Interview with Grace So, Founder & CEO, ActiveKids What do you think is a good education? As an educator for almost two decades and a mother of three, I have always been challenged by the question of what is the best approach for educating children. My “traditional voice” is always yelling at my kids, “Study Hard! Hurry up! Get Good Grades! Get into a good college!” – as if ‘harder’ and ‘faster’ are the keys to a successful education and getting into college is the endgame. However, my “educator mind” has taught me to slow down and think through what a ‘good education’ means in the 21st century. Having taught thousands of children, I see that a ‘good education’ serves multiple objectives some near-term such as developing skills that will allow them to maximize their intellectual capabilities and collaborate on projects, and some longer-term such as inspiring children to enjoy learning and to be good responsible global citizens. With our children squarely in the digital world, today’s education should emphasize less on memorizing and more on deciphering, analyzing and utilizing the information effectively. Google “What skills do kids need in the 21st century”, and study after study will show the keys to future success require capabilities such as collaboration, critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, responsibility and self-motivation. So, is our current education providing enough opportunities to develop these life-long skills? The Birth of ActiveKids With that exact question in mind, I started searching for opportunities to supplement my children’s traditional education with programs that would engage different parts of their mind, while importantly being fun and interactive. Back in 2003, there were only a few options, and the quality of the activities was often not very consistent. Hence, I quickly realized that there was a big gap in such high-quality, interactive afterschool programs. Given my background (Engineering Bsc from Brown University, Chicago Booth MBA and FMCG work) and experience in raising three young children, I seized this opportunity and founded ActiveKids in 2004. The overarching objective was to help children develop the love of life-long learning through a series of best-in-class, engaging and innovative programs, not found in a typical classroom. We want students to have fun ‘doing’ and in the process develop skills such as critical thinking, creativity and collaboration. ActiveKids is now the leading after school program provider in Hong Kong with over 60+ partnering schools engaging thousands of children every year. It has six premium afterschool programs and two additional summer programs*: Science Adventures The Chess Academy Stormy Chefs RoboCode ArtCrafters Mission Runway Young Global Leaders* Ivy Camps* The ActiveKids Approach Various studies have shown that students retain the following amounts through the following approaches: 10% when reading something 30% when seeing something 50% when saying something 70% when they actually do something. Thus, the ‘Hands-On’ approach to learning is the fundamental teaching methodology of all ActiveKids programs. In addition, ActiveKids programs also focus on children having fun and being engaged. Thus, we seek first-rate programs/practices from around the world. It is also important for us to maintain good partnership with schools, parents and children. Our focused hands-on teaching methodology and our experienced teachers help inspire children to channel their curiosity into discovery/learning, and hopefully, developing skills to lead a productive, fulfilling life. Dynamic Variety of Programs All of our programs are selected with the goal of developing certain skill sets. Science Adventures and RoboCode are our STEM courses that not only help improve kids’ science and technology literacy, but also, problem solving skills. We want kids to be truly excited about the sciences - a foundational building block for future innovators. The Chess Academy is the #1 chess program in HK where we have two Grand Masters (only ~1500 in the world) leading our team of expert FIDE coaches. Chess requires a good understanding of rules, fair competition and learning from mistakes. Through this process, children will acquire invaluable skills and build good character for life. Stormy Chefs, ArtCrafters and Mission Runway are unique offerings to nurture creativity and develop self-sufficiency. Not only do kids have to be 100% hands-on when completing these courses, they need to get out of their comfort zones in order to create. Ivy Camps and Young Global Leaders are leading-edge topical and cultural programs to expand one’s perspectives and to understand global issues. Children will be exposed to intriguing topics, and immersed in an environment to learn new cultures and embrace diversity. Of course, there are many factors and ways to provide your child with the ‘best’ education. Finding the right balance between developing an appropriate knowledge base and creating the complementary skills set through after-school programs is a key step in your child’s development. For more program details: www.activekidshk.com https://thechessacademyhk.com T: 3480-4199 E: info@activekidshk.com ActiveKids HK Facebook | IG
