The Civic Futures Fellowship Journey Since March 2024, I've been part of the Greater London Authority's final Civic Futures Fellowship cohort - one of 30 fellows selected from 140 applications across London. The Civic Futures Fellowship brings together people from across London's civil society and local government to explore how we can collectively build a better future for our city. It's a
Sustaining Courage, Inclusion, and Reimagining Systems: Reflections from events at Oxford In a world grappling with intensifying climate crises, growing inequality, and political polarisation, the social impact sector faces unprecedented challenges that demand both innovative thinking and sustained commitment. As funding resources become increasingly constrained and complex problems require more collaborative approaches, practitioners need new frameworks and sources of inspiration. It is against
Driving towards Diversity It was an incredible honour to be a panellist at Charity Finance Group’s quarterly Member’s Meeting yesterday, sharing insights about The Social Investment Consultancy (TSIC)’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) maturity model and lessons learned from past DEI client projects. TSIC has been passionate about supporting organisations, including the UK charity sector, in becoming more diverse, equitable, and inclusive. Here
Vietnamese Communities in London I had the incredible opportunity to volunteer with End Violence and Racism Against East and Southeast Asian Communities (EVR) this year, where I supported initiatives to promote community care and racial equity for East and Southeast Asian communities in the UK. One of the most memorable experiences was co-hosting a human library event earlier this month, collaborating with An
Evaluating the Effectiveness of National Human Rights Institutions The Paris Principles are now taken as ‘the definitive and most widely accepted benchmark against which national human rights institutions (NHRIs) are assessed’ at domestic, regional and international levels.[1] Nevertheless, as I explore in this article, they are neither sufficient nor the exclusive model in evaluating NHRIs and their performance. In this article, I first
Decentralization in Authoritarian Laos Introduction In 2015, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Laos) adopted an amended constitution that created the Local People’s Assemblies. The local governments are empowered to adopt legislation, make decisions on fundamental issues at the local level and monitor the state organizations under their jurisdiction,[1] and adopting plans for development and budget at the provincial level.[2] The constitution also guarantees universal,
The Rise of Local Craft Beer in Hong Kong Introduction Food and culinary practices help us understand social change, cultural identities, class, and gender (Mintz & Du Bois, 2002, p.99-119). As a marker of difference, food is a tool that different groups use to differentiate themselves by creating different eating patterns (Caplan, 1997, p.9). These culturally defined material substances not only feed people’s
Beyond Giving: How Six Months as a UN Volunteer in Laos Transformed My Perspective While we university students in Hong Kong enjoy excellent education and never worry about basic necessities, many in the Lao People's Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) face stark realities: children suffering from stunting, villages cut off during rainy seasons, the constant threat of unexploded ordnance (UXO), inadequate healthcare requiring cross-border
Ka Chun from Hong Kong: “Working towards ending poverty in Laos changed my life” My name is Ka Chun, a UN University Volunteer from Hong Kong, serving at the Poverty Reduction Unit of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Lao PDR. As a university student in Hong Kong, I found myself very privileged to receive a good education, have a very supportive
