Changing Young Lives Foundation

Children are born to live their lives to the fullest. However, their fate is not in their own hands. In a city as prosperous as Hong Kong, there are 332,000 children and youngsters* living in poverty. Many of these youngsters have not been identified and are forgotten. In the Mainland, there are many more children in similar or more dire circumstances who need our help.

Children are precious and should be protected and guided from a tender age. Changing Young Lives Foundation reaches out to children in need and gives them a brighter future. Since their inception, Changing Young Lives Foundation has launched protection, education, development and participation programmes in Hong Kong and the Mainland. They work with children from disadvantaged families in Hong Kong and those in the poorest regions of rural China.

Mission
Changing Young Lives Foundation serves underprivileged young people in Hong Kong and the Mainland and seek to change their lives for the better. They support and inspire them to work towards a better life through educational and developmental programmes which nurture the mind, body and spirit. They help them acquire the knowledge and skills they need to realize their full potential and lead happy and productive lives. Changing Young Lives Foundation works in the spirit of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and they promote these rights in their services.

Vision
Changing Young Lives Foundation’s vision is of a world where children of all ages are protected from abuse, neglect and exploitation and kept safe at all times, where they have shelter, food, health care and education. These are the basic requirements for the sound development of all children. They see young people, who are at risk or disadvantaged, trusting and believing in themselves and feeling good about who they are and all the great things they can do. They see them exploring and realizing their talents and abilities to the fullest, and having the self-assurance and courage to reach out for their dreams.

What you can do to help?
Changing Young Lives Foundation seeks volunteers to help with a number of services and activities including tutoring, mentoring, skill coaching & training and also fundraising, survey & research, etc. If you would like to help, please follow this link, download and complete the Volunteer Form and submit.

Help Changing Young Lives Foundation change young lives for the better.

* Source : Summary of Statistics on Poverty 2012 and Proposal on Low Income Supplement, issued by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service.

RunOurCity

RunOurCity comprises of a small and energetic team – all dedicated individuals committed to nurture a fun and compassionate running culture in Hong Kong. At RunOurCity, they believe passion plus professionalism are indispensable to achieve our social goals.

Youth.ROC
Established by social enterprise RunOurCity in 2013, Youth.ROC has provided free and professional running programme to inspire and challenge teenagers to systematically train for distance running and achieve their goals while improving health and developing a “can-do” attitude. The trainings have also helped participating teenagers to expand their social circle and understand more about their communities through street-running. Over 4,200 youths have participated in the Youth.ROC program, including those who come from underprivileged backgrounds and the ethnic minority communities. Youth.ROC has recently obtained support from the Education Bureau of the HKSAR Government to expand its program to all secondary schools in Hong Kong, for running to become a part of life for Hong Kong’s youths and bring positive changes to our students’ body, mind, social and spirit.

Hong Kong Streetathon
STREETATHON is to run in the streets, run along flyovers, stairs, and narrow alleys etc. Run into the daily happenings in our community. Feel the pulse of our people. Run our city!

STREETATHON is more than street-running and the cheering atmosphere en route. It is also about sharing the fun and excitement of your run with your family and friends! That’s why RunOurCity has gathered community organizations to offer games, performances and refreshments at the HONG KONG STREETATION Carnival to create a fun weekend morning for runners, their family and friends, spectators, and the local community.

Totem Run
TOTEM is a symbol of harmony between human beings and nature. TOTEM RUN denotes the self-challenge took on by the wild runners with sweat and will. While experiencing the wonders of nature, it is also an action standing up for the others. RunOurCity creates such unique experience together with the runners as gifts and guerilla support along the way, cheering performance, totem party at the Finish.

the Backstreet
the BackStreet combines the elements of street-run and street-art, running and art creation are both a journey of self-discovery and self-expression. The project offers a whole new perspective to embrace the community’s spirit of creation. While the BackStreet Art connects young artists and community partners looking to preserve and visualize our local cultures and happenings, the BackStreet Run connects curious youth and runners with an urge to discover our local cultures and community stories.

