Business in Geneva The Faculty of Business and Economics has partnered with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to select senior undergraduate or taught postgraduate students for a year-long traineeship at ICRC headquarters in Geneva, where they assist the organisation’s Economic Advisor, with a special emphasis on work involving Asian affairs. Xiao Zhilin, who graduated with a BBA in 2018, is the first to benefit. She joined the ICRC in June, immediately after completing her studies, having previously led the Ghana Education and Health programme and Nepal Earthquake Relief programme at HKU, among other achievements. “Pursuing a business major does not mean you only work in banking or consulting. There are many other career choices, especially nowadays because private sector knowledge and experience are more and more appreciated in the public sector,” she said. Since joining the ICRC, Miss Xiao has done research on business and human rights issues, attended meetings on business and conflict-related topics, and supported the Economic Advisor’s outreach missions to such places as South Africa, Australia and China. She also travelled to Argentina as the Chinese delegate for the G(irls)20 Global Summit and hopes to make a documentary on female role models from around the world. “It is estimated that in 2030, when I will be 34 years old, the share of global poor living in fragile and conflict-affected situations will swell to almost 50 per cent, up from 17 per cent today. I want to work to solve this,” she said. Real Talk Practice makes perfect in language learning and therein lies a challenge. How do you offer students an authentic chance to speak a language that is not spoken in their community? The French programme of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures has turned to technology for help. In early 2018 it trialled the online SpeakShake video-calling platform with the Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales (INALCO) in France. Over six weeks, French learners at HKU spoke regularly with French students learning Chinese at INALCO, which not only gave them a chance to practise the language but learn more about the culture. The programme, which was supported by the Institut Français and the ConsulateGeneral of France in Hong Kong and Macau, was a pilot for developing personalised learning paths for students of the French programme. Alison Tam Pui-san was a third-year BA student when she participated in the pilot project. “In a class setting teachers usually speak really clearly and pace themselves, but speaking to a local person casually gave us a chance to get to know how people speak in a colloquial situation, which is faster and with more slang,” she said. Anthony Wong Chuan-hun, also a third-year BA student, said it gave them an opportunity to teach new language as well as learn. “One example was ‘GPA’ [grade point average]. This term is not used in France so I had to explain in French what it means and why it is important for students here in Hong Kong,” he said. TEACHING AND LEARNING Students are encouraged to engage with other places and cultures through internships, exchanges and capitalising on the opportunities presented by technology. Out of Hong Kong Two Sides of Medicine Five medical students joined their counterparts from Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) in the summer for a 10-day colearning experience that brought them to one of the top hospitals in the country and one of the most impoverished regions. The Pilot Mainland Experience Scheme for Post-secondary Students was launched by the central government as part of the effort to address poverty alleviation through health by raising awareness of trainee healthcare practitioners. HKU and PUMC were invited to be the trailblazers. They first visited PUMC Hospital, which was ranked the top hospital in the country from 2009 to 2017 by Fudan University. The hospital has about 5,000 medical staff and attracts patients from across the country. “The lobby of the PUMC Hospital was so crowded that for a second, I thought I had arrived at a Mainland train station prior to the commencement of the winter holiday,” student Tsui Yat-yan reflected. They then visited Yonghe County, one of the four poorest in China, where they were struck by the resource challenges, staff shortages and the cost to patients who had to travel to better-equipped hospitals for complicated treatments. The experience left a deep impression on the students. “As a medical student in Hong Kong, there may not be much we can do yet to help them, but we can raise awareness that there are still people out there suffering from disease who are not able to receive basic medical services,” Tsang Siu-yu said. Medical students with their Mainland counterparts on a co-learning experience in China. Chatting with members of the community in Yonghe. Xiao Zhilin (left) and colleagues at the International Red Cross headquarters in Geneva. Hong Kong students practise their language skills via Skype with French students in France. ︱13 12︱
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