Whenever ethnic minorities’ new arrivals start to reside in Hong Kong, he or she will encounter lots of unknown, uncertainty and instability. Therefore, we organize relevant programmes such as orientation activities, support groups and capacity building programmes, etc. for the adaption of their new life. You can find useful settlement information from our useful link
Ambassador Scheme for Ethnic Minorities from Home Affairs Department
The Department of Health is committed to promoting the health of the public, and so puts great emphasis on “Partnership in Health”. Through this communication, we hope to inform local partners about health risks and other important topics in Hong Kong
Winter is coming_Don’t let flu stand a chance
The purpose of this paper is to brief the community the important health risks that should be aware of in the period from September to December 2010. In this issue, Vaccination Scheme 2010/11, Norovirus Infection, and Scrub Typhus are covered.
Integration----a household name we all know well.
A modern society is a society which enables different ethnic groups to live together under acceptance. In pursuit of an integrated society, the Hong Kong government and NGOs have tried their every effort to prevent different forms of discrimination for a long time. Yuen Long Town Hall Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities and Chomolongma Multicultural Community Centre have strongly advocated the concept of racial harmony and they are dedicated to providing a variety of services for the ethnic minorities (EMs)in Hong Kong.
A Two-way Service
In Hong Kong, the majority of people speaks in Cantonese and writes in Chinese and thus, learning Cantonese and Chinese is essential for ethnic minorities so that they can have better communication in their daily lives. Most importantly, it is crucial for different ethnic groups to integrate into the mainstream society without any language barriers. In view of these enormous needs, many non-governmental organizations provide Chinese classes for non-Chinese speaking residents in order to enhance their Chinese proficiency. Yuen long Town Hall Support Service Centre for Ethnic Minorities also organizes different levels of Chinese classes for EMs. Other than encouraging non-Chinese speaking residents to learn Chinese, we also provide simple translation and interpretation services for helping them with the effective use of community resources.
A boost for the youth
Hong Kong is a rather special place since we speak in Cantonese but write in Chinese. It is very difficult for non-Chinese residents to manage these two languages properly at the same time, especially for the EM students. Language barriers can also result in hindering one’s promotion to a higher level of education. Hence, the Hong Kong Government, NGOs and schools have been working for a long time to help non-Chinese speaking students to study on a comparatively equal basis, such as the arrangements of designated schools for teaching non-Chinese students, the provision of resources as well as the recognition of the curriculum of General Certificate of Secondary Education Examination (GCSE) so that non-Chinese students could get a pass in Chinese which meet the basic entrance requirement of tertiary education.
As we all know, the choices of study and work will be affected by the academic results to a great extent. Therefore, we expect there will be more and more non-Chinese speaking students proceeding to higher level of education so that they can accomplish their life goals and contribute to the society in return. We will keep supporting and encouraging them not only to strive for better education, but also to let them know Hong Kong people are always by their side.
Expansion of employer networks
Hong Kong people work very hard for a high productivity return. In fact, the South Asian residents are also hardworking people as well. Unfortunately, owing to language barriers, the choices of work of the latter are always limited and their development capacity are also restrained. Their contribution for Hong Kong is also affected. Apparently, if the employers adopt an open attitude, the labour force and productivity can be also increased since there will be different cultural exchanges on work, thinking and aesthetic. Besides, workplace is an ideal environment for the non-Chinese residents to practice Cantonese. It can not only strengthen their motivation of integrating into the mainstream society, but also live independently with positive energy. And it is encouraging that more and more employers in Hong Kong are willing to employ non-Chinese residents. We will keep on expanding employer networks in order to provide more job opportunities for non-Chinese residents, to enhance the employability of supporting services, and to bring greater impetus to the goal.
Strong support for foreign domestic helpers
Among the non-Chinese working population, Indonesian and Filipino in fact share the greatest proportion. Maybe you don’t really aware of them. But it is undeniable that over the years, Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers indeed make a significant contribution to Hong Kong since their employers can focus on their work, older people are able to live with appropriate care and for those who are living alone, they could continue living in their familiar community with the help of domestic helpers. Our society will be benefited when the numbers of domestic helpers are growing. However, foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong do not have much room for the establishment of self-life. Their social support network is weak and they lack learning opportunities. They even face a lot of difficulties and stress. Also, it requires great courage to work overseas as they need to get used to the new living conditions and different languages. Living under the same roof, we need to pay more tolerance and patience for them because interpersonal relations are a two-way interaction. Therefore, we should not ignore their needs.
Many non-governmental organizations, including the Support Service Center for Ethnic Minorities, provide them with life-oriented activities, interest classes, support groups and even large-scale cultural activities. We support the personal growth of foreign domestic helpers so that they know how to cope with their pressure and to face their difficulties with positive attitudes. Besides, we also place much effort in equipping them as good residents and supporting them to live happily in Hong Kong. Our society can definitely be benefited by our strong support for foreign domestic helpers in terms of economy.
Multicultural participation
Our government, NGOs and schools have been working hard to support non-Chinese residents in Hong Kong. The non-Chinese residents also try different channels to adapt to the life in Hong Kong. Acceptance, understanding and tolerance are the most important attitudes! We should keep encouraging the non-Chinese residents to integrate into the Hong Kong society. At the same time, we need to reach out, to step out and to take a high initiative to help non-Chinese residents. The meaning of ‘integration’ at the beginning of this article, in fact, means that we can work it out if we work it out together! Building up Hong Kong as a cosmopolitan city is open to a multicultural life style instead of a cultural hegemony.
When you meet non-Chinese neighbours or non-Chinese schoolmates next time, it would be great if you greet them or show your friendliness to them. Life will be better in an integrated society! Let’s act it out together now!
