Hong Kong Artists Bring the Arts to Kids in Need
21-11-14
Art can be beneficial for any child but can be of great service to kids with learning disabilities and special needs. Special education and art integration have proven to be beneficial on many levels for special needs students. Art helps special needs kids in their self-expression, life skills, literacy and coordination. Art is a great way for special needs kids to find success in life. By understanding the benefits of integrating special education with art, parents and educators can find inspiration to introduce art into their school’s curriculum.
Over the past few weeks, we had the chance to talk with several Hong Kong artists who have been working with Hong Kong's youth to highlight the integration of art into the curriculum.
Ruby Yang is an Oscar winning documentary film maker from HK. Her first Hong Kong based documentary, released this past October, was called My Voice, My Life and followed the lives of students who are underprivileged and suffering from low self-esteem but who find their identity through musical theatre. The musical theatre program featured was at Ebeneezer School, where kids with visual impairments are matched up with those who have behavioral issues to put on a show. The end product was magical and the documentary about their rehearsal process is tear jerking. "I was very impressed by the amount of work the students put in and the struggles the teachers faced," says Yang. "They had very little support but were putting on this project because they knew it could benefit the children."
Lack of support is a common theme in a lot of the stories we heard from the artists. Amy Tao, owner of art shop Painter Time in Shatin, spoke of her desire to bring free art classes to special needs schools in Hong Kong. "I had the resources. I wanted to come in and paint with the children for free. The SEN teachers wanted me to come but couldn't find the support from the admin side of the school. It took almost 6 months for me to be approved and I was offering to volunteer for free! Can you imagine what it must be like to deal with that kind of bureaucracy daily?"
Some artists avoid the red tape altogether and instead offer classes and programs outside of the school hall where there are less distractions. Local dance company, URB-Dance in Ap Lei Chau, has done free dance workshops with special needs groups and elderly groups. "We put a sign up on our facebook page or website and people's families sign them in. It's much easier for us to do the programs with people who want to be involved," says teacher Andy Chau.
Local sculptor Brad Jacobs is also working on a program with volunteers. Living in Fotan, he found that many young teenage boys in the area were often getting in trouble at school and suffered from ADHD, like he did. "In Hong Kong, they don't treat it the same as they do back in Canada and I think the lack of room to run around complicates things when they have a lot of energy." He brings volunteers into his studio to help with welding projects. They even made wire sculptures and took them down to Occupy Mong Kok together. "They're great kids, they're just really energetic and have trouble focusing. It might seem a bit nuts to give a kid a sharp object or a welding tool when they're a bit scattered but giving them a complicated task and telling them that you trust them really helps them. They've been the best interns I've ever had."
It's not just documentaries and visual art that are getting into the spirit. Many local theatre groups also are doing special projects. This weekend, the Hong Kong Players will be doing a special mini version of the Panto at Grappa's Cellar starring child performers from the DSA. "I think Panto is bright and colourful and the costumes and production values are visually appealing to special needs audiences. Also the story is a well known tale and the chance for audience interaction is a great opportunity to allow them to express their thoughts and feelings through the performance without the usual social norms of performance," says Hong Kong players commitee member Adam Walker.
The holidays are a great time to get involved and volunteer. For those wanting more information, a great blog resource is Volunteer in Hong Kong. They list all the NGO's and how to contact them.
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