes creativity. Being Hong Kong’s only independent non-profit multi-arts institution, HKAC offers exhibitions, screenings and performances, connecting the arts of Hong Kong to the rest of the world through programmes and collaborations.

In the past four decades, HKAC has been dedicated to building the local art ecosystem as well as facilitating cultural exchange between Hong Kong and the rest of the world. Aiming to make art accessible to wide public audiences, HKAC has presented over 2,000 programmes covering performing arts, visual arts, film and video arts, public art projects, art conferences, art festivals and more.

HKAC‘s education arm, the Hong Kong Art School (HKAS), was born in 2000 as an accredited institute staffed by a group of dedicated artists for the fostering of new talents for the local art scene. Its award-bearing curriculum focuses on four core academic areas: Fine Art, Applied Art, Media Art, and Applied Theatre and Drama Education. HKAC also diligently builds platforms at home and overseas to showcase potential local talents through measures such as curating exhibitions and commissioning projects.

At the juncture of its 40th anniversary, HKAC launched a rebranding and renovation project to strengthen its core concept of ‘Arts at the Centre‘ and to continue to promote internationally the development of Asian contemporary arts as well as the local art scene.

M+ Docent Volunteer Programme

If you are passionate about learning, sharing, and connecting with the public, it is time to join M+ as a docent! You will have the opportunity to lead interactive tours that bring M+s exhibitions and ideas to life.

M+ is recruiting a new group of docents. Please apply if you are:
* A natural storyteller who can help audiences connect with work in the M+ Pavilion gallery through engaging tours and conversations
* Someone who has strong communication skills and an ability to understand and be flexible, to respond to the needs of different audiences
* Friendly, cheerful, charismatic, and outgoing
* A self-motivated learner who is comfortable learning on your own and with others
* Willing to devote time and effort to M+ tours and the docent team
* Fluent in spoken Cantonese, English, and/or Mandarin
* Open to learn new ways of interpretation, methods of facilitation, and flexible approaches to tours
* Someone who has experience with leading tours, and a relevant academic background or knowledge of art, design, architecture, and moving image—but this is a bonus, not a must
* An M+ tour is not only a way to understand the works on display, but also an opportunity for visitors and docents to engage in an open conversation, to learn together and to share ideas and perspectives.

The M+ docent team plays an important role in facilitating fruitful and meaningful dialogue with audiences by connecting the works on view with daily encounters. Based on your own experience and interests, you can offer a unique interpretation of design and architecture, moving image, visual art and Hong Kong visual culture.

Expectation and Incentive: M+ asks docents to join them for at least one year. This is a particularly special time, as they are preparing to open the M+ building, their permanent home in the West Kowloon Cultural District. Docents who join now will be considered for priority placement in the first year that the museum building is open.

Docents join training sessions related to both content and facilitation skills and also practice leading tours. To maintain a certain standard, M+ arranges a review and evaluation session for each docent.

M+ offers a moderate stipend to support the cost of transportation. In addition, docents receive invitations to exhibition openings and have the chance to meet artists, curators, and practitioners.

Application: Please complete the personal statement form and upload it to the “Other Document” section of the online application form.

Download personal statement form here.

To Apply please follow this link

Deadline: Sunday, 2 June 2019

Shortlisted applicants will be invited for an interview. Successful candidates are required to participate in M+’s docent training sessions before leading tours.

For enquiries, please write to learn.mplus@mplus.org.hk

About M+: M+ is a museum dedicated to collecting, exhibiting, and interpreting visual art, design and architecture, moving image, and Hong Kong visual culture of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In Hong Kong’s West Kowloon Cultural District, M+ is building one of the largest museums of modern and contemporary visual culture in the world, with a bold ambition to establish themselves as one of the world’s leading cultural institutions. Their aim is to create a new kind of museum that reflects our unique time and place, a museum that builds on Hong Kong’s historic balance of the local and international to define a distinctive and innovative voice for Asia’s twenty-first century.

Sham Wan Underwater Survey/Cleanup 18 May

Sham Wan, Lamma Island is one of the few remaining nesting sites for Green Sea Turtles in Southern China and the only site in Hong Kong. The site is very important to the survival of this highly endangered species, hence it has been designated as a Restricted Area from June and October every year to minimize disturbance of this nesting site.

