There is an old Chinese saying that “a book holds a house of gold”. However, as we are surrounded by an overwhelming number of electronic products, the atmosphere of the society seems to make both adults and children less and less motivated to pick up a book and read. Book lover James CHONG established a social enterprise (SE) Rolling Books, sailing a boat against the current, to promote the habit of reading. Through activities of a great variety, he spreads the joy of reading with real-life experiences, and helps inspire children to seek their lifelong companionship with books. James also hopes to provide to children equal opportunities in self-directed reading, therefore the SE collects children’s books and gifts them to grassroots families to promote equality in reading.

The first guest of this episode is artiste Asha CUTHBERT, a book lover since a young age. She joins the Rolling Books to give away used books at Hoi Lai Estate, where there are more ethnic minority groups. She also becomes a picture book storyteller for children, with a hope to bring the joy of reading to the community.

On the other hand, 2Bliss Studio is an SE providing art services. Through wall painting and art workshops, it hopes that people regardless of age from all walks of life can access to art creation. Apart from providing free vocational training in arts for the underprivileged and the youth, the SE also provides other services such as home improvement services for grassroots elderly.

Young actor NG Siu-hin is invited to the programme to join 2Bliss Studio to do wall paintings with primary school students. He also participates in a workshop at the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong to make handicrafts with persons in mental recovery and mentally handicapped persons. NG, who says that he is not good at art, still feels the happiness brought by arts after the experience.

People always think that death is distant and they have nothing to do with it. In fact, it is close to us and it happens every day around us. Death may visit us any time in different stages of life, even when we were still children. It is the end of life, and the last lesson in life. Pasu NG, who has worked as an embalmer and is now working in funeral services, is the founder of the social enterprise (SE) “Keep It Simple”. He says he hopes that the SE can provide simple and unadorned funeral services to the bereaved, and help the underprivileged in the society, for example, to take care of the after-death arrangements for people who do not have relatives and friends.

Life and death education is one of the focuses of this SE. In this episode, our guests Alice FUNG and Zeno KOO participate in the activities related to life and death organised by the SE, including a workshop mourning abortuses of less than 24 weeks’ gestation, the living funeral of the chairperson of a psoriasis patients association, and a guided tour to cemetery with young people. Auntie Alice and Zeno even join the ceremony for scattering of cremated ashes of a deceased who did not have relatives, and it is the first time for them to bid farewell to a stranger. Through our guests’ experience, the programme helps our audience understand the corporate philosophy of the SE, and reflect together on the important topic of life and death. How can we live with the sorrow when we are heartbroken by deaths and separations? Pasu turns the sorrow to positive energy to help the others, and to live fully.

It is never easy to run a restaurant, and it is definitely more difficult to run a restaurant as a social enterprise (SE) operated by persons with disabilities.

Singaporean SE founder KOH Seng-choon fearlessly brought his SE restaurant Dignity Kitchen to Hong Kong. People suffering from various disabilities and the underprivileged are employed and trained for different positions in the restaurant, to put into practice an SE restaurant actually operated by persons with disabilities.

In this episode, singer Vincy CHAN, who has lived in Singapore and loves the local cuisine, is invited to visit the Dignity Kitchen, learn to cook Singaporean cuisine from staff with disabilities and experience working as a waitress. During the process, apart from enjoying the delicious food, the most important thing is the bits and bites Vincy experiences when she works with persons with disabilities.

Through Vincy’s participation, our audience can have a better understanding on the working ability of persons with disabilities, and how SEs let them play to their strengths.

Longevity Design House is a renovation and repair work social enterprise which specialises in catering for the needs of the elderly. Due to ageing population and limited housing space in Hong Kong, the social enterprise uses interior design to improve the living environment of the elderly and reduce the risk of home accidents, thereby creating elderly friendly homes.

Social enterprises must balance their business and social responsibilities. Our guest is Simon WONG, Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer of a food enterprise. In this episode, Simon enters homes of the elderly to learn how to help them improve their living environment in terms of furnishings, design and home accessories, so that they can live in a safe place.

A-Soulroom is a social enterprise that makes leather factory products, and all the products are handmade by the trainees. Compared with traditional sheltered workshops, the complicated leather production process there can enhance its trainees’ self-esteem. Christian Family Service Centre organises handicraft classes, with the trainees acting as instructors, which will not only boost their confidence, but also allow them to integrate into the society.

New generation actress Ashley LIN goes to a social enterprise workshop to experience making leather products, and she also serves as a team leader of a production line to further contact the trainees and understand their daily work.

Cedar Workshop is a social enterprise under Ebenezer School and Home for the Visually Impaired. Established in 2018, Cedar Workshop is operated by visually impaired and strives to provide employment opportunities for the visually impaired. Social enterprises also design tailor-made training programmes and experience activities for enterprises, public institutions, educational bodies, etc., with a view to deepening public understanding of the visually impaired, reducing misunderstandings, and building a harmonious and inclusive society.

In this episode, we invite artiste Alex FONG to enter the world of the visually impaired for the first time. He participates in a darkroom experience and learns to use a white cane, a mobility aid for the visually impaired. In the workshop led by an instructor of visually impaired, Alex and the students solve problems in the dark. Being a singer, Alex also sings in the programme and crossovers with visually impaired musicians, and he uses music as a medium to listen to their life stories.

Alex Fong even goes to the frontline of Cedar Workshop and works as a shop staff, and goes to a trade show to help sell wood Braille products made by the visually impaired. Alex says that this experience makes him totally understand that it is not easy for the visually impaired to operate a social enterprise.

How can running be transformed into a social enterprise (SE)? How does FOODSPORT run exactly?

Former hockey player Healthy WONG was unable to represent Hong Kong in his retirement match due to injury, which became a regret in his life. Despite this, his enthusiasm for sports has never faded. He came up with the idea of starting an SE at that time, so he began to assist commercial organisations in designing sports training activities for employees, while holding free public events regularly with the concept of “running together”. FOODSPORT converts calories burnt by participants during vigorous exercise into food, then donates it to disadvantaged groups, making the events spirited and healthy.

In this episode, guest artist Raymond WONG participates in a community run organised by FOODSPORT. As the name suggested, the event allows participants to get to know the community while running, as well as donating calories; therefore, the run actually brings multiple benefits. Raymond has been undergoing triathlon training in recent years, and his strong physique is a perfect fit for the theme of this episode. He will lead the audience to understand how Healthy runs to make his SE bloom, and talk to Healthy about life during the run.

Coffee Bunnies is a social enterprise (SE) with coffee as its main business. The Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council hopes to create an SE that can encourage young people to find their dreams and develop their strengths. Coffee Bunnies started out as a mobile coffee bike distributing coffee in the district, and later developed into the current physical store.

In this episode, Serena and Cyrus, two young baristas from Coffee Bunnies, act as mentors to teach Alice MAK, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, the skills of making latte art and pour-over coffee, and let her experience working as a waitress. Through the participation of Secretary MAK, the audience can understand how the SE helps young people pursue their dreams while operating a coffee shop.

Another guest in this episode is Daniel CHAN, a member of the Hong Kong Para-Badminton Team. The programme paired him with “Animal SE” for a work experience. Animal SE is always concerned about the well-being of elderly animals, and its work includes pet rehabilitation, promotion of the adoption of elderly pets, etc. During the experience, Daniel, a dog lover, tried to help Toast, a disabled cat, with its rehabilitation exercise and urination, and introduced the benefits of adopting elderly pets to elderly people living alone. Daniel said he had been a pet owner for many years, but this experience had given him a new understanding of how to take care of elderly animals.