Interactive AI and career learning experience to help Youths with Special Education Needs get Future Ready
The “Microsoft YouthSpark 2018 Kick-off Ceremony cum Inspiration Day”, co-organized by Microsoft Hong Kong and WebOrganic, supported by LinkedIn Hong Kong and Hong Kong Young Women’s Christian Association (HKYWCA), was successfully held at InnoCentre, Kowloon Tong. This event aimed to provide a brand new interactive experience for youths with special education needs (SEN), parents and educators to learn more about Microsoft AI technology and the latest career planning information through a series of sharing, games and activities, in aid of broadening their horizons and better equip them the way forward in the new economy under digital transformation.
Officiating at the ceremony, Mr. Charles Hui Pak-kwan JP, Acting Deputy Commissioner for Labour, said “Employers’ support is crucial for the assisting youths with SEN to be employed and join the labour market.; We are pleased to see Microsoft, with the effort of this programme, help to equip young people with digital skills and thus to promote their employment, and this will hopefully serve as a role model for the business community and to encourage more employers to offer opportunities to give these talented youths a chance to demonstrate their talents.”
Hands-on Experience with Microsoft AI for Accessibility Technologies & Tools
The “Microsoft AI for Accessibility” Experience Zone was specially designed with interactive games to enable participants to gain a hands-on experience on how Microsoft AI technologies and tools could empower communities with different special needs to achieve more in their daily lives, such as learning and working.. These include:
- Microsoft OneNote Learning Tool: An Immersive Reader to help students with dyslexia read and learn more efficiently
- Microsoft Xiaoying Chatbot: A chatbot on WeChat to help users learn oral English at their own pace
- AIs in Office 365: Built-in AI functions to enhance efficiency on document processing and designing work, while ensuring the accessibility of document content
- Microsoft HoloLens Mixed Reality: A physical and geographical barrier-free mixed reality environment to foster collaboration and communication
- Seeing AI Mobile App: An app with Microsoft AI to help visually impaired persons to understand surroundings through the lenses on mobile phones
- Microsoft Translator: Real-time translation of text, voice messages, image text and conversations, breaking the language barriers and meanwhile improving communications for people with hearing loss
“We believe that AI helps to amplify human capability,” said Cally Chan, General Manager, Microsoft Hong Kong. “For people with special needs, AI tools could be a good partner to help them overcome physical difficulties, and to learn, live and work independently, so as to gain equal opportunities as we all do.” She also hopes that through the YouthSpark programme, more youths in need can achieve more with access to AI technologies and tools.
A Full Spectrum of Career Planning Activities to Inspire the Future-ready New Generation
A series of career planning activities were also brought by different programme partners and supporting organizations, inspiring participants with a positive attitude towards life and career planning, as well as the latest career information which help them kick start the digital skill based career. Activities included:
Dr. John Fung, Business Director of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, expressed his gratitude to the many partners for their unrelenting supports for the event as well as the entire Microsoft YouthSpark project, “I look forward to seeing an even greater synergy through collaborations among business sector, government, schools and nonprofit organizations, so that more young people with SEN could be benefited and unleash their potential in developing their career pathways.”
More about Microsoft YouthSpark Program
As a global Microsoft philanthropic initiative, YouthSpark provides a wide range of digital skill trainings to young people around the world to promote their IT knowledge, so as to enable them to develop potentials in their career pathways. Since 2012, the programme has contributed over HKD$12 Million in Hong Kong, providing more than 18,000 hours of free training for 2,000 young people. In 2018, Microsoft Hong Kong partners with nonprofit organizations HKYWCA and WebOrganic to provide 12-30 hours of digital skill trainings and career planning activities for 400 youths with special education needs, fostering participants’ understanding on the trends of technology innovations, and the opportunities that they bring, so as to help them achieve more in a digitally driven economic environment. For more information, please visit: http://aka.ms/YouthSparkHK
