Sham Shui Po District CoLab

Project Period

July 2021 – November 2021

Location

Sham Shui Po, Hong Kong

Project Lead

Social Ventures Hong Kong

Project Background & Inspiration

Having been directly interacting with residents and families in Sham Shui Po via various community pilots for four years, the Social Ventures Hong Kong team observed a growing need to innovate and connect different stakeholders in Sham Shui Po in response to the neighbourhood’s rapid demographic changes and commercial redevelopments.

As the neighbourhood becomes more ethnically diverse with more middle-class, younger residents moving in, the SVhk team launched SSP District CoLab as a short and intensive experimental sprint to pilot bottom-up effort to collectively reimagine the needs and possibilities for the neighbourhood.

What happened in the project?

With a funding support from the Community Chest of Hong Kong, the team curated workshops in the span of five months to collectively develop community visions and directions with the community. Participants then collaborated to test the following prototypes:

1. Live Well

Live Well is a community wellness programme to empower participants to build a healthy lifestyle on a budget; apart from a 3-day community workshop, participants also took on a 21-day challenge to pick up healthy habits and share their achievements with others; the materials are co-created with RunOurCity and Sham Shui Po District Health Centre to ensure the professional quality

2. Jobcation

Jobcation is a job try-out initiative to encourage employers to adjust hiring practices while expanding opportunities available in the community by organising an Opportunity Fair and Excursion Days; previously overlooked talent pools, such as mothers with young children, are exposed to job opportunities and employer visits to understand current opportunities and requirements, with referral support from 5 nonprofit organizations

3. Behind-the-Seen

Behind-the-Seen is a space-sharing initiative to encourage local businesses to host activities for nearby families and the neighbourhood in general by opening up their store fronts for community use during non-peak hours; partnering with Book Punch and Colour Brown, parent-child activities are hosted at the stores with over 30 families joining

Project Impact and Key Takeaway

Following positive response from gaaifongs, the SVhk team has adjusted the programme focus to training mothers to become part-time community health coaches

Inspire another Jobcation pilot in collaboration with Business with Purpose and HATCH to advocate for a more talent-centric hiring model in which talents’ needs are taken into consideration in designing job positions

Local shops have become more aware of different possibilities for community participation. Different experiences and activities are now available for the community to join, such as egg tart baking with kids