The founder of Hong Kong NGO Resolve on her campaign to empower future community leaders
In the What Matters To Me series, a Generation T honouree describes what they do, why they do it, and why it matters.
Like that other great campaigner for radical social change, Victoria Wisniewski Otero has a dream. Hers is of a more inclusive Hong Kong, where the cycle of disempowerment is broken by handing the microphone to people who are rarely heard. She is making this vision a reality with Resolve HK, a platform that provides fellowships to leaders from underrepresented communities to help them become change-makers.
Here, Victoria describes her work in her own words.
We all have an ethical responsibility to be more participatory. I grew up in a modest Hispanic family in the US, and when I look back I can see how my bilingual, bicultural background shaped my perspective. Now I live in a global city and I’m aware of the privilege that gives me too. It’s so important to remember that we all have some privilege that others don’t and to think quite seriously about how we can leverage that to help them.
Diversity and inclusivity are not the same thing. While Hong Kong is undeniably a vibrant and diverse city, inclusion is another matter. Statistically speaking, Hong Kong is the most unequal place in the developed world, so it is an objective fact that lots of groups that are being marginalised. Certain communities are doubly affected by this: ethnic minority women, or those who are transgender and living in poverty.