The LTP started in February 2005 and a big improvement has been achieved in the short time since. Storytelling sessions have been given each week to children aged from two to eighteen years from the start of the program. The very young children listen to the stories and can absorb the language in its natural context. These children have fun follow-up activities involving colouring and arts and crafts, vocabulary, food making and games. The primary-aged children have theme-related activities, which include games, worksheets, stories and movies, and the secondary-aged children participate in sessions that focus on providing them with vocabulary and building their confidence in communicating in another language.

During the summer vacation, the storytellers organized trips for the children to visit places of interest in Hong Kong and allow them to speak more. In summer 2006, a group of 12 children went to the University of Science and Technology where they enjoyed a barbeque and also conducted a survey in English on ‘eating habits’ with staff and students at the university. They also planned a trip to Lamma Island for the older children. Trips for the younger children stayed closer to home. They went around a local supermarket to learn the food vocabulary in English and purchase a treat to share with their friends.

During the important celebrations in Hong Kong, the staff in the formal classes as well as the storytelling sessions use those themes as the basis of their lessons. The children learn the vocabulary appropriate to that celebration and fun activities are organized to allow the children to enjoy that time and get a better understanding of their own cultural heritage.
Formal English and Putonghua classes were provided at the start of the program for the kinder-aged children and the lower primary-aged children. After completing the first year, additional funding was secured to provide these classes to the upper-primary children. The officer-in-charge of the kinder section, Debbie Wong said “The classes have lots of different activities and the children are very interested and participate very well.” The school teachers of the primary-aged children have seen a great improvement in their ability and confidence in using English and Putonghua. The native English teacher and local English teachers in Pershing Tsang Primary School, where most of the residential children study, praised the program and the improvement in the children’s ability. Mabel, a local English teacher, said “There has been a great enhancement of children’s oral and written English. The children are bolder to speak up and utter sentences to express themselves. It’s really amazing to see the remarkable changes in only a year.” Sterling, the native English teacher in the school, said “Two children in particular have made a terrific improvement in the last year. Before they had a very low ability but now they are more able to cope with the classes.” They have been so impressed with the work of the project that they want to observe our classes and see what we do with the children. With regards to the Putonghua classes, Mrs. Kong, the officer-in-charge of the children in the Kuk, said that there is one child who initiates conversations in Mandarin with her so she can practice what she has learned in the program.

The house parents who care for the children on a day-to-day basis have been happy with the progress of the children. Ms. Tam, house parent at one of the small group homes, said of our part time storyteller, “She is a good storyteller. She is kind, patient and welcomed by all children. ... The children always surround her for questions and fun.” and about the program, “Thanks to the Language Training Program, the overall language awareness and attitude to English and Mandarin has improved a lot.”

The teachers who work in the program themselves can see a difference. Raka who has been working with the LTP since it started said, “Kevin, who has in the past been rather silent, has suddenly found a voice and started speaking in English.” That has been one result of the program. Children and young people are gaining confidence to communicate and are willing to try. The small class format allows them to feel comfortable enough to volunteer an answer, even if it may not be right. The Director of Studies, Michelle, shared this comment with one of the storytellers - “The classroom environment is safe enough that two very shy students will speak to you in class. Well done!”

All this hard work and effort was highlighted in July 2006 during the LTP Biliterate and Trilingual Singing Competition. All age groups took to the stage to sing songs in English and Putonghua to an audience of their peers and invited guests. The kinder children sang and acted out nursery rhymes and children’s songs. The lower-primary children danced and sang their way through some modern children’s songs. The upper-primary and secondary children were excellent in performing Putongua and English pop songs and love songs. Some of the children were not confident about their singing ability and they took part in a Putonghua drama performance. Their confidence was apparent and each individual’s talent was given a chance to shine though.

Now we start thinking of the future and the plans that we hope to achieve in the coming year as a result of the generosity of the FCC Charity Fund. We are formalizing the English classes and curricula have been written for each of the primary levels. This will enable us to build a real progression into the work that the children complete in our classes. Our storytelling sessions in headquarters have been restructured to allow more concentration on English storybooks with a deeper look at the language and content involved. We plan to have a drama show in January to showcase the children’s talent again. The plans for this event are still in their infancy. In 2007, as a new event we will take 20 children and young people to stay at our English camp. Here they will play English games and participate in different activities in English.