Joyful Journeys: Art, Music & Play is a one-year project funded by the Commission on Children's Children's Well-being and Development Fund. This project aimed to enhance the psychological and social well-being of children, children with special needs , and non-Chinese children and their caregivers, and to promote harmony, diversity , and an inclusive environment in Hong Kong. Children with special needs and children from ethnic minorities are usually stigmatized and neglected in society. This project created a positive environment to encourage communication and interaction among children from different groups and promote harmonious coexistence through diverse multi-component workshops.
Twenty workshops and a major carnival were conducted under this project. There was a variety of elements in the workshops such as music, art, handicraft, and storytelling , which enhanced the engagement and holistic development of the children. This project delivered services to over 400 person-times and over 200 participants were attracted to the carnival. The participation rate of SEN children and Non-Chinese ethnic minority families in this project was about 78% and 18% respectively. From the post-activity assessment survey, it indicated that children’s emotional expression, self-confidence, concentration, and stress management were improved, with an overall satisfaction rate of the workshops of 95.4%. This funded project was successful in achieving its objectives**;** it showed positive and remarkable results in promoting children's emotions, parent-child relationships, and community integration."