Flag Raising Ceremony Students’ Sharing 2025-3-13

Natalie, Hedy and Kalli, students from Form 3 Juniper and also members of the CP (Community Project) group, gave a speech about the hearing-impaired community in Hong Kong. In their speech, they mentioned the current situation of Hong Kong, the importance of sign language and what we can do to help this community. To raise awareness, they will hold four lunch sessions to teach the CSS community sign language.

Written by Natalie Chiu, Hedy Tsang & Kalli Tam (Form 3)

Natalie: Good morning, everyone! I am Natalie.

Hedy: I am Hedy. 

Kalli: And I am Kalli.

Natalie: We are from Form 3 CP group 6. Today, we're here to talk about something extremely important—the hearing-impaired community in Hong Kong. Can you imagine a life without any sound? According to government data in 2020, ​​Hong Kong had 47,000 deaf people, and 3,000 of them used sign language in their daily communication. But few of us actually know how they feel and what difficulties they face.

Hedy: That’s right, Natalie. Communication is a big part of our lives, but for the hearing-impaired community, it can be challenging when we don't use sign language or don't take the time to learn what they need. That is why it is necessary for us to learn the way that they communicate and promote social inclusion.

Kalli: 說到包容性，你們知不知道一部在香港最近上映，名叫「看我今天怎麼說」的電影呢？這部電影是講三位聾人青年的經歷，情節相當感人。

第一位主角名叫子信 ，他自聾人家庭。雖然他生活在沒有任何聲音的世界裏，但他努力地用手語活出自信，克服生活中的所有困難和障礙。

第二位主角名叫素恩，她從小便植入了人工耳蝸，努力地學習口語。雖然她說話時帶有口音，但她從來沒有放棄過自己的夢想，很希望自己能夠做個「正常人」。

最後一位主角名叫Alan。他和素恩一樣，從小便植入了人工耳蝸，他的口語能力和素恩差不多，也懂得用手語，和子信是好朋友。他深信聾人應該和不同的人溝通，讓更多人了解他們的世界。

Natalie: Oh yes! I have watched the trailers on YouTube and I found it really special and interesting. The movie also won seven awards, including Best Film and Best Director at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards in 2025.  Sometimes I wonder how people live in a soundless environment and how they face the challenges in society, and I think this movie can answer some of these questions. Kalli, can you tell us how Hong Kong society supports the hearing impairment community?

Kalli: 在現今社會上，有很多不同的服務可以幫到他們。例如：在香港的博物館會提供即時傳譯口語及香港手語導覽服務，協助聾人、弱聽人士及健聽人士溝通。因聽障或語言障礙而未能使用 999 緊急求助電話時，他們可以992 短訊報警。而日常生活中也能看到有手語翻譯的新聞。這些服務不但止幫助他們克服了現實生活中的困難，還可以促進社會共融。

Hedy: That’s something that the government and some NGOs are doing for the hearing-impaired people. However, to build an inclusive society, it needs everyone’s involvement and support! Therefore, we are excited to announce that we will hold a lunch time workshop to teach you Sign Language! This is your chance to learn some basic sign language to connect with the hearing-impaired community and make a real difference through common understanding and boundless communication.

Natalie: We are currently taking a 10-lesson certified course learning sign language, and will hold 4 sessions of lunch workshops to teach you the basic sign language. The workshop will be held on Wednesdays, during lunchtime from 1:15 p.m. to 1:35 p.m. The first lesson kicks off on 19 March. All staff and students are welcome. For details, please refer to the email that will be sent later.

Kalli: 希望大家踴躍參與這個那麼有意義的活動，了解更多聽障人士的世界！

Hedy: Let's build our community with respect, kindness and love. Thank you very much.