URA/HKU Internship Programme 2018/19 Teaching the Teachers

Faye To, one of the interns, leads a guided tour at the Urban Renewal Resource Centre.

To inspire young people for taking up the batons of driving sustainable urban regeneration, the URA has been supporting various educational initiatives and youth development programmes throughout to instill in our younger generation the visions of urban regeneration and creating liveable environment for Hong Kong. In order to equip teachers with all-round knowledge and keep them abreast of the latest development on urban renewal, the URA has for the second time co-organised the Experiential Learning Project with the Faculty of Education of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) this year. Four students who are aspired to become teachers have embarked on their 5-week internships with the URA since late-October.

The interns, who are undertaking the HKU’s Postgraduate Diploma in Education programme, were assigned to lead guided tours at the Urban Renewal Resource Centre after completing their training on urban renewal and docenting. They were also required to assist in school talks and help design a teaching kit on urban regeneration, in addition to providing ideas for the URA’s social media content for getting the messages across to young people.

Faye To, one of the interns majoring in liberal studies, said during the internship she was able to understand more about urban renewal and the balance between various factors of urban regeneration, and the knowledge she has acquired could facilitate her discussion over this topic with students in future. Haris Razi, another intern who is ethnically Pakistani and majoring in Chemistry, said the inter-disciplinary nature of urban renewal works has inspired him to think about how to apply science knowledge in solving social problems through creativity, critical thinking and an ability to integrate knowledge across disciplines. He hoped to impart knowledge to students of different ethnic backgrounds.

Haris Razi, another intern who is ethnically Pakistani, hopes to impart knowledge to students of different ethnic backgrounds.