[hkjudy]

The Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC) Language Training Program at the Po Leung Kuk is a program to help the residential kids (orphans or kids from disfunctional families) get a 'leg-up' when they leave school.

All kids receive English storytelling in their dormitories or small group homes. Currently the kinder and lower primary kids also receive English and Putonghua training (over and above what they receive during school hours) and with help from our corporate partners, we are hoping to extend this to the upper primary and secondary levels.

The PLK is currently looking for full-time (at the headquarters in CWY Bay) and part-time (in small group homes across HK) storytellers.

Qualifications: Education degree preferred but experience and other teaching qualifications will be considered. Creativity and enthusiasm for providing these disadvantaged kids with an interest in language and learning is the most important criteria.

AND - if you are a qualified NET and would be interested in hearing when there are openings for NET teachers - please send your resume.

Send resumes and questions regarding specific information on the positions to:

Sonia Chan
plkhsnesc@yahoo.com.hk
9736 6203

If you'd like more information regarding the Language Training Program - contact FCC Charity Fund Committee member: Judy (Judy@exploresaikung.com).

Please do not send resumes to me!

Judy

[enzo]

i like to help part-time voluntarily, please give me the hours so i could see whether i could make it.

[angiebaby80]

i would like to volunteer as well...free only during the weekends though..and maybe i can stretch my week evenings too..i also have volunteered to walk the spca-dogs in the weekends..*angiebaby80=busy bee*...but would still love to hear something back...i will definitely do it if i am free..

[hkjudy]

Thanks so much for offering to volunteer! The program was supposed to be using volunteers as fill-ins when teachers/storytellers are off but, since the program is relatively new, I am not sure that they have implemented the volunteer program yet.

Please send me your contact details at hkjudy at gmail.com and in the meantime, I'm meeting with the PLK over next few days and will discuss possibilities.

These are really special kids and the teachers are finding it very rewarding - I'm sure that you will as well.

Cheers!
Judy

[Mina917]

Do you need to have the mentioned qualification to be a Volunteer?

[angiebaby80]

if you can read the story with perfect english tone then guess that will be enough...the kids might catch up with my london accent...and i'll fake a *posh* one...

[Rimo]

You can count me in as a volunteer, kindly give me schedules so I can manage my time.

[@dorable]

ok u know wat I wana know?? Is on a dependant visa, the stamp is 'work is not permitted, paid or unpaid' so u can't even volunteer????

[BenderBends]

even if on a work visa for one company, you can not volunteer or work at any other company...paid or unpaid....

work visa is only good for specific company


just be careful as to what you will do,

[hkjudy]

Hi All,
Sorry - obviously haven't been checking this board often enough!

Qualifications for volunteers are definitely not as rigid but....please understand that this isn't like reading to your kids at bedtime (which was my fantasy when I first began development of the program). I had a picture in my mind of all the kids sitting quietly in their dorm cuddled up to a storyteller and listening, enraptured! That was totally blown when the SCMP came to take a picture of me with the kids - and it was impossible to get any of them to pay attention or sit still

Although the kids who have been there for the past 6 mths are slowly getting a little more familiar with English and the concept of "story-telling" - the majojrity of the kids at PLK are not used to listening quietly to a story and so it involves a great deal of creativity and patience. The storytellers employ art, music, drama, games, and computer games to keep the kids focussed. There's also another challenge which involves those who go to the group homes - the age range is very wide. So....there are many challenges but also many rewards.

As for ability to work on a dependent's visa - this is something that we have to look carefully at before bringing the volunteers in. I would hope that this type of volunteer work would just require a letter to Immigration by the Social Service Dept. and they would give their ok - we'll check this out.

In the meantime - could all of you who have expressed an interest in voluteering please send me an email at hkjudy at gmail dot com and I'll start the process with the PLK.

Cheers!
Judy
FCC Charity Committee