RunOurCity Crew (ROC.Crew)
is a running community powered by RunOurCity. ROC.Crew is a community formed by casual runners, city explorers, sports junkies and creative trainers who get together every week to talk, to play and to chill through running.
Run with them, and discover stories in our city every Tuesday night. For more information about upcoming runs, please visit their Facebook page.

If you are interested in volunteering, whether to help at their events or at their offices, RunOurCity would like to hear from you. Get in touch with them by visiting their website and give them your contact information.

About RunOurCity: RunOurCity believes running can transform lives. They inspire and challenge teenagers to train for distance running and achieve their goals while improving health and develop a “can-do” attitude. They organize STREETATHONS, TOTEM Runs and other themed running events to nurture fun and compassionate running culture in Hong Kong. Since 2013, RunOurCity has trained over 4,200 teenagers, organized running events for over 50,000 participants, and raised funds for over 14 charities.

At RunOurCity, they believe passion plus professionalism are indispensable to achieve our social goals. Their people and network love running and creating social impacts, are fun and innovative, and embrace the work-hard-play-hard attitude.

Christmas Bazaars 2016

One way of getting your Christmas shopping done and support charities in Hong Kong is by visiting the numerous Christmas Bazaars. Here are a few to get you started:

HELENA MAY CHARITY BAZAAR
This is an annual event at Helena May where the public is welcome and can visit more than 50 stalls selling handmade crafts, jewellery, accessories, books etc.

Date: Thursday, 13 October 2016

Time: Please call the Helena May for details.

Place: The Helena May, 35 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong

MICHAELMAS FAIR 2016
A Hong Kong institution run each year by St John’s Cathedral, this fair offers games, marching bands, old books, household items, clothing stalls, book stalls, food and drink and much more. Fun for the entire family!

Date: Saturday, October 29 2016

Time: 10am to 4pm

Place: St. John’s Cathedral, Li Hall, 4-8 Garden Road, Central

SEDAN CHAIR RACE & BAZAAR
The annual Sedan Chair Race is the main fundraising event of the Sedan Chair Charities Fund. The fund raised goes to support charitable organisations that are lesser known and have very limited resources to do fundraising themselves – none go to the Matilda International Hospital where the event is held each year. Watch as teams wearing all sorts of colourful costumes race by. There are also games and food stalls.

Date: Sunday, October 30 2016

Time: 10am to 1:30pm

Place: Matilda International Hospital, The Peak

SANDY BAY CHARITY FAIR at DKCH
Since 1981, the annual Sandy Bay Fair has been held on the first Saturday in November, from 10:00 am to 5:00pm. Held at the Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital at Sandy Bay at Pokfulam, the Fair is legendary. Loads of bargains, lots of fun, laughter and delicious food as well as their famous limited edition Christmas cards. All net proceeds are used to support the Hospital to improve medical facilities.

If you can’t make it to the fair, you can order their Christmas cards by mail. To download this year’s catalogue, please click on this link.

Date: Saturday, 5 November 2016

Time: 10am – 5pm

Place: The Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital at Sandy Bay, 12 Sandy Bay Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

JWA ANNUAL CHARITY BAZAAR
The Jewish Women’s Association of Hong Kong (JWA) invites you and the whole family to their annual bazaar! It is slated to be bigger and better than before! Happy holidays and happy shopping! All proceeds will go to charity.

Date: Sunday, November 6 2016

Time: Please call the Jewish Women’s Association for more information.

Place: Island School, 20 Borrett Road, Mid-levels

LAMMA FUN DAY
Lamma Fun Day Beach Music Festival is one-day charity event with something for everyone live music on stage on the beach, DJs, market stalls, a licensed bar, arts and crafts, tasty food, free water, a charity auction, bric-a-brac stalls, plus sports and activities for kids during the day. Entrance is free – the event is run by volunteers and CWS Hong Kong, with the generous support of Lamma and Hong Kong businesses. Now in its 16th edition, this year’s event will raise money for education projects in Nepal.

