One of the major projects we've been working over the past several months has been a 20 minute feature about the Peace International Hong Kong - Hong Kong Peace Festival 2011, Music and the Planet.
Packed full of amazing music and performances by local artistes, intermingled with quotes from some of the most widely respected figures in the field of sustainability and the environment.
We were honoured and delighted when PIF invited Shirley and I to become their official video producers for the 2012.
It means a year of diverse video projects culminating with the next Hong Kong Peace Festival in September, 2012.
This past week was also important for Shirley and I. Our work to raise awareness about domestic violence and child abuse was rewarded with a Certificate of Appreciation by local non-profit, Harmony House.
Let's be clear, it is not about awards or recognition, it is about the impact you can make on society, on your community. But from time to time, when work is piling up and sometimes things are not going exactly to plan, it is nice to be recognised for the effort you put in. Our heartfelt thanks to the good folks over at Harmony House, and all the other grassroots non-profits here in Hong Kong and around the world who devote their energies - often on a volunteer basis - to protect the vulnerable in their own homes.
Remember, hitting someone on the street is a crime. Hitting someone in the home, is also a crime.
A busy week ahead. The paintings will arrive soon from Uganda and our Hands of Action Children's Art Project will enter its next phase.
Please look out for our updates, they're coming thick and fast - almost on a daily basis.
There's always one thing we'll never be able to complain about at Ridealist - and that's not having enough to do!
Thank you all for your kind support,
Chris & Shirley
(For higher quality select 1080p on YouTube)
Ridealist was delighted to be invited to participate as videographers for the 2011 Hong Kong Unison Hikathon - an event designed to bring people from all backgrounds and ethnicities together for a fantastic day out of hiking in some of Hong Kong's most magnificent countryside.
More than 700 people participated in the event, choosing the short or, the for the ambitious, the long course, depending on their experience and ability.
Out of every twenty residents of Hong Kong, there is one ethnic minority living here. Surveys show over 40% of them are suffering from unemployment or unstable job security due to the language barrier and a lack of resources in access to quality Chinese language education.
In order to promote racial equality in the territory, Hong Kong Unison, a public charitable institution, organizes an annual hiking event named "Hikathon" to fight for equal education opportunities and quality Chinese education for all Hong Kong residents, especially the ethnic minorities.
For more information on Hong Kong Unison, please visit their website at www.unison.org.hk - it's bilingual, so everyone can participate!
After the fun of the presentations, the foot-slogging began!
And at the end of it, the hikers were rewarded with refreshments and that particularly hard to describe sense of satisfaction that they had done something for their community, their society. For a multi-ethnic Hong Kong.
Really, you have to get out there and do something, volunteer for a day, to really understand what it feels like.
And once you've felt it, you will always want to go back for more.
Guaranteed!
Congratulations to Hong Kong Unison for a supremely successful and enjoyable Sunday hike, and many thanks to the dozens of wonderful people who made our life as videographers so easy!
We hope so see you again next year!
Chris & Shirley Gelken
The Hands of Action Art Project - Uganda through a child's eyes - is now moving to the next phase. The volunteers in Uganda have parceled up 400 paintings ready for shipment to Hong Kong. What does it cost to save a child's life? In this case, $3,500.
That's what's needed for heart surgery for four year old Joshua Khaukha of Uganda.
Joshua's dad, Moses, is Executive Director of Hands of Action Uganda, an NGO that works with farmers and orphans in eastern Uganda. Moses has dedicated his life to providing education, training and material support to a community that barely gets by on $1 a day.
Now it is Moses and his family who need help. Joshua has had a heart defect from birth, and urgently needs an operation called a PDA ligation. In the meantime, he is getting weaker by the day.
HOA supporters have launched an online appeal to get Joshua the medical attention he needs - fast!
Please click on the link below 'Joshua of Uganda Heart Surgery' to make a donation, no matter how small. We've already raised $600 this way.
Ronald is a 16-year child from the Lunganga Primary School in the Bududa district of Eastern Uganda. His teachers describe him as a smart young man who particularly enjoys Mathematics and science subjects. His ambition is to one day become a medical doctor, and work to help improve the health system in his immediate area. 
Thirteen-year-old Henry Wamono is an orphan from the Lunganga Primary School in the Bududa district of Eastern Uganda. He enjoys drawing and loves mathematics. His ambition is to become a pilot. But his dreams to fly may be grounded because of a lack of scholastic materials, school fees etc. Seen here working on his contribution to the Hands of Action Art Project, Henry hopes that you like his drawing and will consider buying it for your home or office. The proceeds will help Henry and his friends take wings and fly.
