A Hong Kong social enterprise is empowering the overlooked, one app at a time
- FamilyOnline.TV is giving young people with special needs the tools required to become successful writers, animators, producers and artists
- Their work has earned them a nomination for this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards
They may not have a regular workplace, but, armed with laptops, talented young participants in a social enterprise in Hong Kong are able to work from anywhere, creating animations and developing edutainment tools for users worldwide.
These tech-savvy youths, aged between 15 and 25, are groomed in accordance with their aptitude by the FamilyOnline.TV team, who want to help them unleash their creative streak and transcend their own limits.
Tiffany Chan Wai-fun, who founded the social enterprise with her husband, Michael Sze Tak-lee, in 2012, said her team aimed primarily to support young people living with physical disabilities or developmental disorders.
She said her team believed many young people with special education needs were overlooked by the community, and that the mastery of information and communications technology (ICT) and media production skills could help them prove their worth.
Chan, who uses a wheelchair, said she understood the difficulties faced by many families with special needs children.
“We want to do something for the special needs community,” she said.
Through the provision of pre-employment and on-the-job training, FamilyOnline.TV, established under the iCare Foundation, encourages attendees to plan for their own future.
