Hey there, thank you for pausing from your busy day to read our first issue of Cubic Zine!
Cubic Zine is a publication under CUHK ORKTS’s social innovation platform SoCUBE. We are excited to bring you stories on what CUHK and glocal social innovators are working on, events happening around you and much more!
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Scholar-Social Innovator→ LOCAL
Eliminating stigma with a human touch: A story of Prof Winnie Mak’s StoryTaler
As we swung open the door to Winnie’s office at Sino Building, she set aside her work at once and greeted us warmly. Two months since we last met and she thinned down yet again. The familiar grin remained nonetheless.
In 2015, Prof Winnie Mak set up StoryTaler with her then-student Amanda Li, who is now a clinical psychologist. The platform advocates anti-discrimination and mental health awareness through storytelling, which has captured immense attention on social media with its refreshing content and youth language.
This year, they took a step further, establishing a social enterprise via the S-KPF scheme. What are their scale-up plans? What hurdles are they facing?
StoryTaler at a glimpse
Founding year: 2015, becoming a social enterprise in 2019
Founding team: Prof Winnie Mak (Department of Psychology) and clinical psychologist Amanda Li
Mission: To promote mental health via in-person sharing of real-life stories, enhancing public knowledge of the topic while eliminating stigma, labelling and misunderstanding
Members: Include individuals with lived experience of mental illness, those trained in (clinical) psychology and those with a concern for mental health
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Fresh off the shelf
Book name:《成為彼此的聆聽者》(Chinese only)
Authors: 9 StoryTaler members
“What do I do if souls around me are troubled?” This is a question StoryTaler often comes across. Revolving around 18 lessons on listening, the authors deserted jargons and shared their authentic experiences. Let us all practise listening and walk together through the highs and lows!
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Looking for funding to launch your social innovation project?
StoryTaler has been initiated by CUHK’s KPF and S-KPF schemes, both aim at supporting CUHK researchers to get down to social innovation. Funded projects may receive up to HK$400,000 for KPF projects or HK$600,000 for S-KPF companies. Around 200 teams have already benefited from the schemes.
Applications for KPF this year are open now! Eager to transform your research expertise into impact? Don’t miss our information sessions!
KPF Information Session
1 Nov 15:30 – 17:00 / CUHK Wong Fu Yuan Building Room 502 I-CARE Centre
Speaker: Mr Howard Ling / Chief Consultant, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service
S-KPF Information Session
15 Nov 15:00 – 17:00 / CUHK Lady Ho Tung Hall G/F Pi Centre
Speaker: Dr KK Tse / Co-Founder, Education for Good and Dialogue in the Dark
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Scholar-Social Innovator→ GLOBAL
It all began with a famine – How the “Banker to the Poor” tackled poverty for half a century
Act locally, while thinking globally. Aside from highlighting social innovation projects made in CUHK, Cubic Zine shares international cases of social innovation from academia, hoping to inspire you with novel ways to put your expertise into good use in response to social needs.
Our protagonist this time is none other than the “spiritual leader” of social innovation – Prof Muhammad Yunus. Founding the “Bank for the Poor” in the 1980s and other initiatives, he has since gained countless followers across the globe. While you may be acquainted with his accomplishments, do you know how he found the “pain point” that led him on this journey? How did he reset his question during his experiments to get to the root of the issue?
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BE → ENGAGING
Care to take part?
HKSEC 2019 – 20 has kicked off!
Enrolment deadline: 24 Oct 2019
Celebrating its 13th anniversary, the intercollegiate social venture start-up competition has released its events and key dates for this year! Itching to implement your social innovation idea? Eager for social enterprise start-up training and meet-ups with business professionals? Do not miss your chance to shine!
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Social Enterprise Summit 2019
21-23 Nov 2019
Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre
Themed “Designing for Happiness”, over 60 speakers from across the globe – distinguished leaders, social entrepreneurs and scholars – will be sharing their insights on the latest trends and developments in social enterprises and social innovation around the world.
Cubic Zine narrates social innovation stories from CUHK and around the world, encouraging each and every one of you to transform your research and expertise into actions that make an impact.
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