Summer Internship Project
Sai Ying Pun, Hong Kong, 2020
Opdrachtgever
Partner
The Hive
Agenda
Ontmoetingsonderwijs
A group of 12 students from across Hong Kong took part in a 2-week programme to (re)discover the city through their own lens. The group comprised of students from different schools / universities with a variety of cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. Together they explored historic layers in a typical old neighbourhood, zooming in to street level, the summer interns set out to explore and identify what makes this city unique; a deep-dive deep into local culture and living heritage.
The pressure cooker format included daily morning briefing & reflection sessions by professional mentors to guide the students in a steep learning curve in a short period of time. The programme also included site visits to partner organisations to get a sneak-peak into the professional field and different career paths in the field of urban planning and placemaking. The group met with a real estate developer, an architect, a social worker, an NGO leader and an academic researcher.
The students got to choose from two complimentary streams: creative storytelling and neighbourhood mapping. This format allowed the facilitators to tap into both creative interpretations and critical analysis. The students got hands-on experience in street surveys, interview and social listening techniques and then set out to process the collected intelligence in different ways: the storytellers created visual and editorial content and the mappers produced a neighbourhood identity report investigating the status of six (6) different neighbourhood value attributes.
“It is the epitome of true exploration, you get to understand and connect with the local community to truly grasp the heart of Sai Wan”
— Lena Huang
The summerschool internship ended with a student-led presentation to the same industry professionals they met during the week. The 8-member strong expert panel commented on the analytical and creative findings and the applicability to tackle and address current problems in the neighbourhood.
For many of the youngsters it was the first time to operate out of the classroom and out of their own bubble. Communicating with citizens from all walks in life and engaging in individual conservations proved to be an eye-opening experience. Also, the project outcomes provided ample stepping stones to discuss urgent contemporary urban issues from different angles.
The internship project was a unique opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in real-life practice and gain relevant work experience. Moreover, the 2-week programme provided the students insight into what kind of job, activities or company would be suitable, helped them orientate on their prospective career paths and they also made a start with building a professional network.
“It’s impressive that students can get to the core of the matter within just two weeks”
– Paul Zimmerman, District Councillor
Opdrachtgever
Eindproduct
Download het Sai Ying Pun Neighbourhood Report 2020
Bekijk de wandeling ‘Rouge’ (1987)
Meer informatie over het project hier