Building “CommUnity” Through Intercultural Language Education

From left to right: Venus Wan, Florence Lau, Marco Wan

CantoGather is an intercultural language education start-up founded by a student from the University of Hong Kong (HKU). The start-up aims to “build a ‘CommUnity’ in Hong Kong where all neighbours – both Chinese and non-Chinese alike – feel equally seen, loved, and respected”.

This usage of the term “neighbours” to describe those who live in Hong Kong and call it home is telling. On the one hand, it is a generously levelling and inclusive gesture that highlights our proximity to each other. At the same time, the starting point of the organisation’s work is, in fact, difference. CantoGather offers an opportunity to acknowledge the distance between people and communities, close that distance and build something positive out of it.

By addressing challenges like lower Chinese language proficiency, racial stereotyping, and identity struggles, they use language and multicultural education to break barriers. Through fostering intercultural understanding and equipping the non-Chinese community with Cantonese, they want to make “CommUnity” a reality, where communication leads to unity, which then comes to form a community.

Indeed, the founder herself is no average joe. Florence Lau studied dentistry at HKU and is now a part-time dentist and the Executive Director of CantoGather. While studying law and literature at HKU, Venus Wan joined CantoGather as a volunteer in 2018 and ran classes with Florence together. She later became a board member. Marco Wan, who majored in psychology at HKU and now works with teenagers for a Christian NGO, together with another social worker, Karene, joined the Executive Team in 2020, and became board members as CantoGather was officially established as a company in 2021.

“CantoGather began from a passion to address the unequal opportunities of Hong Kong’s non-Chinese community, rooted in my Christian faith and the belief in loving our neighbours as ourselves,” says Florence. “It started with a tutoring session where I saw how racial biases and systemic neglect hindered our non-Chinese members.”

Partnering with St. John’s College at HKU, the team focused on Chinese language education, worked with the Caritas Mok Cheung Sui Kan Community Centre and created tailored teaching materials to meet their students’ needs. Over time, they refined their approach and integrated elements of intercultural education, eventually partnering with primary schools to empower children and foster inclusion.

They note that HKU’s resources proved invaluable right from the start. “HKU provided crucial support to help us start and grow CantoGather. St John’s College covered our initial costs, giving us the confidence to move forward,” says Marco. HKU’s CEDARS provided further funding, while Professor Elizabeth Loh Ka Yee from the Faculty of Education offered invaluable insights and helped them form a service-learning partnership. The HKU Common Core Office became a long-term partner, providing venues and volunteer recruitment support. “Later, we secured HKU iDendron’s SEED Funding, which allowed us to scale up and build the foundation for our work,” he adds.

But it wasn’t all smooth sailing, and they had to face some significant hurdles together. “In 2020,” says Venus, “our rejection from the Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Fund revealed gaps in our strategy, prompting us to rethink our plan. Scaling back, we applied for HKU iDendron’s SEED Funding, later securing the SIE Fund after refining our approach.”

A second major challenge came after graduation, when the founding team found they had less and less time for CantoGather. Florence chose to work part-time as a dentist so that she could continue incubating the organisation, while the other co-founders took on board roles. “These challenges taught us resilience, adaptability, and reinforced our belief in our mission and trust in God’s guidance,” says Florence.

However, seeing their work bear fruit has been a source of deep gratification and ongoing motivation. “We’ve seen the transformation in many children from disliking Chinese to eagerly attending CantoGather classes … even on Saturdays!” she adds, laughing.

She shares the inspiring story of Chloe, a shy student who initially hesitated to speak Chinese. With her tutor’s support, Chloe gained confidence, began creating her own flashcards, and made remarkable progress. She achieved good grades in Chinese listening and reading, started reading Chinese books independently, and now even translates for her mother. Reflecting on this, Florence observes, “Her dedication and growth embody the impact we strive to achieve, and is what we see as the start of her journey to fully immerse herself in society.”

If the future looks bright for students like Chloe, it looks brighter still for CantoGather. They have managed to secure significant funding to hire more staff and grow the organisation, while also working with HKU interns and volunteers from programmes like the Social Sciences SISC and Education’s service-learning course, as well as passionate students who respond to their mass recruitment emails. “Their enthusiasm and shared dedication to our mission bring incredible energy and value, making it a joy to work alongside them,” says Marco.

Additionally, CantoGather now collaborates with other tertiary institutions for internships and service-learning, and is partnering with several primary schools to deliver their programmes, which will hopefully expand to include more schools in the future.

To HKUers thinking of pursuing their start-up dreams, they say, “Never be afraid of failure – embrace it as a learning opportunity. Think outside the box and stay open to new ideas. Seek advice from those who have walked the path before you and always approach challenges with a heart of humility and a willingness to learn.” For them, therein lies the success of their quest to change “stranger” into “neighbour”.