AquaMeridian is looking for experienced divers to join them for an underwater survey and possibly ghost net clean up in the area before it closes to the public.

Date: Saturday, 18 May 2019

Time: 10am-5pm

Place: Sham Wan, Lamma Island

Volunteers needed: Max. 12 divers – AquaMeridian will give priority to experienced divers who have DM license, conducted ghost net cleanups and/or underwater survey locally, photography/ videography etc. before.

Cost: The boat will be sponsored, but volunteers will need to bring their own gear and/or pay for the tank rental:
$340 – full gear + weight belt + tank
$120 – tank & weight belt only
$80 – tank only

Note : There are NO toilets/changing rooms on the boat. Please bring water, some snacks etc.

For more information, please contact Pandie (whatsapp +852 9525 9475)

About AquaMeridian: AquaMeridian Conservation and Education Foundation (AquaMeridian) is a registered Hong Kong-based non-profit organisation founded by celebrity and avid conservationist, Sharon Kwok in 2013. Sharon has worked in Hong Kong’s public broadcasting and cinematic field since 1987, and she is also a fine art major and makes use of this throughout the global Chinese Diaspora for advocacy.

AquaMeridian aims to educate and engage the public – particularly in Hong Kong – about conservation and sustainability issues through creative and cross-cultural programs.

Hong Kong, the “Fragrant Harbour”, is a city built on its relationship with the sea. Growing from a small fishing island to one of the busiest trading ports in the world, it has long been dependent on our local natural riches. But as our population and demand for resources grew, we neglected our roles as caretakers of the planet, with overfishing, ocean acidification, and pollution happening in our own waters.

Furthermore, Hong Kong acts as a hub for a thriving wildlife trade, with ivory and shark fin being bought and sold openly and legally. With Hong Kong long having been a multicultural bridge between the East and the West, as well as the gateway to China, increasing awareness of environmental issues within the city can have a far-reaching impact in the rest of Asia.

Oceans: Our Blue Challenge

Social entrepreneur STAN SHEA, wildlife warrior and Marine Director of BLOOM Association is giving an exclusive talk on his fight to protect ocean biodiversity. BLOOM fought and won major policy victories in the EU and Hong Kong. It is an example of how a small association can make a difference.

This will be a relaxed fireside chat; a 20 minutes interview followed by 40 minutes of Q&A with a small & engaged audience.

Topics that will be covered include:
• HK as a global crossroad of illegal wildlife trade
• Fighting Wildlife Crime: A first hand report
• How to change societal attitudes? Tangible steps & examples
• Insider tips on how to make real impact and be a driver of policy change

Years at the forefront of HK’s environmental movement have made Stan a renowned figure in the global fight for marine protection. An avid diver, Stan is notably an author of numerous researches on shark fin and seafood trade. He is also one of the editors of the Hong Kong Register of Marine Species.

Are you:
• A SOCIAL ENTREPRENEUR or aspiring to become one?
• CONCERNED about protecting marine ecosystems
• An ENTHUSIAST concerned about Hong Kong’s disastrous environmental record?
Then this is a talk you need to come to.

Hosted by Earth.Org at The Hive Sheung Wan.

Date: Wednesday, 22 May 2019

Time: 7:30-8:30pm

Place: The Hive Sheung Wan, 33-35 Hillier St, Sheung Wan

Price: $50, incl. one drink
To register please follow this link

About BLOOM: BLOOM is a non-profit organisation founded in 2005 that works to preserve the marine environment and species from unnecessary destruction and to increase social benefits in the fishing sector. BLOOM wages awareness and advocacy campaigns in order to accelerate the adoption of concrete solutions for the oceans, humans and the climate. BLOOM carries out scientific research projects, independent studies, and evaluations that highlight crucial and unaddressed issues such as the financing mechanisms of the fishing sector. BLOOM’s actions are meant for the general public as well as policy-makers and economic stakeholders.

About Earth.Org: Earth.Org is a global environmental non-profit raising awareness about biodiversity loss and the deteriorating conditions of natural ecosystems worldwide. It advocates for better stewardship of natural resources and campaigns for countries to adopt principles of natural capital accountancy into their economic policy decisions. Leveraging cutting-edge technology, AI, satellite images and cloud computing, Earth.Org presents accessible, synthesised and engaging content for educational, advocacy and policy purposes.

