Diversity and Equality! Inclusion Through The Arts

DB Community Arts Integration Programme, the latest CSR initiative from Love.Together@DB, is aimed at building a closer DB community, and it sees residents connecting with artists from St. James’ Creation. Ray Au reports DB Community Arts Integration Programme brought to us by Love.Together@DB is already well underway. Around 100 DB residents were invited to take part in a series of ceramic art workshops hosted by St. James’ Creation (SJC), an NGO that provides a platform for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to create and share art. “With this brand-new CSR project, Love.Together@DB has given DB residents the opportunity to learn how to make ceramics from the professional tutors and talented artists – known as Ci-Fu Jai (師傅仔) – at SJC,” opens Sara Lai, Senior Principal Manager, Community Relations, Hong Kong Resort Company Ltd (HKRCL). “The DB-themed ceramics, including some made by the Ci-Fu Jai themselves, will be installed at DB Community Green Square in May for the whole community to enjoy. “In joining hands with our community partner SJC, we hope, first and foremost, to promote social integration,” Sara adds. “Through this meaningful project, DB stakeholders and artists with ASD have been able to work together and exchange ideas. We have set out to bridge the gaps between the different groups by promoting interaction and mutual understanding. The collaboration has allowed the Ci-Fu Jai to demonstrate their talent and creativity, and it serves as a catalyst for interaction, bringing people of different abilities and backgrounds together to work towards a common goal.” Artistic Collaboration Among the DB residents taking part in the DB Community Arts Integration Programme are students from S.K.H. Wei Lun Primary School, Discovery College and Discovery Bay International School, alongside elderly DB residents, members of the DB Elderly Group and young families from The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council (NAAC) and Discovery Bay Alliance Church Community Centre. “Love.Together@DB, the community caring platform established by HKRCL in 2012, constantly strives to engage and connect DB stakeholders via diversified community relations programmes,” Sara explains. “With the DB Community Arts Integration Programme, we want to show people that regardless of age or ability, we can all learn something new together and have fun.” During the workshops, the DB participants were taught how to make ceramic potato-head flower pots and ceramic leaves. Those making the flower pots were shown how to incorporate DB elements (e.g. local birds and butterflies, their own pets) into their designs. Those who made the ceramic leaves were asked to bring along “real” leaves that they had collected in DB, and they were shown how to develop them into unique ceramics, well anchored to the DB theme. The flower pots and leaves were glazed and fired after class by the Ci-Fu Jai and SJC tutors. The workshop participants will not see their creations until the grand reveal at DB Community Green Square in May. True to the spirit of integration, the Ci-Fu Jai joined the DB residents in making DB-themed flower pots, taking their design concept from the HKRCL nature guidebook A Breath of Discovery. The birds, flowers, butterflies, bats and buildings realised in their creations can all be seen locally. Two larger sculptures, Don Don (a DB boy) and Bon Bon (a DB girl), are still in the making, and will be revealed in May. Meaningful Dialogue In setting out to bring people with different abilities and backgrounds together through the arts, Love.Together@DB has hit upon a win-win for all those involved. “We provided this platform to enable DB stakeholders to form relationships with their neighbours and the Ci-Fu Jai, and to learn more about autism, and about people with ASD. Giving DB residents a firsthand look at what the Ci-Fu Jai can produce enables them to recognise their talents and strengths,” Sara says. “We learned a lot from the Ci-Fu Jai in the workshops and thoroughly enjoyed our time with them.” For the Ci-Fu Jai, the DB Community Arts Integration Programme is proving equally beneficial. It has provided them with a new opportunity not just to demonstrate their artistic talent, but also to build their confidence and interpersonal and communication skills, all while making lasting relationships with the DB participants. “Artistic activities are a powerful tool of social integration, connecting people across their differences. The workshops have created a unique opportunity for the Ci-Fu Jai to bond with DB residents,” says Tang Kar Po, Arts Development Manager, Rehabilitation Services, SJC. “By focusing on what people can do, we build social connections that are meaningful and fulfilling. “We would like to thank HKRCL for organising this programme: it is a wonderful way to open doors for the Ci-Fu Jai, allowing them to create and explore something new. The co-production of art pieces has created a space of dialogue and exchange. The Ci-Fu Jai have been empowered to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings effectively, even though verbal communication can be challenging for them.” A Sense Of Belonging While the DB Community Arts Integration Programme serves to connect DB residents with the wider Hong Kong community, it is equally DB-centric, aimed at developing close-knit relationships and a sense of shared purpose here at home. “The Love.Together@DB ethos is ‘Embrace Diversity and Build a Loving Community’. We set out to foster strong bonds and a sense of belonging within the DB community,” says Simon Tu, General Manager, DB Operations, HKRCL. “Participation in the DB Community Arts Integration Programme will lead to a greater understanding between people with different backgrounds and of different perspectives and experiences. Ultimately, it will promote social cohesion and empathy; it will help build a more inclusive DB society. “HKRCL is steadfast in it s commitment to creating a harmonious and unified living environment in DB for resident s,” Simon adds. “By fostering meaningful par tnerships bet ween HKRCL, NGOs, DB student s and resident s via initiatives like the DB Communit y Ar t s Integration Programme, we provide a plat form for fruitful engagement and collaboration.” Home to around 20,000 people hailing from 50+ countries, DB is indeed a unique place to live. Unique in its cultural mix, but also in how happily residents of different nationalities, backgrounds and ages coexist. This is thanks in no small part to Love.Together@DB’s numerous CSR initiatives, notably now the DB Community Arts Integration Programme. The programme has given residents the opportunity to come together and forge friendships, while having fun. Through connecting with the CiFu Jai, they have experienced the joy of working in an environment where everyone feels valued and respected, regardless of their differences. It is hoped that these friendships – and the experience – will prove fruitful long into the future. “Going forward, we hope experiences enjoyed during the DB Community Arts Integration Programme will encourage residents to work together to create an ever more vibrant, inclusive and socially conscious DB community,” Sara says. Importantly too, participation in the DB Community Arts Integration Programme has given residents the opportunity to give something back. Once installed at DB Community Green Square, the collaborative pieces of ceramic art will beautify their surroundings, making the neighbourhood an even more attractive place to live. “All this fosters not only a sense of ownership but also a sense of belonging. DB students, elderly residents and families have built something together with the Ci-Fu Jai, and their ceramic art pieces will be displayed for all their friends and neighbours to enjoy,” Sara says. The ceramics made by the DB participants and Ci-Fu Jai will be installed inside the greenhouse at DB Community Green Square, where families involved in the DB Kids Farming Programme plant their crops. The DB Kids Farming Programme, launched in May 2022, is another Love.Together@DB initiative that helps residents build relationships through shared activities. “Don Don and Bon Bon, the larger installations created by the Ci-Fu Jai, will be ‘Green Buddies’ safeguarding the children’s farms,” Sara explains. “They will stand as a symbol of the success of the DB Community Arts Integration Programme and of the community’s commitment to inclusion.” A ceremony will be held in May at DB Community Green Square to mark the successful completion of the DB Community Arts Integration Programme. All participants will be invited to join. Stay tuned for a full Around DB report in the June issue!