Date: Saturday, November 12, 2016

Time: 11am till late

Place: Yung Shue Wan, Tai Wan To, Lamma Island

WWF Walk for Nature 2016

Walk for Nature is an annual fundraising event held in Hong Kong’s iconic Mai Po Nature Reserve. Participants gather sponsorship and walk a set route around the Reserve, which is located in the Inner Deep Bay wetlands. In 1995, Mai Po was declared a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention. The Reserve provides habitat for many species of both flora and fauna, and has a worldwide reputation as being a “paradise for birds”.

Join this walk and learn more about WWF’s work in conserving and preserving the Mai Po Nature Reserve. This year’s event theme is ‘Be a Citizen Scientist’. Participants can understand more about WWF’s wetland conservation work by taking part in the interactive games and activities held along the route.

Date: 26 & 27 November 2016 (Saturday and Sunday) Choose either date

Time: 9:30am to 6pm (10 walking time slots for you to choose from)

Place: Mai Po Nature Reserve

Price: Please refer to enrollment form for details.

About WWF’s work at Mai Po Nature Reserve: In 1983, WWF-Hong Kong began managing Mai Po Nature Reserve, implementing a number of conservation projects designed to protect the Reserve’s many fish ponds, gei wai, intertidal mudflats, mangroves, reed beds and freshwater ponds. In 2001, the conservation work took on a new dimension, as the conservation work began to focus on conserving Hong Kong’s section of the East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF), a vital flight route for migratory waterbirds. The EAAF begins at the Arctic Circle and runs through Southeast Asia all the way to Australia and New Zealand. Mai Po is situated roughly in the centre of the flyway. Every year, migratory birds conduct their long journeys south and stop at Mai Po to rest and recharge before they continue their voyage.

Green Hub

Welcome to the Green Hub, a centre for sustainable living.

Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG) was selected by the Hong Kong SAR Government in 2010 to transform the heritage site, in Hong Kong’s New Territories, into a “Green Hub for Sustainable Living” under Batch II of the “Revitalising Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme” (Revitalisation Scheme).

The Green Hub has reimagined the Old Tai Po Police Station, a Grade 1 listed historic building built in 1899, to demonstrate how we can live sustainably while at the same time respecting nature and respecting each other. Visitors are invited to enjoy their locally-sourced, healthy food; join one of their transformative educational courses; learn about community events; engage with a network of community members who care about living lightly on our planet; and experience the beauty of this tranquil heritage site.

The Green Hub offers solutions to the challenges facing us in finding harmony with the natural world. Such challenges include the widespread disconnection between people and nature, over-population, an economic order that demands limitless growth, and over-exploits biodiversity and resources, causing the collapse of ecosystems, runaway climate change, and endangers our food security.

The Green Hub’s role is to “help people help themselves” by seeking a lifestyle in tune with nature and with their local community, and for us all to lead lower-carbon lives.

What you can do to help

Volunteers at the Green Hub enrich and enhance the life of Green Hub and play a vital role in supporting a wide range of sustainable living educational programmes and conservation work. Volunteers are a valued and integral part of Green Hub. Their volunteers donate a range of talents and skills to promote sustainable living and assist our daily operation. Green Hub hopes that you can both enjoy and learn from your volunteer experience at Green Hub.
Volunteers Opportunities
– Education programmes and activities
– Low carbon catering
– Co-op Market
– Gardening
– Visitor Centre

Requirement
– Hong Kong citizen aged 18 or above
– Appreciate sustainable lifestyle
– Interested in nature and heritage conservationGood presentation and communication skills
– Able to speak fluent Cantonese, basic English and Mandarin
– Able to attend their Volunteer Induction Day are preferred.