New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association

New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association is a non-governmental organization which aims at providing quality community-based recovery-orientated services for people in recovery of mental illness, so as to help them develop their full potentials, attain a desirable quality of life and integrate into the society.

Their core services include residential services, vocational rehabilitation, community support, family support, self-help work, clinical psychological services, etc.

Volunteer
People in the recovery of mental illness are frequently faced with frustration, confusion, social-stigma as well as self-stigma while they are en route to recovery. Medication side-effects, difficulties in adapting to work, interpersonal relationship and family are just but a few burdens that are laid heavily on their shoulders. Volunteers are their dear supporters, rendering encouragement and loving care that they need in order to overcome the hurdles and regain a life with vitality and dignity.

Volunteers are also the driving force that helps change the general public’s attitude towards mental health issues. Due to either misconception or unawareness, or the combination of both, people, in general, are reluctant to face mental health problems head-on, often resulting in delayed intervention and stigma being developed towards people in recovery of mental illness. With their enthusiasm and positive attitudes, volunteers counter these negative thinking and help advocate community attention to mental health issues. The effects volunteers bring about would surely help people in recovery of mental illness integrate better into the society and develop their potential to the full.

If you are interested in joining as volunteers, please download and fill out the “Volunteer Application Form” here and send it back to the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association by mail or fax. (Address: 332 Nam Cheong Street, Kowloon, Fax: 2770 9345). They will match volunteer work in accordance with your personal interests and preference so that you can invest your time, skills and experience to the community.

For enquiries, please contact:
Public Education Team
Tel： 2332 4343
Fax： 2770 9345
Email： ho@nlpra.org.hk

Employ PIRs
Though being stricken with mental disorders that confined them to the margin of the society, people in recovery of mental illness are devoted and loyal workers who are eager to contribute to the society with their talents and skills, and through the employment to earn what they need to live independently and with dignity in the community. Are you willing to trust them and give them a chance?

If you are a visionary employer who wants to accommodate the disabled, the New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association will be there for you to provide job matching services, so that you would be able to find the suitable candidates to fit in the designated positions. Their service users come from different backgrounds, including people in recovery of mental illness, the mentally handicapped, people with Autism Spectrum Disorder, the physically challenged, and the CSSA (Comprehensive Social Security Assistance) recipients who are unemployed and single parents. They have different levels of education, work experiences, abilities, and skills. The New Life Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association will arrange for the trainees to conduct job interviews according to the job requirements and their respective skill-mix. Moreover, their caseworkers and placement officers will provide support and follow-up services for a duration of 3-6 months for the employers and employed trainees after they have been employed, so as to make sure that assistance is at hand when it is needed.

For employers who are interested in employing trainees, please contact Case Manager of Supported Employment Service at 2320 3103 or via email ses@nlpra.org.hk.

Forest Summer Camps

Not a volunteer opportunity, but if you are interested in the environment and are looking for something for your kids to do this summer that embraces the great outdoors, take a look at the Forest Summer Camps run by Ark Eden.

Ark Eden nature-based camps focus on nurturing Kids’ love of the outdoors, building their confidence and skills through natural play. Surrounded by nature on a hillside in Mui Wo, they host camps with different Nature themes each day for kids aged 5 to 11, packed with lots of fun!

Date: 17 June – 16 August

Price: $670 – $750 per day. Single of multi-day packages available

For more information and to register, please visit their website and scroll down to Forest Summer Camps.

About Ark Eden: Ark Eden presents Lantau Island as a living, world-class natural environmental wonder within China and Asia and suggests how its natural assets can be used to benefit education, local communities, Hong Kong residents and overseas visitors — all of us.

Ark Eden aims to preserve the island’s ecological, geographical, historical and cultural heritage by following a sustainable lifestyle and by providing inspiring educational and eco-tourism opportunities for children, adults, residents and tourists.

Ark Eden does this through a series of integrated workshops, field trips and camps designed to lead every participant towards a better understanding of the environment and what everyone’s role is in conservation, preservation and sustainability.