香港社会企业正在赋予香港的特殊学障青年群体,善用资讯科技改写人生的机遇 -《南华早报》(2020年8月7日) – 簡體中文翻譯版

「亲Online共融电视台」FamilyOnline. TV为有特殊學習需要的(SEN)年轻人,提供资讯科技应用培训,让他们成为网络作家、动画师及App制作人;他们的工作,使他们获得了2020年香港精神奖的提名。

FamilyOnline.TV团队成员于2019年出席于香港生产力局举行的训练课程。 照片:由受访者提供

他们10年来也没有一个固定的工作场所;但是,这一家香港IT社企,善用笔记本电脑与流动宽带的便利性,令才华横溢的SEN年青人能够在任何地方登入网络工作,为世界各地的用户制作动画和开发教育工具。

这群精通资讯科技及多媒体技术的SEN年轻人,年龄介乎于15至25岁之间;根据各自的天赋与才能,以线上线下的模式接受FamilyOnline.TV团队的长期培训,务实而智慧地因材施教,目标是帮助香港的SEN年轻人释放自己的创造力,超越自己的极限。

Tiffany Chan于2012年与丈夫Michael Sze共同创立了FamilyOnline.TV这IT社企;团队主要致力于支持患有身体残疾或身心障碍的年轻人。

Tiffany的团队相信,许多有特殊教育需要的年轻人经常被社区忽视,掌握信息科技及通信技术(ICT)和媒体制作技能,可以帮助他们证明自己的价值。

患有听障的轮椅用户Tiffany,理解许多育有特殊需要孩子家庭所面临的困难。 “我们希望,竭尽所能为有特殊需要的社区做些事情” 她说。

FamilyOnline.TV透过iCare基金会提供「职前训练」与「在职培训」,鼓励香港15至25岁SEN青少年人规划自己的未来。

“我们的年青同事,陆续也会学习面对自己独立生活,例如最基本可以开始支付自己的电脑及宽带网络费用” Tiffany说。

FamilyOnline.TV团队希望,让有特殊需要的年轻人,以及他们周围的人,如他们的家庭,每一天可以生活得更有盼望。

FamilyOnline.TV团队成员获得2019年香港资讯及通讯科技奖 (HKICT Award) – 智慧市民年度大奖。 照片:由受访者提供

他们的工作团队获得了今年香港精神奖的提名;这项由《南华早报》和地产发展商《信和集团》联合主办的年度活动,旨在表扬那些努力不懈但未被公众关注的人的成就。

Tiffany的朋友Thomas Lau提名FamilyOnline.TV团队参加今年的「团队合作精神」奖,该奖项旨在表彰那些对社会有贡献的无名小团体。

Tiffany的IT社企已经建立了可持续发展的商业模式;她补充说,现时团队需要常常在没有固定办公室的情况下,为SEN年青人进行培训和工作管理,并在香港高成本的营商环境下,保持竞争力。

她说:「我一年到晚都要带领一群SEN年轻人,从社区中寻找可供租用而且价格低廉的场地,进行培训。」

FamilyOnline.TV的学员可以通过长期的《在职培训》,学习成为网络作家、动画师及App制作人。

多年来,IT社企经已培训了2,000名有特殊教育需要的年青人。 SEN团队更合力创作了430个益智App及游戏,传达积极正面的价值观;App已达至221个国家和地区,超过450万次下载量。

Tiffany的丈夫,兼联合创始人Michael分享道,SEN年青人往往缺乏自信,每一个App下载量对他们都很重要。

他说:「当看到有人在世界各地,甚至远在非洲也有人下载他们的App,会让SEN年青人感到很有成就感。 」

他们夫妇表示,团队在2019年荣获香港资讯及通信科技奖的「智慧市民大奖」将赋予他们训练的SEN同事一份社会认同感;让他们团队的努力继往开来,薪火相传。

《南华早报》(2020年8月7日) 报导原文: https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3096302/hong-kong-social-enterprise-empowering-overlooked-one-app

以下为英文版的原文内容:


 

A Hong Kong social enterprise is empowering the overlooked, one app at a time – South China Morning Post (7 Aug 2020)

  • FamilyOnline.TV is giving young people with special needs the tools required to become successful writers, animators, producers and artists
  • Their work has earned them a nomination for this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards
FamilyOnline.TV team members attend a training session at the Hong Kong Productivity Council in 2019. Photo: Handout

They may not have a regular workplace, but, armed with laptops, talented young participants in a social enterprise in Hong Kong are able to work from anywhere, creating animations and developing edutainment tools for users worldwide.

These tech-savvy youths, aged between 15 and 25, are groomed in accordance with their aptitude by the FamilyOnline.TV team, who want to help them unleash their creative streak and transcend their own limits.

Tiffany Chan Wai-fun, who founded the social enterprise with her husband, Michael Sze Tak-lee, in 2012, said her team aimed primarily to support young people living with physical disabilities or developmental disorders.

She said her team believed many young people with special education needs were overlooked by the community, and that the mastery of information and communications technology (ICT) and media production skills could help them prove their worth.

Chan, who uses a wheelchair, said she understood the difficulties faced by many families with special needs children.
“We want to do something for the special needs community,” she said.

Through the provision of pre-employment and on-the-job training, FamilyOnline.TV, established under the iCare Foundation, encourages attendees to plan for their own future.

“Our young colleagues may soon start thinking about living independently and about paying their own broadband bills,” she said.

Chan said her team found it important to make youths with special needs – and those around them, such as their families – more hopeful.

FamilyOnline.TV team members attend the 2019 HKICT Smart People Grand Award Ceremony. Photo: Handout

Their work has earned the team a nomination for this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards.

The annual event, co-organised by The South China Morning Post and the property developer Sino Group, celebrates the achievements of people whose endeavours may not come to public notice.

Thomas Lau, a friend of Chan’s, recommended the FamilyOnline.TV team for this year’s Spirit of Teamwork award, which recognises unsung groups that embrace their roles as socially responsible corporate citizens.

Chan said she believed her social enterprise had built a sustainable business model, adding that it stayed competitive in this high cost environment by managing without a fixed office.

“Every day I lead a group of young people hopping from community centre to cheap venue-for-hire to do the training,” she said.

A participant in FamilyOnline.TV training sessions may learn to be a writer, animator, producer and artist.

Over the years, the social enterprise has trained 2,000 young people with special education needs. It has created 430 edutainment mobile apps and video games that convey moral values, generating more than 4.5 million downloads from 221 countries and territories.

Sze, Chan’s husband and co-founder, said every download counted to their young colleagues, who often lacked self-confidence.

“Seeing someone download their creations from places as far away as Africa would make them feel successful,” he said.

The couple said their team, which won the Hong Kong ICT “Smart People Grand Award” in 2019, would empower their trained colleagues to keep up their endeavours and pass on their skills.

Source: South China Morning Post
https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3096302/hong-kong-social-enterprise-empowering-overlooked-one-app