Date for the next Volunteer Induction Day : 24 September 2016

Time: 2:00 – 4:40pm

Place: Green Hub, 11 Wan Tau Kok Lane, Tai Po, Hong Kong

To find out more and to register for the Volunteer Induction Day, please follow this link and visit their website.

CWS Lamma Fun Day 2016 – Volunteers Needed

Lamma Fun Day was established by Andrew Doig to raise money for Child Welfare Scheme (CWS). It is a free outdoor music festival and in its 16th year, is the longest running music event in Hong Kong. The event is great fun for music lovers and families, with food and market stalls, a licensed bar, arts & crafts and kids’ activities, as well as live music on the beach from 12 noon through to 10pm.

The organizing committee, Bands and musicians all donate their time for free, so the majority of money raised on the day is through sales at the licensed bar, which offers reasonably priced draft beer, house wines and soft drinks. There are also food stalls, donations and a charity auction that runs through the afternoon.

All proceeds go to CWS to support programmes to improve the Government education system in Nepal. The goal is to improve teaching quality, educational resources and infrastructure such as libraries, toilets, clean water, safe classrooms, computers etc. By making school safer, more fun and interesting children will stay in school longer, therefore protected from trafficking and exploitation.

To make this event a success CWS needs volunteers to help run the various stalls: from selling second hand items, to bar tending (18 and above only), to food stalls, help with the stage, the auction and much more. To sign up and to find up more about the event, please visit their website.

Date: Saturday, 12 November 2016

Time: 11 am – 10 pm

Place: Tai Wan To Beach, Lamma Island

About Child Welfare Scheme (CWS): CWS HK is a HK registered charity which was set up in 2003, initially to raise funds to support their partners in Nepal. CWS projects in Nepal are monitored by their dedicated team who work with local, grassroots NGOs to provide education, health care and social opportunities to children and their communities.

Ruck’N’Roll Charity Ball – An Evening at the Hotel California

An Evening at the Hotel California with Don Felder, Grammy Award Winner, member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and a former Lead Guitarist of the Eagles.

Hosted by the HKRU Community Foundation, this annual “Ruck’N’Roll Charity Ball” at the HKCEC benefits the Po Leung Kuk. All proceeds will go to various Po Leung Kuk initiatives helping disadvantaged groups in Hong Kong. For more details please visit www.rucknrollcharityball.org

Date: Saturday, 5 November, 2016

Place: Grand Hall, Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre

Price: $2,888
Price includes an outstanding gourmet dinner, great quality wines and free-flow drinks all night. Ticket scan be purchased online from Ticketflap

* With a special performance by the Muffin Tops featuring Kevin Burke

About The HKRU Community Foundation: The HKRU Community Foundation was established in March 2013 with the aim of providing a separate identifiable vehicle to manage the HKRU’s charitable activities. This was done to achieve the dual objectives of promoting the positive influence the HKRU has on the community and encouraging corporate and social responsibility funds to assist in these programmes to allow their continuation and expansion. The Foundation aims to be a regional leader in the area of sport-for-development, using rugby as a medium to tackle social issues and effect change. The Foundation also hosts an annual “Ruck’N’Roll Charity Ball” at the HKCEC in support of Po Leung Kuk, more details at www.rucknrollcharityball.org

About Po Leung Kuk: “Po Leung”, translating literally as protection of the young and the innocent, represents the core vision of the organization. Formally established as the Society for the Protection of Women and Children in 1880, in Po Leung Kuk’s long history they have prevented and resolved kidnappings, protected destitute women and children, and assisted the Secretary for Chinese Affairs (under British Rule) as a mediator in complex family and marriage disputes.

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In line with the economic development of Hong Kong over the past century, the range of services and coverage that Po Leung Kuk provided to the community constantly expanded as welfare needs evolved. Today, Po Leung Kuk is Hong Kong’s leading social service organization and fundraiser. Under a modern corporatized management structure, Po Leung Kuk is able to utilise donation dollars to maximize the returns to their most important stakeholder – the community.