A picture is worth a thousand words, and primary school teacher Muwando Peter says a good picture is one that can convey a message. He says it can attract the viewer through the creative use of perspective, light and colour; even if they are not familiar with the subject matter. The paintbrushes are back in their pots and the winning pictures are ready for passage to Hong Kong. The first stage of the Hands of Action children’s art project is complete.
Last week more than 600 children from the Bududa district in eastern Uganda composed pictures of life in their country for the project, an initiative of the Hong Kong-based Ridealist in cooperation with Hands of Action Uganda.
The best pictures will be sent to Hong Kong for one or more exhibitions and later sold internationally in an online auction. The money raised will go back to Hands of Action Uganda to promote the programmes of the participating schools and orphanages.
The project was made possible by an initial donation from Mr. Simon P'ng of Malaysia to cover the costs of the materials.
The Hands of Action Uganda Art Project now needs further funding or sponsorship in kind to cover the expense of high quality scanning, picture frames, and promotion of a physical exhibition of the paintings in Hong Kong.
It is our ultimate ambition to send this exhibition "on the road" where people from around the world will get the chance to see Uganda through the children’s eyes.
If you would like to join us, please contact Ridealist through the links on this page. You can also keep up to date with developments by following us on twitter @chrisgelken
Claire George
Ridealist Project Manager
Hands of Action Art Project
@slaurencecowley
Volunteer teacher Nina likes to draw cartoons as an education tool in her classes. "It attracts the students, and they often try to copy what I have drawn, and frequently actually do a better job of it!" she says. The impact, Nina told us, is that it helps to develop the creative and observational skills of the student which can certainly benefit the child's future. The paintbrushes are back in their pots and the winning pictures are ready for passage to Hong Kong. The first stage of the Hands of Action children’s art project is complete.
Last week more than 600 children from the Bududa district in eastern Uganda composed pictures of life in their country for the project, an initiative of the Hong Kong-based Ridealist in cooperation with Hands of Action Uganda.
The best pictures will be sent to Hong Kong for one or more exhibitions and later sold internationally in an online auction. The money raised will go back to Hands of Action Uganda to promote the programmes of the participating schools and orphanages.
The project was made possible by an initial donation from Mr. Simon P'ng of Malaysia to cover the costs of the materials.
The Hands of Action Uganda Art Project now needs further funding or sponsorship in kind to cover the expense of high quality scanning, picture frames, and promotion of a physical exhibition of the paintings in Hong Kong.
It is our ultimate ambition to send this exhibition "on the road" where people from around the world will get the chance to see Uganda through the children’s eyes.
If you would like to join us, please contact Ridealist through the links on this page. You can also keep up to date with developments by following us on twitter @chrisgelken
Claire George
Ridealist Project Manager
Hands of Action Art Project
@slaurencecowley
Teacher Namahumba Deogratious of the Bukari Primary School collects the paintings from young students participating in the Hands of Action Art Project. He says joining the project has been a great pleasure, especially since it will give the children an opportunity to offer a picture of their daily life to the wider world. He added that the children feel quite proud of their efforts to create a better understanding and relationship between Uganda and people overseas.The paintbrushes are back in their pots and the winning pictures are ready for passage to Hong Kong. The first stage of the Hands of Action children’s art project is complete.
Last week more than 600 children from the Bududa district in eastern Uganda composed pictures of life in their country for the project, an initiative of the Hong Kong-based Ridealist in cooperation with Hands of Action Uganda.
The best pictures will be sent to Hong Kong for one or more exhibitions and later sold internationally in an online auction. The money raised will go back to Hands of Action Uganda to promote the programmes of the participating schools and orphanages.
The project was made possible by an initial donation from Mr. Simon P'ng of Malaysia to cover the costs of the materials.
The Hands of Action Uganda Art Project now needs further funding or sponsorship in kind to cover the expense of high quality scanning, picture frames, and promotion of a physical exhibition of the paintings in Hong Kong.
It is our ultimate ambition to send this exhibition "on the road" where people from around the world will get the chance to see Uganda through the children’s eyes.
If you would like to join us, please contact Ridealist through the links on this page. You can also keep up to date with developments by following us on twitter @chrisgelken
Claire George
Ridealist Project Manager
Hands of Action Art Project
@slaurencecowley
