At Rotary, we are committed to treating everyone with dignity and respect, allowing everyone’s voice to be heard, and providing equitable opportunities for fellowship, service and leadership.
Connecting the Dots between DEI and Membership
September is the Month of “Basic Education”.
Basic education refers to educational activities designed for people
- to acquire necessary knowledge and skills to survive, to develop their full capacities,
- to cultivate creativity and critical thinking,
- to live and work in dignity,
- to participate in personal and social development,
- to improve the quality of their lives,
- to make informed decisions, and
- to continue learning.
Basic education includes safe learning environments, qualified teachers, appropriate learning materials, and supportive infrastructure, equitably accessible to everyone regardless of gender, socioeconomic status, disability, age, or location etc.
Many children worldwide are deprived of schooling because
- there is no school nearby,
- they have to work to support their family, and
- they cannot afford tuition, textbooks, stationery or even shoes.
The opportunity to receive basic education not only improves literacy rates but also helps students rise out of poverty.
Education & Poverty in Hong Kong and in Its Vicious Cycle
In Hong Kong, statistics show that a university graduate earns twice more than a family of two living under the poverty line.
- Underprivileged students see the public exams as major opportunities to end poverty in their families.
- Better-off families often have a higher financial power to arrange after-school tutoring and other classes to their children, starting from as early as preschool. Such differences children have had for years are major determining factors to who can get admitted to universities and upward mobility (or lack thereof).
Digital Poverty
Low-income families often lack the ability to provide their children with
- digital devices and
- a stable internet connection
with which children can access online learning materials, resources and support.
> Lack of digital infrastructure perpetuates cycles of poverty and limits social mobility for disadvantaged pupils.
“WHY DEI MATTERS?” SERIES
International Day for Universal Access to Information (18 Sept)
Recognizing the significance of access to information, the day was proclaimed by the UNESCO General Conference in 2015. UNESCO provides a platform for all the stakeholders to participate in international discussions on public access to information in the digital era as it empowers individuals, enables informed decision-making, fosters innovation, and promotes inclusivity and social progress.
To address the issue of digital poverty, disadvantaged pupils should be provided with
- devices (e.g. laptops and tablets) and internet access, and
- education on digital literacy (e.g. online research tools, editing and presentation tools, analytical tools, communication tools, online storage, coding, communication skills with professional coders and AI users, application of tech tools in career and social innovation etc.)
Everyone is given an equitable opportunity to pursue a life they want. Internet access helps bridge the gaps.
Club Project Highlight
The Rotary Club of Golden Bauhinia won the Basic Education & Literacy Award (an award on the international level presented by the Basic Education Literacy Rotary Action Group) in 2023 with their STEAM program set to provide underprivileged youth with a wide range of opportunities to learn about and integrate technology into their lives and their ways of learning.
Over 280 underprivileged students aged between 10-16 benefited from this program. Partnering with tech companies and nonprofits, the Club hosted the program which included a mentorship tour with Rotarians serving as mentors, sharing their professions and inspiring participants to consider pursuing a career in STEAM, sharing sessions at which participants to present what they learned, and digital engagement opportunities where participants exchanged comments and feedback on their projects.
The program encouraged youth to address and solve real social issues, allowed teenagers to understand different technology applications, sustainable development goals (SDGs), and truly practice using technology to improve community life in the era of Generative AI.
Appointment of Club DEI Director/ Committee Chair
Please provide us with contact details of Club DEI Director/ Committee Chairs for ease of communication and information update with District DEI team.
