SOCO and i-Learner EnglishLeap Camp to help newly arrived children

The Society for Community Organization (SOCO) has joined hands with i-Learner of Nebula Group Limited, a leading English learning institute, to organize an all English immersion camp for 30 newly arrived children. The camp will give underprivileged kids an opportunity to enhance their exposure to English activities and build their self confidence. It is supported by the English Department of the University of Hong Kong and will be hosted at, and sponsored by, the Morrison Hall of HKU from July 28 to 29.

The 30 children involved have all recently moved into Hong Kong from mainland China, and without the English skills a good education would develop will have future prospects well below the majority of native students. Each student has been hand-picked from hundreds of applicants and shows potential and a willingness to learn that has not been harnessed due to their underprivileged backgrounds. A mixture of ages, from Primary 2 to Secondary 2, will be inspired to speak English in groups of no more than eight. They will be led by HKU students and i-Learner tutors, who are native English speakers. The camp will see the children build up their aspirations and ambitions whilst experiencing life at a top university.

i-Learner are also offering the children the chance to use their online reading platform for free, supplementing the fun-filled immersion camp and giving them access to teaching materials usually out of their reach. Each child has been given an i-Learner account, which allows them to read and listen to a passage every day and complete comprehensive exercises related to the passages. They will also all receive an individual learning contract that requires their parents and friends to be involved in the process, witnessing their commitment to improved English abilities.

i-Learner and SOCO are using these activities to arouse concern about the inadequate learning support provided to the children of underprivileged families. They are giving the children the tools they need to broaden their horizons and enhance their self-esteem, confidence and English communication abilities. Without the necessary aid these children are stuck in a poverty trap and will never be conducive to the future development of Hong Kong.