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(L-R) Peony Tam, Project manager (L1); Student Emma Yung Yuen-chi (Upper row, L2) from Ng Yuk Secondary School; Jay Kan (R1), Project Consultant and Alicia Lui (Lower row, L2) , founder of Women In Sports Empowered Hong Kong pose at the Ng Yuk Secondary School. 18OCT22 SCMP /K. Y. Cheng

Operation Santa Claus: Hong Kong NGO uses sport to empower women and break down stereotypes

  • Women and girls like Emma Yung, a Form Four student, have found an unexpected escape from daily troubles through sport
  • Women In Sports Empowered Hong Kong (WISE) delivers activities and workshops to help females gain confidence and take better control of their lives
Carrie Lee

Recent training in boxing has packed more than a punch for a 15-year-old girl, as the combat sport has helped her fight the challenges of life and gain control.

“In boxing, all we need to do is to punch the target directly in front of you,” said Emma Yung Yuen-chi, a Form Four student.

“From this, I learned that whenever I am at a loss as to what to do, I can first tackle what I am facing at the moment, without worrying too much about things that will happen later,” she shared, adding this approach had proved to work for her.

“My studies were giving me a lot of pressure. But when I was practising boxing, I felt as though the pressure was gone. It also gave me the impetus to do other sports, such as running. So I am now healthier and happier, and feel more in control of things,” she said, smiling.

Emma Yung (centre) has found an escape from daily troubles through sport. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

These are just some of the benefits of sports highlighted by Women In Sports Empowered Hong Kong (WISE), which delivered the boxing sessions at Yung’s school, Ng Yuk Secondary School.

The NGO organises training in sports and related workshops and activities mainly for women and girls, who still face many gender-specific pressures and problems due to entrenched stereotyping despite improvements over the past decades.

“We aim to use sports to empower women and girls so that they will have increased confidence, motivation, resilience and determination to take control of their lives,” said founder Alicia Lui Shun-yee.

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“Apart from being good for health, sports can help build confidence,” she explained, adding they can also help maintain focus, discipline, and self-regulation, and instil a positive mindset.

“We also want to increase females’ participation and engagement in sports, and thus their visibility in the field, which is not as prominent as males,” Lui said.

“So we try to help break barriers to women’s participation in sports - barriers in terms of stereotypes or society’s expectations. For example, women often grow up believing that boxing is a ‘males’ sport, but in our school project, we encouraged the girls to try boxing,” she said.

WISE is one of 15 NGOs being funded this year by Operation Santa Claus (OSC), an annual fundraising drive by the South China Morning Post and public broadcaster RTHK. Marking its 35th anniversary this year, OSC has raised HK$353 million since its launch in 1988 to support the Hong Kong community through 323 projects.

“Our new project will use sports and physical activity as a means to address some of the issues that teenage girls in Hong Kong are experiencing,” Lui said, adding these include violence, harassment and social pressures.

She cited recent examples of youth violence, including a group of female teenagers slapping a 12-year-old girl 20 times in June.

“Studies have indicated that one reason for bullying is linked to lack of confidence and satisfaction in academic performance.”

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Research has also shown that students have become more prone to experiencing symptoms of mental health distress such as anxiety and depression in the past two years with on-and-off suspension of in-person school during the Covid-19 pandemic, she said.

Lui explained that sport was one of the best ways to address young people’s physical, mental and social health. For example, she said, sport participation could enhance self-esteem and confidence, while fostering positive relationships and social interaction.

“Sport contributes to a healthy lifestyle and eases young people’s anxiety and stress. It can also help foster empathy in them, help them become more assertive and enhance their emotional regulation,” added project consultant Jay Kan Wai-hin.

The project will include sessions of team sports, self-defence and yoga, as well as lessons on a range of topics including violence, harassment, personal space and rights, emotional regulation and resilience, team work, communication, collaboration and body-mind connection.

For more information on this year’s beneficiaries, please click here.
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