Make It Better – workshops for underprivileged children

Art therapy is a form of expressive therapy that embraces the creative process of making art to help improve the well-being of a person – emotionally, mentally and physically. The process involved in artistic expression is effective in managing feelings and behaviors, and can also help to reduce stress, improve self-esteem and awareness.

SAF Make It Better Workshop – September 26, 2014

Art therapy can help people who experience illness, trauma or challenges in living, as well as people who seek personal development. Through creating art and reflecting on the art products and processes, people can increase awareness of self and others, cope with symptoms and traumatic experiences; enhance cognitive abilities; and enjoy the life-affirming pleasures of making art. Those experiencing art therapy are removed from the constraints of the cerebral, verbal and judgmental, instead taking comfort and understanding from the here-and-now realm of imagination and intuition.

The Make It Better project is a Sovereign Art Foundation initiative that offers weekend and midweek workshops to underprivileged children living in Hong Kong’s most disadvantaged parts. Programme locations include Sham Shui Po, Tai Wai and Kowloon City – areas known for terribly cramped living conditions and appalling poverty, where the working-class residents are frequently isolated from the wider society that we enjoy.

Make It Better works with families affiliated with locally established organisations to provide empowering learning activities reinforced by art to the children of such families. Make It Better seeks to give these children the time, attention and opportunities they may not otherwise receive and offers one-on-one assistance in all workshops, allowing the children to discover themselves, their communities and positive options for their future.

The SAF team has developed a 30-week programme, each of which is divided into 4 modules. Each module identifies a relevant learning and realization experience, and a corresponding artistic activity is designed to support that concept in a non-verbal, non-competitive and creative environment. Make It Better embraces principles from Art Therapy practice, incorporating them into programmes with an aim to utilising and fostering a child’s own creativity in order to help and heal, providing safe spaces where children from disadvantaged areas and backgrounds can feel free to express themselves and to develop socially and emotionally.

For many children, MIB workshops are the largest scale experiential art spaces they will have ever encountered. Each module is designed to encourage the growth of a child’s own self-expression, while ensuring the continued development of appropriate and healthy social interaction with other children from different backgrounds. Through shared activities, the hope is children will feel empowered, able and ready to grow into not only happy and centered young adults but future leaders in our communities, no matter their circumstances.

The SAF team work with Hong Kong University’s Master of Expressive Arts Therapy students for guidance on the latest techniques and to produce research and data. They also work closely with established organisations in impoverished areas of the city to properly understand the specific needs of each community.

The programme is continuously growing and reaching more children in need, and they are now working with children who have serious learning and other disabilities. They have seen that their programmes have a tremendously positive impact and are committed to making it better for the children of Hong Kong.

How can you help?
The Sovereign Art Foundation is constantly in need of volunteers for their regular Make It Better workshops. They pride themselves in offering their programme participants one on one support during each workshop, giving them the time and attention they deserve – and are so often deprived of.

If you are willing and able to support the SAF at their weekend workshops in Hong Kong, please visit their website.

About The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) : The Sovereign Art Foundation (SAF) was established in 2003 with a well-defined twin focus: to recognise the growing wealth of contemporary art talent in Asia, and bring the proven benefits of art therapy to underprivileged children. The beauty of the SAF model is that they are able to achieve both goals in an eminently sustainable way. The Sovereign Asian Art Prize, now recognised as the most prestigious prize in its field and region, raises funds by auctioning those artworks that reach the final stage of the competition. The proceeds are then shared equally between the artists and the Foundation, to be used for SAF charitable projects across Asia.

In this way, over the past 12 years, SAF has raised and distributed more than US$5 million to support a variety of art-based programmes for children throughout Asia.

To find out more about their charity programmes see their ‘Who We Help’ section of the website.

Room to Read HK looks for Chinese-speaking volunteers!

