Community Revitalisation Initiatives

These participatory action research projects are my experiments in transdisciplinary education, exploring ways and approaches of connecting students’ university learning experiences with the community. It activates learning in the “thick of life” and offers opportunities to partner with community stakeholders in changemaking, peacebuilding, and revitalisation.

The projects include:

  • Local community of Mui Wo (Lantau, Hong Kong)
  • Atayal Indigenous Community in Dong Ao (Yilan, Taiwan)
  • Filipino Migrant Workers (Hong Kong)
  • Nyamirambo Women’s Centre (Rwanda)
 
I am indebted to community partners and facilitators for their ingenuity, enthusiasm, and generosity in allowing these partnerships manifest.

Mui Wo Local Community

Engaging with the Mui Wo community, the project combined futures thinking, collective art, public dialogue, forest bathing, camping, and local food and practices to understand ways for regeneration and building resilience for long-term sustainability that recognises the interdependence of economic, ecological and social health and wellbeing.

Students work in teams to create a “Bill of Health” diagnosis of the Mui Wo community, visual maps and artworks, identifying grassroot initiatives, and producing a revitalisation handbook/ zine for the public. 

Atayal Indigenous Community in Dong Ao

Hong Kong students travelled for a three-day immersive fieldtrip to Yilan County to explore the rich cultural heritage of the Atayal tribe, one of Taiwan’s largest indigenous group. Students learnt from Atayal ecological practices, visited an experimental elementary school that interweaves traditional knowledge into modern education, and engaged with tribe elders, master craftsman, and indigenous youth. Activities included traditional cooking and weaving, learn about sustainable practices regarding architecture, hunting, oral traditions, and craftsmanship.

Artefacts of the research included short documentaries on Atayal culture and the region, making contributions to public knowledge of indigenous culture on Wikipedia, and revitalisation plans for the community.

Community Partners: Yaya Chen, Dong Ao Elementary School, and the Dong Ao Atayal Community

Hong Kong Filipino Migrant Workers

Students participated in a project engaging across migrant worker community spaces in Hong Kong, joining in their activities. The resarch project involved interviewing the workers to understand their homelife, specifically their motivations, identities, and aspirations, together with their experiences of discrimination, prejudice, and displacement living in Hong Kong. It explored how their experiences of collectivism, advocacy, and education influenced their responses. 

Community Partners: Resolve Foundation, Social Justice for Migrant Workers, Migrants Pride Hong Kong, Gabriela Hong Kong, FilGuys Hong Kong

Nyamirambo Women's Centre

Hong Kong students collaborated with Davis College Rwandan students to create marketing and promotional solutions for an non-profit organisation in Rwanda supporting women affected by domestic violence and discrimination.

Community Partners: Davis College Rwanda, Nyamirambo Women’s Center