The martial arts were historically founded on combating oppression and spiritually leveraging practitioners. For example, Taekwondo was established and invented by Koreans during Japan’s annexation. Karate was born in the Okinawa Islands as a form of self-defense, at a time when weapons were banned by invading Japanese forces. Such spiritual empowerment is much needed by marginalised community members, who endure a dominant sense of inequality in the resources they can access and the level of discrimination they face. The martial arts’s emphasis on developing control of the mind and body is another catalyst for such spiritual empowerment, given self-discipline is one of its most prominent principles. Kick Action democratises the resource of the martial arts, throughout technology, filmmaking, and engineering, and offers it in a way that emphasizes wellbeing, confidence, and self-learned empowerment.

COEXIST emphasizes on empowering the migrant worker community through holistic wellbeing support. Wellbeing is a multi-dimensional concept that acts as a support system for all individuals to maximise potential. Though mental health has gradually become an increasingly prioritised social issue, there is still a gap in the services provided for this community. Making a living away from home and often being overlooked, the city undoubtedly needs to play a larger role in ensuring sufficient resources are allocated to ensuring migrant workers maintain healthy and happy lifestyles. Hence, we provide support through a diverse range of activities. From professional mental health webinars and free financial literacy workshops to hosting city-wide art showcases spotlighting migrant worker art of different creative mediums, enabling opportunities for self-care and self-actualisation remain the forefront mission of our organisation.

Kick Action also addresses SDG 5 given that the martial arts is viewed as a skill that is supposed to be possessed by men, because of its inherent violence, and the majority of domestic workers being women.

To achieve equality, one must see oneself as an autonomous person capable of controlling one’s destiny. Martial Arts provides the physical and spiritual tools to do this through the mechanisms used to tackle SDG 3, which allow for reduced inequalities and the addressing of SDG 10.

COEXIST places equality as a priority as evident in our name. We reduce inequality by educating employers and students about the issues surrounding the migrant worker community in Hong Kong. Whether it’s through our blog, art showcase or published children’s storybook, they all serve a purpose to shed light on the often overlooked community in order to create a culture of empathy and respect. Additionally, we provide opportunities for the migrant worker community to showcase their existing talents and capabilities through cooking workshops which demonstrate and acknowledge their role as the backbone of many households in Hong Kong. Reducing inequality also involves providing the necessary education and skill set to enable migrant workers to conduct themselves autonomously without limitations. By sponsoring financial literacy workshops, migrant workers are able to develop their capabilities in securing their own future and livelihood.

In harnessing the power of sharing stories, Helpers for Helpers aims to amplify the voices and calls to actions from domestic helpers, through the documentation of their struggles and perspectives on Hong Kong. Domestic helpers are the backbone of Hong Kong’s ecosystem and provide and sacrifice so much for so many Hong Kong families. We expand the reach of their experiences to a larger audience and stage, and shed light on the discrimination they face socially, economically, and in the household. In sharing these stories we hope to highlight the lack of respect and mistreatment that many domestic helpers suffer from and fight for the respect that domestic helpers deserve. Besides posting stories on our social media, we also frequently push out new projects. This includes publishing an anthology book of our stories and raising $5000 for HELP for Domestic Workers, posting video projects and documentaries on our social media, and partnering/hosting events and workshops to raise discussion and provide empowerment to domestic helpers.