Project Development
The Harbour School prides itself on students getting involved in the real world, and nowhere is this more evident than in our Project Development initiative.We encourage students to get involved in a range of existing charitable social impact initiatives or begin their own. These have ranged from environmental issues to poverty initiatives, and everything in between. One such project, Meraki Giving, is a student-founded non profit organization that is a prime example of what our students can achieve when they work hard towards civically minded ends. Please visit the website here to find out more information on the past and ongoing initiatives. Our Project Development initiative hopes to give students authentic entrepreneurial and business development experiences that cannot be taught through didactic classroom approaches.
Past Initiatives through Project Development
Kuunga Mkono Initiative
Presented with the situation of children recovering at the Shoe For Africa Children’s Hospital, students at THS endeavoured to design, fundraise, and build a school for recovering children at the hospital. Students were required to contact potential mentors, work with experts, deliver pitches and host fundraising events.
The goal for this group of students was to build a school attached to the Shoe For Africa Children’s Hospital. Throughout the process, students were responsible for establishing a schedule, working with patients on the design and incorporating their vision and ideas into the design of the school.
Animal Rights, Responsible Tourism and Consumerism
Hong Kong has been a major port for the illegal ivory trade, a hub for animal testing, puppy mills, as well as shark fin and bear bile consumption. Students worked with Animals Asia, Wildaid, Lush, and Ocean’s Alliance to research and understand the role we as tourists and consumers play in the treatment and survival of these animals. Students hosted an Animal Rights Gala and invited prominent speakers, the media, local vendors, and the public to participate in workshops and activities before ending the evening with guest speakers.
The goal for this group of students was to provide a series of strategies for individuals to make ethical decisions when travelling. By providing information regarding the use of bear bile and ivory in daily products helped reveal animal testing within our favourite products and how to shop for alternatives.
Caged Homes: Poverty in a Wealthy City
Students explored the complexities of poverty in Hong Kong by initiating their investigation by identifying a specific demographic and focussing their research there. Throughout this journey students decided to further explore the factors of poverty in Hong Kong, but especially the plight of the elderly. This led to students learning about rooftop slums, caged homes, coffin homes, and subdivided flats.
The goal for this group of students was to create functional furniture for those living in subdivided flats as well as holding an awareness evening inviting media, city politicians, and NGOs to shine a light on the situation.
Begin your journey