Wikipedia:Inter-School Social Issues Association

The Inter-School Social Issues Association (ISSIA) is a youth-led non-profit based in the Asia Pacific. The group cultivates global citizenship and empowers young changemakers through peer-to-peer and project-based learning as the go-to hub for all things global issues with 300+ members across 70+ schools.

Since 2019, with a focus on SDG 4 and 17, the group has established more than 30+ projects as the largest youth-led organization in Hong Kong. For example, the ISSIA Magazine (awarded a grant by Kids4Kids), 170+ articles on their website (issiahk.org), ISSIAMUN, a debate program, a docuseries, podcasts and Youth NGOs Conferences, where we connected 20+ youth-led NGOs through up-skilling workshops, panels etc.

The group has been featured on the World Economic Forum, Nasdaq, SCMP, RTHK, Ariana Magazine, Expat Living, Little Steps Asia and Pixl Media; and has been represented at the HK Mental Health Conference, World Humanitarian Forum (WHF London 2021) and won Enactus' 'Action Accelerator'.

They produce a variety of multimedia content, including magazines, podcasts, webinars, surveys and videos. In 2021, they have launched a series of events and programmes (e.g. the ISSIA Youth NGOS Forum, ISSIAMUN, ISSIA Debate Programme). They have also launched 10+ school chapters throughout Hong Kong.

ISSIA Magazine

A leading youth-led social issues publication and the first inter-school magazine in Hong Kong; the group targets SDG 4 (quality education), with a focus on target 4.7 (global citizenship) as a community-driven, peer-to-peer platform for global issues education. At 95 pages, they feature a plethora of student work, ranging from articles and poems, to student artwork and photography submissions across Hong Kong. They discuss LGBTQ+ Identity in Hong Kong, mental health, restorative justice, capitalism, gentrification, foreign domestic workers, refugees and more! The first edition was published in 2021.

Please note: the views and opinions expressed in the ISSIA Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position of ISSIA HK unless indicated otherwise.

ISSIA Podcast

In addition to the magazine, they also have a weekly podcast programme in which contributors discuss contentious topics ranging from social apathy in Hong Kong to intersectional feminism. They also discuss academic topics e.g. nihilism, economic systems and more! They have published 10+ podcasts.

ISSIA Online

Their online media publication (issiahk.org) serves as the base for their multimedia content and the main website for ISSIA. They also introduced “ISSIA Weekly”, a weekly roundup of select articles from ISSIA Online! They have published over 140 articles on issiahk.org, with more to come.

ISSIA Research

They have conducted comprehensive surveys, investigating social engagement in high school students in Hong Kong (100+ respondents). Our second survey focused on and the effects of COVID-19 on student wellbeing and student opinion on online learning (60+ respondents).

New Initiatives and Projects

ISSIA Events

They recently hosted ISSIA's first 'Youth NGOS Forum'. Through the event, they hope to foster a greater sense of connectivity between different youth organizations as well as increase exposure for ongoing projects and opportunities. The event connected 10+ Youth NGOS through a variety of events including a panel (featuring AliveVibe, ReBooked and Colour Away Covid), skill-based workshops, networking events and more.

They also organized our own Model United Nations conference (ISSIAMUN), where we had two councils (ECOSOC, US Senate), introducing the topic of Black Lives Matter and the aftermath of Colonialism to ~40 students from a variety of schools in Hong Kong.

Multimedia Team

They are expanding our multimedia coverage. We are working on a documentary series, diversifying the content for their podcasts and expanding our research and advocacy efforts.

Outreach

They have three main areas of expansion 1) local schools 2) universities 3) international recruitment. They are looking to expand on all three fronts, helping make their community even more diverse!