Thanks to the incredible momentum that has been built in Hong Kong, Room to Read‘s HK office is now looking for some Chinese-speaking enthusiasts who can raise Room to Read‘s profile in the local community!

If you or anyone you know is interested in volunteering with Room to Read HK, and is excited to talk about Room to Read in Cantonese or Mandarin, please an email Kitty at kitty.au@roomtoread.org with a cc to Tijana Zderic at tijana.zderic@roomtoread.org.

About Room to Read: Room to Read envisions a world in which all children can pursue a quality education, reach their full potential and contribute to their community and the world.

To achieve this goal, Room to Read focuses on two areas where they believe Room to Read can have the greatest impact: literacy and gender equality in education. Room to Read works in collaboration with communities and local governments across Asia and Africa to develop literacy skills and a habit of reading among primary school children, and support girls to complete secondary school with the life skills they’ll need to succeed in school and beyond by building and stocking libraries, building bright ventilated classrooms, publishing books in the local language, training educators and providing one-on-one support to teachers, and supporting girls to stay in school by providing material support—such as school fees, clean uniforms or transportation, in addition to mentoring and life skills training to help girls succeed in the classroom and beyond.

For more information please visit their website.

Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society

Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society

Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society (HKDCS) was established in December 2003 and it is the only society dedicated to the conservation of whales, dolphins and porpoises of Hong Kong. Effective from 14 July 2005, HKDCS has been recognized as a charitable organization, with Inland Revenue file number 91/7756.

In recent years, Chinese white dolphin has become one of the most celebrated wildlife adored by the Hong Kong public, and has also been an important member of our fragile marine ecosystem. However, the general public still knows only a little of these mysterious creatures, and local cetaceans have not received the full protection from human yet.

In order to enhance the knowledge of general public on cetaceans in Hong Kong and around the world, and to effectively protect them in a long run, HKDCS aims to:

To arouse public awareness on:
– biology and conservation of Chinese white dolphins and finless porpoises in Hong Kong, and cetaceans in other parts of the world
– preservation of dolphins and their habitats in Hong Kong
– impacts posed by dolphin-watching activities to dolphin and the importance of raising standard of dolphin-watching industry in Hong Kong
– global issues of whales and dolphins such as captivity, whaling, fishery bycatch and marine pollution

To conduct scientific research on wild dolphins in Hong Kong and nearby regions like China and Taiwan

To educate the school children on the importance of dolphin conservation

To offer opportunity for research interns and volunteers to participate in the conservation of local cetaceans

To provide a forum for dolphin-lovers to gather, interact and share dolphin-watching and conservation experience

Through scientific research and educating the public, HKDCS hopes to protect the local dolphins and porpoise residing in Hong Kong waters. In this section, learn more about the HKDCS mission, a message from our chairman, as well as the structure of our society including the lists of scientific advisors and committee members.

How to get involved
Take action today by getting involved in the cetacean conservation efforts of HKDCS.

Join HKDCS on the next dolphin research trip, become a research intern or volunteer to participate in a full range of research and educational activities. Stay in touch with HKDCS by subscribing to their eNewsletter, or read about the latest dolphin sightings and activities featured in their intern blog. You can also support HKDCS by making a donation to support their research programme and public awareness campaigns.

Volunteer
Hong Kong Dolphin Conservation Society relies largely on volunteers to carry out research, educational programmes and administrative work. HKDCS cordially invites their members to fill these volunteer positions and to help out at various programmes organised by HKDCS.

If you are interested to help out, please email HKDCS (info@hkdcs.org) and they will keep you informed about the next activity or event. The dolphins and the HKDCS team can’t wait to meet you!

Research Intern
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student majoring in Biology, Environmental Science or any other related subjects, and are interested in learning more about a career in wildlife research, you are most welcomed to apply for the HKDCS research internship programme to engage in hands-on experience as a dolphin field researcher. Please click here for more details on the duties, requirements and how to apply.