Creative Beings @ Sham Shui Po

Project Period

Nov 2021 – Mar 2022

Location

Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Project Lead

Social Ventures Hong Kong

Project Background & Inspiration

Sham Shui Po, in particular a section of Tai Nan Street, was nicknamed the “new Brooklyn” as a new influx of young creatives and entrepreneurs started to build their businesses in recent years. Since the area was dominated by textile and carwashing businesses, this influx of boutique coffee shops and creative businesses brought renewed interest in the neighbourhood. As the neighbourhood evolved rapidly, the question of possible gentrification also loomed: how can this youthful energy be channelled toward positive social change?

Having conducted the SSP District CoLab and built a network of local businesses in the neighbourhood, the Social Ventures Hong Kong (SVhk) team seek to further engage small businesses while giving youth a stronger voice in expressing their vision and hope for the city by curating the Creative Beings @ Sham Shui Po programme.

What happened in the project?

Youths are recruited via open call to join the programme curated with local businesses:

Bootcamp

Held over five days, youths gathered together for the first time to rediscover their potential, personal purpose and possibilities in creating impact; changemakers, industry experts and community members were invited to share their first hand experience with the youth

Apprenticeship

Partnering with 11 local businesses, youths gained working experiences at these businesses and were mentored by business owners, who mostly had a creative entrepreneurial background

Creative Residency

Youths had to initiate and pilot their own innovative community projects in partnership with local businesses to reimagine the Sham Shui Po neighbourhood over a 2-month residency

Online Festival

The Online Festival was a celebration of the programme with virtual fireside chats and project showcases to explore the intersections of life, work and community

Project Impact and Key Takeaway

Has set an example of utilizing existing resources to activate a programme, from people (existing thought leaders from advertisiting, media, social influencers and film backgrounds), place (store fronts of local businesses), platforms (through social media channels and traditional media), to non-financial support from 80+ organizations

Built an innovative community collaboration model which leverages existing creative resources in combination with local presence of community organizations and businesses, and will be replicated in Kwun Tong, another neighbourhood that has a strong creative industry presence and is undergoing rapid change with an influx of international businesses