Vision
In keeping with the present educational philosophy of the high standards of a quality and a highly sought-after school, we will infuse passion and purpose to transform students’ lives through a quality and balanced education for local and expatriate families alike.
March 2014 Newsletter
-Global Leadership Struggle for Survival-
In 2010, according to the World Bank, roughly two out of seven people live on less than USD 2 a day. We are all aware poverty exists, but let us ask ourselves: what actions have we done to address this? Living a life of plenty in a city that never sleeps, Hong Kong tempts us with cutting edge fashion, designer labels, the latest gadgets and of course, fine dining in its world class restaurants. Some of us simply just make sure that we have enough money in the bank to pay for the necessities: rent, tuition fees, utility bills and so on and so forth. As for the two out of seven, they will do their best to survive the day. Period.
February 14, 2014: Valentine’s Day. At this point, most of us are worrying about the best gift to give to our sweethearts, if the most romantic restaurants are fully booked, or just making sure everything goes as perfectly planned. However, here in Concordia International School, we decided to gain a deeper insight of what it was really like to be in the shoes of those in poverty.
Mrs. Stanhope arranged for our students to visit Crossroads Global Village in Tuen Mun to participate in their “Struggle for Survival” activity. While some may have expected a PowerPoint seminar in an auditorium, they were actually introduced to a simulation hall cleverly designed to relive the life of those in poverty instead. They were given newspapers to make paper bags out of as a “living” where 10 minutes is equivalent to one week and “shop owners” had the power to decide if they felt like paying in actual money or their some other preferred currency in exchange for their hard work- even hugs! Failure to meet their standards would mean having to surrender one or more of their belongings.
To make things even more hectic, the students went through the simulation all at once in groups as a “family”. I asked Mihaku, a student from Grade 10, what their efforts were for. She explained that they needed to earn “money” to get enough food, water and all other necessities her group needed to survive the week. Because of the massive demand, she explained there was little to no time to take breaks until their time limit of two hours was up.
After the simulation, all students who participated had a realization. Anyone would realize how difficult it was to be poor and there will be many who were glad they weren’t, but did they realize how strong and selfless the poor were? One student from Grade 10, Belle, shared, “In my mind, when someone talked about poverty, what came to mind were the ideas of laziness, foolishness, shiftlessness, but the truth is they were not any of those.” February 14, 2014: Valentine’s Day. At this point, most of us are worrying about the best gift to give to our sweethearts, if the most romantic restaurants are fully booked, or just making sure everything goes as perfectly planned. However, here in Concordia International School, we decided to gain a deeper insight of what it was really like to be in the shoes of those in poverty.
She and many others thought that the poor were too stubborn and contented with their living condition that they never considered doing anything to break out from their cycle of helplessness. She thought that poverty was an easy cycle to break free from, that if they worked hard enough they could have a better future. Her views took a turn during the game as she realized, “the poor couldn’t even have that valor to think about their future,” what was more important was right now. Would they have enough money to feed hungry mouths, or spend at least another day in their homes?
Being exposed so suddenly in the simulation made Belle want to work harder and never stop, just to make sure her family would have something to eat for the night. “But all I got was only a little money,” Belle explained, “and I needed to beg for more.” It was through this exercise that she realized “that the poor were not lazy, they often worked even harder than we do.”
They need an extra hand, not sympathy. A little boost to make their day better and not feel bad about themselves. Instead of watching them, why not make their day a little different? You don’t need money to help the poor or be rich to help half the world who are penniless, you can be just one person and extend a helping hand. Though you may not help everyone, at least make one person smile. It may not mean a lot to you, but to them, it may mean the whole world.
As you read this now, there will be many less fortunate working twice as much as you are just so they can get through the day and fill the empty stomachs of their children; children who were supposed to be in school but must help their parents instead just so they can eat. And yet, they will still find a reason to smile and laugh amidst their hardships
Gabby reminds us that poverty “is an issue that grows bigger and bigger as we speak.” It is still happening but we now have a better understanding of poverty and we have the power to help. If you are interested in making a difference, you can start today by checking out these links: