HKFYG & Rosewood Hotel Group support young people during pandemic
Rosewood Hotel Group joined hands with The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) to present the “Family Resilience Plus” program, as a further commitment to support underserved families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic under Rosewood Empowers, the group’s social impact initiative. The program has empowered 100 students from 36 local schools to take leadership in making a difference to their family. Each of them received a subsidy of HKD5,000 to devise a plan to improve living environment and plan activities that would contribute towards family harmony and quality family time. Miss Alice Mak, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, officiated at the recognition ceremony on 19 November. Two awardees shared their experiences and key learnings with the guests. The Top 10 students with the most creative ideas were selected. They will each receive a tailored staycation experience at Rosewood Hong Kong. To curate an enjoyable and educational experience for the students and their families, Rosewood Hong Kong’s social impact venture restaurant BluHouse will organize a thematic activity that introduces Rosewood Hotel Group’s concept of “circular hospitality” as an experiential immersion of Rosewood’s impact journey.
Driven by a sense of purpose to inspire, enrich and positively impact both people and planet, Rosewood Hotel Group launched Rosewood Impacts with Rosewood Empowers as one of the key pillars. Rosewood Empowers encapsulates the Group’s belief in equal access to opportunity. The Group seeks talent from underserved groups through opportunity employment, promotes youth development and creates value for all our communities.
Rosewood Hotel Group and HKFYG join hands to nurture young family leaders
As the first Rosewood Empowers project under the three-year partnership with HKFYG, the “Family Resilience Plus” program allowed teenagers to strengthen family bonding by assuming the role of the family leader and learning to identify the needs of their loved ones. “Rosewood Empowers was launched in June, seeking to support the community through various initiatives. As its name suggests, Rosewood Empowers aims to empower those in need, enhancing their capacities and boosting their confidence in career planning as well as bringing positive impacts on others. This partnership with HKFYG has demonstrated our commitment to supporting the youths, empowering them to be leaders of the families,” says Sonia Cheng, chief executive officer of Rosewood Hotel Group.
“I have to say how deeply touched and impressed I am by their efforts. By not giving up and seeking solutions to overcome their challenges, they really are role models for us all,” says Mr. Andy Ho Wing-cheong, executive director of HKFYG, expressing his deep appreciation to all the students who have showed such perseverance in the midst of adversities. “HKFYG is deeply committed to ensuring that all young people in Hong Kong, especially those facing challenges are given all the support they need. We will continue to work with the HKSAR government, as well as other stakeholders in the community to nurture young people both with the skills to solve problems, as well as build up the resilience they need to manage their wellness.”
Encourage students to play an active role in boosting family engagement and relationships
One of the awardees shared that his mother working in the catering industry suffered financial stress when she was forced to take unpaid leaves during the pandemic. Despite her thin wallet, she never cut his tuition expense, and the family went through the tough time together. The student was also aware of his mother’s back pain problem caused by physical labor and that their refrigerator was broken.
“She’s always busy with work while I am busy with studies. However, the program gave us an opportunity to talk more to each other. Thinking from her perspective, I decided to replace the cooking utensils and refrigerator with the subsidy to alleviate her burdens. I also bought a massage machine, so that I can give her a massage every night and enjoy some quality time together. It doesn’t only help relieve her pain, but also brings us closer.” He described the experience as “First in My Life” as he has never worked on a budget for his family, adding that he was also able to start a conversation with his mother on new topics. Understanding that the proper use of social resources will benefit more people, he is now more determined to plan his career in fields that can help others.
Another student with a winning idea lives with her mother in a small and poorly ventilated home. Before the pandemic, her mother was very active and enjoyed joining various community activities in her neighborhood. During the pandemic, she noticed that her mother became increasingly upset and agitated as group activities were cancelled and she was forced to be homebound. Their relationship also deteriorated as the tension surged especially in a small and confined unit. It was only during her online research for the program that she realized she needed to understand more about her mother’s wishes, hobbies and needs. She observed that her mother suffered from allergic rhinitis and was not able to sleep well due to the confined spaces and poor ventilation. She decided that purchasing an air purifier would help improve the air quality. To encourage her mother to stay active, she purchased a folding treadmill that can cater to smaller spaces When they exercise together on the treadmill, they communicate more and are able to rebuild the relationship. Despite the challenges she came across in this program, she has learnt more about financial management and has grown to shoulder responsibilities at home.