Buddy Wiser Foundation
Description
The website of Better Wiser Foundation will allow potential students and their parents to find out more about Buddy Wiser. It will be in both English and Cantonese which are the two main languages of Hong Kong. Outreach will also include personal contacts, flyer distribution, among others. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe curriculum consists of five learning techniques which will be taught during the four week course. These five learning techniques were developed through a systematic review of relevant literature, ideas from peers and in-depth consultations with Mike. Students will learn Efficient Note-Taking, plan and follow a Study Timetable, try out Retrieval Practice, use Self-Explanation and Diagram Mapping to study concepts. One skill will be taught per week, with the use of PowerPoints and videos to supplement verbal teaching. Homework or exercises will be assigned so that students can try out the techniques they learnt in class. Follow up discussions with students will be held to ensure active participation and find out their thoughts about the effectiveness of the techniques taught. A quiz may be conducted at the end of the course to test students’ understanding of the study skills taught. Note taking in a journal or notebook will also be encouraged so that mentors can track the progress of students. It is important to help make the mentees feel that progress is made to keep retention rates high. Mentors will also follow up once a month with the students to check their academic progress in the 2020-21 academic year. \\r\\n\\r\\nDue to the coronavirus pandemic this year, we will be using Zoom to hold online classes with the students. There will be individual tutorials as well as small group classes. Classes will be held twice a week and each class will have a duration of 1 hour. Every child will be assigned to a teacher based on their chosen subject. The Zoom classes will allow students and mentors to interact virtually. \\r\\n\\r\\nThe dedicated and passionate mentors will share their learning techniques and studying tips with the children, and the best case studies will be collected and presented. Interaction will be encouraged and a friendly relationship will be built. Mentors may share their own experiences and past difficulties in learning with the children when conducting the lesson. It is hoped that the personalised help given to these children can motivate and inspire them to study more productively.
Course materials will be constantly updated and improved with feedback from the students and mentors. The learning techniques are currently aimed at lower secondary and upper primary students but they can be expanded to suit other age groups in the future. Extra studying skills can be put into the curriculum as time goes on. The syllabus may also be tailored to each student’s needs by focusing more on learning techniques that would be useful to them. The material will be published on the Buddy Wiser website for open use and new versions will be updated regularly.\\r\\n\\r\\nAs we are using Zoom as an online platform for classes, this allows for multiple classrooms and no limits on classroom size. Extra students can join Buddy Wiser without constraints in terms of space. Our goal is to recruit more students who want study skills at a younger age as our project grows. The website will serve the purpose of making Buddy Wiser more wide-reaching. We intend to continue working on this project in the future to reach out to more underprivileged students.\\r\\n\\r\\nThe course will be continuously enhanced with timely feedback from students and mentors to enable effective implementation. Mentors will have discussions after classes to share the good practices used as well as any challenges they faced. They will brainstorm ways of tackling the difficulties together and exchange teaching ideas.\\r\\n\\r\\nSurveys from both mentors and students will help with further enhancing Buddy Wiser during implementation. The evaluation of mentors and students allows the initiative to be improved in terms of areas such as curriculum, class size and logistics.
As the founder of Buddy Wiser Foundation, I have conceptualised the idea and coordinated the project. I was inspired to carry out this initiative to promote an inclusive society after attending the US-based Best Buddies Leadership Conference as one of the two Hong Kong representatives. Best Buddies is a non-profit organisation that helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The memorable sessions from speakers at the conference motivated me to want to make a positive impact in the society by helping those who are less fortunate. \\r\\n\\r\\nKenneth Kwok, a UNDP SDG Accelerator Labs Mentor provided the greater vision for this initiative while Mike Li from ITS Education Asia assisted with the day to day planning. With their insightful feedback, improvements were made to refine the project.\\r\\n\\r\\nThe mentoring team consists of devoted senior secondary school students who will be in charge of teaching the underprivileged children sourced locally in Hong Kong as an initial starting point. The core team of mentors will include Alison, Vivienne, Chloe and Hannah who are all motivated students from an English medium school. Alison’s leadership, Vivienne’s technological expertise, Chloe’s work ethic and Hannah’s artistic ability will complement each other. Mentors will undergo intensive training beforehand to familiarise themselves with the Buddy Wiser curriculum and ensure that they are able to mentor the children efficiently and effectively. It is envisioned that language barriers could occur and we will match students taking this into consideration. Their feedback will go back into updating and revising the Study Skills Manual and Powerpoints.\\r\\n\\r\\nLearners will be recruited through personal contacts and the distribution of flyers in partnership with local youth organisations. The website of Buddy Wiser will allow them to find out more details about the programme. Here, they can fill out a simple application form with their personal contact information. We will contact students or parents through email or WhatsApp in order to notify them of the dates and times of online lessons.
