Newsletter No. 485

10 # 4 8 5 | 1 9 . 1 0 . 2 0 1 6 Photo by ISO Staff 口 談 實 錄 / V iva V oce 洪菲雅 Hung Fei-nga • 新亞書院社會工作學系畢業生 New Asia College/ Social Work alumna • 2015 – 2016年度誠明獎得主 Winner of the Cheng Ming Award 2015–2016 身為本年度誠明獎得主，此獎項對你有何意義? 我感到非常榮幸，這個獎項代表自己四年來對學術與社會工作實習的努力 付出，終於得到認同和肯定。我一定要在此感謝我的本科論文指導老師 陳季康 教授，若沒有他一直在旁支持與鼓勵，我想自己未必有勇氣主動申 請這個獎項。 你的畢業論文探討香港性小眾青年所遇到的挑戰及其精神健康，為 何選擇研究這個題目? 在香港，社會工作學系的學生很少就性別議題作廣泛而公開的討論。然 而，社會上對性別角色的期望、被主流價值觀劃分為「可接受」或「不能接 受」的性行為與性傾向、甚至對性小眾（包括同性戀者、雙性戀者與跨性 別者）的既定印象與偏見，都會引致不同形式的歧視與不平等現象，而這 些歧視往往對性小眾青年的自我形象與精神健康，構成嚴重的負面影響。 參與研究及社會工作實習時，有甚麼難忘的經驗? 今年6月，我有幸出席在新加坡國立大學舉行的第八屆國際健康暨心理 健康社會工作研討會，並在會上發表畢業論文。身為場內唯一發言的本科 生，我當時真的非常緊張。本以為大家對我的研究不會太感興趣，但當我 發言完畢後，竟然有幾位學者走過來，說他們很欣賞我的論點，更鼓勵我 繼續從事社會工作的研究，令我感到既興奮又意外。 至於實習工作中最印象深刻的，就是在台北一所服務受虐婦女與兒童中 心的日子。你或許會認為入住庇護中心的婦女都很柔弱，但經過幾個月 的相處，我卻發覺她們大多是非常勇敢、堅強的女性！雖然經歷了許多創 傷，她們仍能振作，以單親媽媽的身分，獨力將孩子撫養成人。我也希望 社會能給予施暴者更多情緒輔導及教育支援，試想像這些施暴者若從小 就了解尊重妻兒的重要，社會每年可以避免多少家庭悲劇的發生? 參與社會工作實習時，曾否遇到令你失望的時刻?你又如何調適 心情? 你有看過《反轉腦朋友》嗎?那是我最喜愛的動畫之一，故事講述人生若 要過得圓滿，就必須懂得如何「面對和擁抱悲傷」─我非常贊同這個講 法。社工的職責不是要確保每個人都過得開開心心，也無法為他人解決 所有難題。我們的使命是陪伴有需要的人，讓他們學會認識自己、接受自 己，從而發掘各自的潛能，直到有一天，他們能夠運用自己的天賦和資源 去解決問題，過獨立而有意義的生活。 你積極參與不同社會議題的討論，為弱勢社群發聲。你如何在繁忙 的生活中取得平衡? 這對我來說其實一點也不容易，但我相信服務社會是每一位大學生應盡 的責任。記得2014年9月，當整個社會為政治問題產生激烈的討論，我也 開始對公義和平等的議題有更深入的關注和反思。有段時間，我差不多連 續好幾天都沒有好好睡過，希望可以完成更多工作，以滿足社會、老師與 實習機構對我的期望。直到有一天，實習機構的一位導師告訴我，我的精 神很差，建議我請幾天假，那時我才真正了解到休息的重要。從此以後， 當我發覺自己開始力不從心時，就會學習放慢生活的腳步─有時甚至會 停下來，讓身心回復力量再重新出發。 畢業後有甚麼計劃? 我現在為社會工作學系陳季康教授與 張瀞文 教授的研究助理，同時協助 張文茵 女士，為癌症病人提供藝術治療服務，張女士是一位註冊表達 藝術治療師，也是我非常敬重的師長，我很高興能夠向她學習。將來，我 希望能做更多充權工作，幫助弱勢群體、連結社區力量。長遠來說，我期 望自己能够繼續真誠待人、認真追求學問，尋求真理，盡力實踐新亞書院 「誠明」的精神。 What does winning this year’s Cheng Ming Award mean to you? It is rewarding to see my previous four years of commitment to social work has finally been recognized. I do owe a debt of gratitude to my undergraduate thesis supervisor, Prof. Chen Ji-kang , who is also a member of New Asia College. Without his recommendation and encouragement, I wouldn’t even have the courage to submit my application for the award. Your undergraduate thesis investigates the challenges faced by LGBT youths in Hong Kong. Why did you conduct a research on this specific issue? Many of the major gender-related issues have not been openly and widely discussed by the students of social work, particularly in Hong Kong. Our society’s gender role expectations, its perception of ‘acceptable’ and ‘unacceptable’ sexual orientations and behaviours, as well as the society’s stereotypical assumptions about the sexual minorities, can lead to various forms of inequality and discriminations, which have profound negative impacts on the self-esteem and mental health of LGBT youths. Tell us some of the unforgettable moments from your research and fieldwork experiences. I had the privilege to present my undergraduate thesis at the 8th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health in the National University of Singapore this year. As the only undergraduate speaker at the conference, I was a bit intimidated at the beginning. After the presentation, I was very surprised to receive some positive feedback from the conference participants. Their encouragement had definitely reaffirmed my commitment in social work research after graduation. As for my fieldwork experiences, the most memorable moments came from my three-month placement at a shelter for abused women and children in Taipei. You may think that women living in the shelter are mostly weak and vulnerable. But for me, they are extremely brave. Many of them are trying their best to raise their children and live an independent life as single-mothers. I would also like to see our society offering more education and counselling services to the abusers—just imagine how many tragedies would have been prevented if they had come to realize the importance of respecting their family members. Have you ever felt disappointed at any moment of your research or fieldwork? How do you overcome that feeling? One of my favourite motion-pictures, Inside Out , talks about the importance of embracing one’s sadness in order to lead a fulfilling life and I couldn’t agree more. It is not the job of a social worker to make everyone happy or fix other people’s lives. Our mission is to accompany the people in need as they come to accept who they are and discover their potentials. It is our hope that one day they can utilize their own resources and inner strength to enhance their personal well-being and live a meaningful life. You are actively engaged in the debates of various social issues. How did you find a balance in life while taking up so many responsibilities? It was not easy. But I believe that as university students, we do have the responsibility to make a positive change to the society. In September 2014, when Hong Kong was under intense political debate, I started to ponder a lot about social equality and justice. There was a moment that I felt extremely overwhelmed because I wanted to handle everything at the same time. In the end, one of my supervisors advised me to take a few days’ break from my fieldwork. Then I realized it is always a good idea, or even necessary, to pause and re-orient our direction in life. What is your plan after graduation? I am currently a research assistant for Prof. Chen Ji-kang and Prof. Chang Ching-wen at the Department of Social Work. I am also helping Ms. Fiona Chang , a registered expressive arts therapist and also a teacher of mine whom I respect a lot, in offering arts therapy services for cancer patients. It would be perfect if I could work for organizations which focus on the empowerment of the marginalized population. As for a long term plan—I will try my best to live by the motto of New Asia College, ‘Cheng Ming’—to remain sincere to everyone I encounter and continue to cultivate intelligence and wisdom in everything I do.