ED Report (2022-23)

Dear all HAC supporters,

Over the past year, we have consistently supported grassroots families and students in their struggle against the learning challenges and economic pressures caused by the pandemic and multiple school suspensions. We have persevered on the long journey of fighting against the pandemic, upholding our three service principles, and taking steady steps forward with various sectors of society towards post-pandemic recovery.

 

Storytelling for Social Impact

Through engaging and dynamic elements of storytelling, we enabled underprivileged students continue learning and their education despite school suspensions and equip them with practical knowledge for planning their futures. Key highlights include:

  • Collaborating with the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Museum to publish the picture book "Kom Tong Hall and the Masked Detective: The Mystery of the Ho Family's Treasure." We have also designed a series of related parent-child activities and public education initiatives to introduce children to the architectural features of the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Museum and Hong Kong's history.
  • Thanks to the support and sponsorship from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange and the Community Chest, we have published the picture book "I Transformed into a Coin!" A specially tailored story video is combined with community education activities, providing children with a clear understanding of financial concepts and cultivating good habits of sharing, spending, and saving from an early age.

Cultivate Positive Mindset

A positive and resilient mindset strengthens our ability to overcome adversity, establish correct values, and actively participate in meaningful activities. Notable accomplishments this year include:

  • Our "Read to Change" program, which has been in collaboration with City University for a decade, is the world's first initiative to address school bullying through storytelling. It has helped high-risk students develop empathy and anger management skills, achieving fruitful results both in frontline service and academia. Our evidence-based approach has been recognised and published in the prestigious academic journal Applied Research Quality Life (2023), demonstrating that HAC's innovative and evidence-based service methods have gained international recognition in the academic community.
  • This year, we extensively engaged with primary schools, kindergartens, and social welfare organisations, actively providing a range of self-developed educational workshops, children's animated videos, financial resource booklets, reading materials, and story-based education activities to 35,550 students and parents across 1,666 sessions.

 

Embrace Social Inclusion

As the population ages, HAC actively organises community service activities involving individuals of different age groups, fostering mutual appreciation and sharing of strengths to achieve intergenerational harmony. Some notable examples of our successful initiatives include:

  • Continued training of retired individuals as "Story Uncles and Aunts" to inspire children with their rich life experiences, promoting intergenerational integration. Our online program "Volunteachers - Picture Books Language Learning Program" has engaged nearly 900 retired individuals and corporate volunteers, assisting 1,000 underprivileged students in systematically revising Chinese and English vocabulary and grammar through expert-designed online activities.「好義教 繪本學語文」線上活動有接近900人次的退休人士和企業義工參與,協助1,000人次的基層學童,學習由專家設計的繪本網上活動,有系統地溫習中文和英文詞彙和文法。
  • In remote areas like Tai O and Lamma Island, where resources are scarce compared to urban areas, we have persisted in our efforts for the past 25 years. Even during the most challenging times of the pandemic, we mobilised volunteers to visit elderly residents and provide voluntary haircuts, delivering care for the elderly in these remote villages.

 

We place great importance on enhancing overall operational efficiency, service quality, and impact assessment. Through continuous optimisation of organisational governance, staff development, and digital transformation, we strive to provide appropriate social services despite limited resources and the challenges posed by the pandemic.

 

We stringently adhere to the standards outlined in the "Best Practice Manual" set by the Social Welfare Department. This includes regular review of the utilisation of the Lump Sum Grant and maintaining an appropriate reserve. As of March 31, 2023, the total reserve of the grant-funded service unit from the Social Welfare Department amounts to $1,282,149, with a reserve of $224,029 for non-snapshot staff's provident fund. It is projected that the provident fund reserve will decrease to $200,000 after the end of the 2022-2023 fiscal year. To make better use of these reserves, the 2023-2024 fiscal year will allocate these funds to improve employee benefits.$1,282,149,當中非定影員工的公積金儲備$224,029。 預計於2022-2023 財政年度結束後,公積金儲備將減少至$200,000。 公積金儲備按指定之用途,用於非定影員工的公積金供款,為更善用有關儲備,2023-2024財政年度將善用這些金額改善員工福利。

 

Looking back on the year, HAC has adhered to the three service principles and emerged from the prolonged pandemic to provide a total of 7,278 core services to 122,094 attendees. Additionally, we have offered 1,020 non-core services to 5,213 individuals in need during the pandemic times. These services have been made possible through the funding support of the Social Welfare Department, the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund, the Community Chest, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. We are also grateful for the collaboration of our partners from academia, the business sector, and other professions who have steadfastly walked this journey with us, pooling our efforts to restore vitality to society.

 

Looking ahead, in addition to celebrating our 60th anniversary with a year-long series of events, we will:

  • Further enhance child protection measures by formulating HAC "Child Protection Policy" and related measures.
  • Step up our "Read to Change" service to kindergartens.
  • Strengthen volunteer training for active retirees, enabling them to engage in exciting community service.
  • Strengthen After-School Care services for grassroots students to support them in adaptation of school resumption and encourage their parents, especially women, to enter the workforce.

 

In this year of widespread adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology, which has brought unprecedented impact, we must ask ourselves: What knowledge should children acquire to excel in a future society dominated by AI? Despite the uncertainties of tomorrow's world, our work experience tells us that reading and storytelling definitely inspire children's minds, nurture their curiosity for knowledge, and instill a positive attitude when facing challenges. The road ahead is long, and we sincerely invite you to join us on this journey!

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