SDGS & Targets
Goal 4
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
4.1
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes
4.1.1
Proportion of children and young people (a) in grades 2/3; (b) at the end of primary; and (c) at the end of lower secondary achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in (i) reading and (ii) mathematics, by sex
4.1.2
Completion rate (primary education, lower secondary education, upper secondary education)
4.2
By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education
4.2.1
Proportion of children aged 24–59 months who are developmentally on track in health, learning and psychosocial well-being, by sex
4.2.2
Participation rate in organized learning (one year before the official primary entry age), by sex
4.3
By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university
4.3.1
Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, by sex
4.4
By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.4.1
Proportion of youth and adults with information and communications technology (ICT) skills, by type of skill
4.5
4.5.1
Parity indices (female/male, rural/urban, bottom/top wealth quintile and others such as disability status, indigenous peoples and conflict-affected, as data become available) for all education indicators on this list that can be disaggregated
4.6
By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy
4.6.1
Proportion of population in a given age group achieving at least a fixed level of proficiency in functional (a) literacy and (b) numeracy skills, by sex
4.7
By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development
4.7.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education and (d) student assessment
4.a
Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all
4.a.1
Proportion of schools offering basic services, by type of service
4.b
4.b.1
Volume of official development assistance flows for scholarships by sector and type of study
4.c
By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States
4.c.1
Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications, by education level
Goal 10
Reduce inequality within and among countries
10.1
By 2030, progressively achieve and sustain income growth of the bottom 40 per cent of the population at a rate higher than the national average
10.1.1
Growth rates of household expenditure or income per capita among the bottom 40 per cent of the population and the total population
10.2
By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion or economic or other status
10.2.1
Proportion of people living below 50 per cent of median income, by sex, age and persons with disabilities
10.3
Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard
10.3.1
Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed within the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law
10.4
Adopt policies, especially fiscal, wage and social protection policies, and progressively achieve greater equality
10.4.1
Labour share of GDP
10.4.2
Redistributive impact of fiscal policy
10.5
Improve the regulation and monitoring of global financial markets and institutions and strengthen the implementation of such regulations
10.5.1
Financial Soundness Indicators
10.6
10.6.1
Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations
10.7
Facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people, including through the implementation of planned and well-managed migration policies
10.7.1
Recruitment cost borne by employee as a proportion of montlhy income earned in country of destination
10.7.2
Number of countries with migration policies that facilitate orderly, safe, regular and responsible migration and mobility of people
10.7.3
Number of people who died or disappeared in the process of migration towards an international destination
10.7.4
Proportion of the population who are refugees, by country of origin
10.a
10.a.1
Proportion of tariff lines applied to imports from least developed countries and developing countries with zero-tariff
10.b
10.b.1
Total resource flows for development, by recipient and donor countries and type of flow (e.g. official development assistance, foreign direct investment and other flows)
10.c
By 2030, reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate remittance corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent
10.c.1
Remittance costs as a proportion of the amount remitted
Goal 1
End poverty in all its forms everywhere
1.1
By 2030, eradicate extreme poverty for all people everywhere, currently measured as people living on less than $1.25 a day
1.1.1
Proportion of the population living below the international poverty line by sex, age, employment status and geographical location (urban/rural)
1.2
By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
1.2.1
Proportion of population living below the national poverty line, by sex and age
1.2.2
Proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions
1.3
Implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable
1.3.1
Proportion of population covered by social protection floors/systems, by sex, distinguishing children, unemployed persons, older persons, persons with disabilities, pregnant women, newborns, work-injury victims and the poor and the vulnerable
1.4
By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance
1.4.1
Proportion of population living in households with access to basic services
1.4.2
Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, (a) with legally recognized documentation, and (b) who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and by type of tenure
1.5
By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters
1.5.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
1.5.2
Direct economic loss attributed to disasters in relation to global gross domestic product (GDP)
1.5.3
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
1.5.4
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
1.a
Ensure significant mobilization of resources from a variety of sources, including through enhanced development cooperation, in order to provide adequate and predictable means for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, to implement programmes and policies to end poverty in all its dimensions
1.a.1
Total official development assistance grants from all donors that focus on poverty reduction as a share of the recipient country's gross national income
1.a.2
Proportion of total government spending on essential services (education, health and social protection)
1.b
Create sound policy frameworks at the national, regional and international levels, based on pro-poor and gender-sensitive development strategies, to support accelerated investment in poverty eradication actions
1.b.1
Pro-poor public social spending
SDG 14 targets covered
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Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
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Timeline
Entity
Geographical coverage
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Countries
Contact Information
Alison Carless, Founder