Our
STORY
Hong Kong is experiencing a vortex of conflicts. Violent clashes in the streets may have dissipated but the scenes play on in our heads and are relived in the media and court rooms. Fresh conflict — personal and social — continue to feed the vortex.
Peaceful protests had been the norm for Hong Kong’s social movements but many who have become disillusioned over no or worse change have decided to use or support violent means. The shift is met with more threat, more violence. In the community, we find deep anxiety, mistrust and rifts in families, among friends, in schools and the work place and between large sections of the people and the authorities.
We believe it is insufficient just to stop an outburst or even to negotiate a settlement. The underlying conditions and relationships have to be transformed. Peace gives us the framework for transformation.
We see a need for peacebuilding capacity and skills – both to deal with the current state of affairs and the many challenges ahead. Against this backdrop, we set up Peace Generation in spring 2020 with the mission to foster a culture of sustainable peace for this and future generations.
We want to change the way we view and respond to conflict in Hong Kong and build peace together in our everyday action.
Our
TEAM
Prior to founding Peace Generation, Teresa worked in journalism, banking and law. She has a growing engagement with peace, having completed mediation training, graduate studies in international peace and published papers on community security, impasse in peace processes and business and peace. She is also adviser to several other civil society organisations.
Having worked across humanitarian, social innovation and private sector, Fiona brings multi-disciplinary experiences and skills to the team. Born and raised in Hong Kong, the social movement in 2019 prompted her to re-think conflict and peace, and inspired her to seek new narratives in and for our community.
Susi is passionate in community building, with an interest in understanding what connects people and how to build a sense of community among us. As the Gardener of Peace Generation, Susi curates public events with the aim to promote dialogue, create common grounds between people, and translate peace into action. Susi is an art practitioner who always seeks the opportunity to cultivate a sustainable ecology in community through art and human connections.
Kit joined Peace Generation with the vision of promoting the concept of peace in Hong Kong. She is particularly passionate about integrating peace education in schools in Hong Kong. Kit recently obtained a masters degree in International Peace Studies in Tokyo. She is also a registered social worker in Hong Kong.
Ann worked in an auction house and a private foundation before joining Peace Generation. She is an art enthusiast who is particularly passionate about literature, illustrations, ballet and films. She is inspired by cathedral thinking - the idea of committing to a long-term vision for the next generation and beyond even if the early builders are not likely to see their vision come to fruition. Ann envisions a peaceful, sustainable, and free Hong Kong and strives to be one of its many builders.
After obtaining a Masters of Buddhist Studies in 2022, John has reoriented his career path and life mission and returned to the non-profit sector where his skills can be more fully utilised. John was initially trained as an engineer and has assumed different roles in both commercial and non-profit sectors. He enjoys connecting people in order to generate cohesion and understanding and to bring peace to everyday life in the community. John is an optimist and is dedicated to his beliefs.
Having recently completed his Masters in Education and possessing a keen interest in education philosophy and policy, Curtis has joined Peace Generation to research on how education can further equality, democracy and peace in Hong Kong. He wants to find ways in which ordinary, everyday spaces can be transformed into more democratic, vibrant and meaningful places through policy and grassroots action. He is also a huge enthusiast of classical music and plays the piano.
Venus believes everyone is an island, and to love is to let the sand flow and go on a journey until the tiny particles reach new shores. Through working as a cultural journalist and writer for major publications in Hong Kong, she has realised the power of listening and responding to others’ stories. She is passionate about multidisciplinary arts and community building, and hopes to facilitate projects that cultivate knowledge exchange as well as relational sense and sensibility.
Psychology
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (Year 3)
Brian begins to rethink the real meaning of peace against a backdrop of social instability in recent years. Specialising in psychology, he hopes to explore the relationship between different levels of peacebuilding - from the inner peace of oneself to peacebuilding in a broader societal context. Particularly interested in education, he also notices the lack of peace education in the city. Aside from work, he is a football fanatic and food enthusiast.
Linguistics
Chinese University of Hong Kong (Year 3)
Jane has been a Peace Fellow from the 2021 June cohort. They want to be a part of Peace Generation's endeavours to create community spaces where meaningful conversations happen and where solidarity is built and maintained. As an aspiring linguist, they are especially interested in sociolinguistic phenomena and how language plays a part in social dynamics, power structures, and societal change.
University of Hong Kong (Year 4)
Human, Social, and Political Sciences
Cambridge University (Year 1)
He has joined Peace Generation to engage in dialogue with people from all walks of life and to foster a culture of peace amongst peers. He has long been passionate about social and economic justice issues and hopes to use peace as a bridge to a fairer and more equal Hong Kong. He aspires to be a journalist one day. In his free time, he plays basketball and watches Marvel movies.