In 2024, HKU-UBS Sustainable and Social Innovation Leadership Programme (SSILP) began expanding its reach to other Greater Bay Area cities to broaden the horizons of local Hong Kong NGOs and foster cross-border collaborations.
On July 5, 2024, the 2024 cohort of the HKU-UBS Sustainable and Social Innovation Leadership Programme (SSILP) traveled to Shenzhen to engage with local NGOs and exchange experiences and knowledge. The day began with a visit to the China Global Philanthropy Institute, where Professor Tang Hao (唐昊教授), the Executive Director, welcomed the group and delivered a lecture on the history of philanthropy in China.
After the visit to CGPI, practitioners from various GBA-based NPOs joined the cohort for lunch. The NPOs include
- Harmony Community Foundation (广东省千禾社区公益基金会)
- NPI Organization (恩派公益)
- Rural Women Development Foundation Guangdong (绿芽基金会)
- Impact Hub Shenzhen
These local nonprofit representatives came from diverse service areas, such as rural women’s development, community development, and environmental conservation. They shared their experiences in delivering services to benefit local society with the SSILP participants.
Despite differences in social contexts, the SSILP participants and local nonprofit practitioners found that passion, mission, and even operational challenges often align among nonprofit practitioners across the GBA cities. This exchange deepened the SSILP participants’ understanding of the mainland nonprofit ecosystem and fostered opportunities for cross-border collaborations.
In the afternoon, the group visited Chen Yidan Foundation (陈一丹基金会), an educational foundation dedicated to diversifying the education ecosystem. Mr. David Wong (黄家裕先生) introduced the foundation’s primary projects including the upcoming Chen Yidan Education Center to the group. The foundation utilizes research on evidenced-based educational approaches to provide innovative solutions to students’ learning and wellbeing. Many participants found the innovative projects and the foundation’s education vision inspiring.
The last stop of trip was Mangrove Conservation Foundation (红树林基金会), which manages the mangrove conservatory in Shenzhen Bay area. This critical resting place for migratory birds and a biodiversity hub provided an opportunity for the group to tour the conservatory and observe birds in the park.
The field trip to Shenzhen offered the cohort valuable practical insights from nonprofit peers in other GBA cities. Additionally, it allowed participants to strengthen their bonds, potentially leading to future collaborations. We look forward to the field trip to other GBA cities next year.
