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3. Civic Society Education Project
The Hong Kong Christian Institute (HKCI) began a three-year project in 2001 to promote civil society education in secondary schools, tertiary institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in two districts. The aims of the project are to develop teaching resources, host a summer camp, undertake in-depth cooperative initiatives, organise forums and initiate an overseas exchange programme. At the beginning of 2003, the community's attention was focused on SARS and concerns about the proposals of the Hong Kong government to enact legislation to implement Article 23 of the Basic Law. As a result of these developments, the time frame of the project had to be adjusted. For example, the summer camp, which was originally scheduled for July, was deferred until December. In addition, human resources were funnelled into producing in-school forums and teaching kits about the Article 23 issue.
In reflecting on the progress of the past year, HKCI has strengthened the cooperation of NGOs to promote and organise public education programmes, has challenged young people to lead discussions about major local issues and has deepened the mainstreaming of the social movement in curricular and extracurricular education.
3.1 Forum for Dialogue and Reflection for Frontline Educators
NGO staff members who were leading students to discuss social issues inevitably faced a dilemma, for, on one hand, the NGO held a clear and distinct stance on the issue; but as an educator in the discussion process, the NGO staff members would try to maintain their "indifference" and "objectivity" in order to offer a critical analysis of various stances so that the students could make their own judgment autonomously on the issue even if their stances were opposite to those of the NGOs.
Following the plan of the last reporting year, HKCI joined the series of forums organised by social activists and educators to discuss religious education, civic education, the lifelong development of teachers and how schools acquire external resources.
Through this portion of the project, the results were strengthened by HKCI's relationship with the NGOs that participated, improved the image of HKCI in the area of education and empowered HKCI to further undertake public education programmes in local schools.
3.2 Empower Young People to Participate in Civil Society and Leadership Formation
HKCI staff members attended and supported the leadership training camp held by the Democratic Development Network (DDN). HKCI introduced the situation analysis game and led one of the groups to enhance new leadership formation. A total of 60 university student union committee members joined the camp, and 10 additional members took part in the day camp. Follow-up reunions were held after the camp.
HKCI also held a youth leaders theological reflection camp for the Article 23, or BL23, workshop leaders. Church fellowship members, church youth workers, members of the Student Christian Movement-Hong Kong (SCM-HK) and student union committee members participated in the programme.
The young people who took part in the Tuen Mun project last year formed a Justice and Peace Seekers (JPERs) group. Following the anti-incinerator signature campaign, they attended the International Human Right's Day booth and obtained 350 more signatures and distributed flyers produced by Greenpeace. JPERs met with young people in a church in Tuen Mun (July 10) to promote the recycling message with junior forms in their own school with the assistance of Greenpeace and HKCI.
HKCI was invited to join the Running Chicken (走地雞 project initiated by other NGOs that sought to empower the Form 5 graduates facing the transition from school life to (un)employment. The project was cancelled though due to SARS.
3.3 Civic Education Teaching Kits
HKCI published a series of four booklets entitled Justice against Poverty in November 2002 with one section of the publication containing reflections for schools and churches.
The secondary school teaching kits group, of which HKCI is a member, published the All about BL23 secondary school teaching kit and organised a gathering of teachers to promote this educational resource.
The group reviewed the experience of producing teaching kits and subsequently launched a new project through the Alliance of Civic Education (ACE) focusing on the new subject Integrated Humanities and Liberal Studies.
3.4 Article 23 Workshops and Forums
HKCI joined with other groups and individuals to form the Civic Education Concern Group in December 2002 to lead workshops to discuss the proposed Article 23 legislation with senior form students. HKCI anticipates that more young people will become involved and discuss social issues in the future.
3.5 'Are There Poor People in Hong Kong?' Experiential Learning Camp
SARS forced HKCI to postpone its annual camp from July to December 2003. However, this delay provided HKCI with more time to prepare the participants for the camp through an in-depth experiential learning process with the cooperation of the schools. Through this process, the students shared the experience of poverty in their own district with students in other districts.
3.6 International Human Rights Day
The 2002 International Human Rights Day was held in Mongkok. The slogan "With Family, Without Nation" was well known to the public because of the Article 23 campaign. At the same human rights carnival, the JPERs anti-incinerator team (please refer to part 2) received more than 300 signatures. In addition, the "yell poor" youth group distributed 600 copies of Yell Poor News.
3.7 Overseas Visit
HKCI planned to visit Mei Nung indigenous communities in Taiwan to learn about their civic education movement in August, but these plans were cancelled because of SARS.
3.8 Internship Programme
An intern who will devote most of their time to writing teaching kits joined HKCI in June 2003. The duration of the internship is six months.
3.9 Evaluation and Projection
This year we witnessed young people in Hong Kong become more and more involved in public issues. HKCI formed new partnerships through the civic education movement in new districts in Tai Po, Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O. This allows HKCI to link with more people in the community to exchange experiences. In the near future, HKCI will support a stronger network for teachers to attain alternative teaching-learning experiences for the mainstreaming of the social movement in education.
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