走過 #十年 #第一個十年
ICE is actually turning 10 years (since incorporation) on 18 March 2020, we invited our guests, friends and former employees to share memories/anecdotes about working in/with ICE.
Let’s Turn Back The Clock!⏳
三月十八是ICE的十周年，由明天開始的十日會有ICE#十年回顧，亦邀請曾與我們合作過、實習過、指導過嘅外國人寫低感受和回憶。
接著十天來跟我們回顧那些年的點點滴滴吧！⏳
2010 Go to Top
第一間辦公室、
第一次非洲文化工作坊、
第一次回到母校、
第一次電視訪問、
第一個書櫃、
第一次戶外學習、
第一次貧窮模擬體驗、
第一次的少數族裔工作坊⋯⋯
Zulfiye NGO Forum Director, North East Syria [Co-founder]
I had the privilege of being present for the very early phases of the ICE journey – when a brilliant idea was being shaped into a reality. We had so much fun and I was truly inspired by every workshop, event and session we held with the wonderful youth of HK.
Wish: Happy birthday!
2011 Go to Top
#十年回顧 #貳零壹壹 #TenYears
Till、Christina加入ICE、瑞典Gustav當義工、第一次加入#SPKC LEWOWA、羸了社會企業挑戰賽，ICE就是這樣渡過了第一年☺
Marta Head of People and Culture, Mindvalley [Ex-intern]
One of my key memories about ICE is about the type of students I was facilitating workshops for. My students of average 15 years old, where reading books about globalisation. I still remember about this & until today feel inspired, because it’s so rare to see this level of ambition, cravings to learn and grow among people of this age. Especially from where I come from. It was a mild culture shock for me
Days in ICE were beyond work and passion. Every moment was an exploration of life through intercultural learning. It’s a “Good Lab” itself. My best memories would be Freddy Law and Till Kramer plus all the inspiration we had on neon green beanbags munching Lebkuchen.
Happy birthday and be the audacity of innovative learning!
2012 Go to Top
#十年回顧 #貳零壹貳 #TenYears
瑞典Gustav及哥斯達黎加Juanka正式加入、製作大型紙鶴、協辦香港聯合國教科文組織協會和平日☺️
Gustav Swedish language and culture teacher for foreigners
One of my strongest memories from working with ICE is the refugee simulation we did at PolyU. The school wanted to give a maximum amount of students an in-depth 30 min simulation. How could so many students have a rewarding simulation in such a short time? In order to get the number of participating students up, we had to invent a way to run three 30 min simulations simultaneously for a few hours with new students entering the simulations every 15 min. In the beginning, when Jey and Aggie explained what we were going to do, how many volunteers we needed, and the expectations of the university, I really did not believe it could be done. What were they thinking accepting this project?! But thanks to the creative minds of ICE, piece by piece, the project was taking shape. I remember arriving at the university on the day of the project and feeling wow we are actually doing this. And then the success and positive feedback from both students and staff confirmed the feeling of success I had those two days at PolyU.
The best time I had with ICE was sharing with students about Latin dances. At the end of the session, we had a little dance-off. Watching the students having such much fun while listening to music that any Latino could hear at a home party, was very special. This is ICE, an exception to the rule, a push out of your comfort zone, the learning and sharing of something novel.
I wish ICE keep people curious
2013 Go to Top
#十年回顧 #貳零壹叁 #TenYears
2013 同一時間有20多個Intern、有來自西伯利亞及韓國的Intern、仲有一條Marketing Team (點解而家得返半個？😅)
SeokHui Hong, Chief Product Officer at TheB(EduTech Company), UX Design Consultant for Startups and Universities
What a great experience I had with ICE! I was very happy to teach the Gangnam style dance and share Korean culture with the all students I met through ICE. I learned a lot by doing my internship. Also I got a lot more confident by working as a trainer. It was so much fun to work with everyone and I was always excited to meet new students.
Wish: Happy 10 years ICE!! You are my best memory from HK!
I interned at ICE during its hyper-grown stage and was thrilled to spend the winter working with 25 other brilliant interns. There was always so much happening in the office: brainstorming, designing, prototyping & training – the positive energy was infectious, and it was really inspiring to be part of this movement.
Wish ICE will continue to harness on youth energy, to fuel the development of global citizens – paving the way for youths from all over the world to join the cause!
2014 Go to Top
#十年回顧 #貳零壹肆 #TenYears
2014 是Jey加入ICE的第一年，還有來自🇱🇹立陶宛、🇰🇬吉爾吉斯和🇵🇭菲律賓的成員。
I am Tony, an arbitration lawyer currently based in Kuala Lumpur. I also do part-time work for other law firms based in Spain and France.
When I was in Hong Kong, I often worked in the ICE office so that I could print as much as I wanted and used up their toners (without guilt of course, I’m a lawyer…). I participated in a lot of their ICE Mashantti workshops. Probably because I’m a Chinese or a legal professional or both, I always played the role as a doctor. I’ve witnessed the growth and changes of ICE since 2013, from the previous little office to a much bigger and nicer room now!
ICE has been doing amazing work in HK with a team of passionate educators who try to bring the world to classrooms. I wish ICE can keep up with its great work and expand to…where I live!
Co-founder of
Alive Travel
ICE was the starting point for me connecting to diverse culture in the world. I experienced “stepping into the future” exercise in ICE’s workshop 10 years ago. It was inspiring, and ignited hope for me in becoming an independent and confident world adventurer. The period working with Freddy and Till also provided me abundant chances connecting to cross-cultural buddies. I am thankful for it!
Wish ICE continues to be the platform for deeper self-understanding and cross-cultural experience.
2015 Go to Top
#十年回顧 #貳零壹伍 #TenYears
-7個人來自7個不同國家- 愈來愈多來自五湖四海的人加入了ICE，到現在已經與超過80個國家的人合作了。
Linka, Youth Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Consultant at UNDP Bangkok Regional Hub
I seldom regret things happened in my life. But if I could have done something differently, I wish I could have met ICE earlier. What ICE mean to me is more than just a social enterprise, or a group of people driven by same mission. Its value of life, its mental model and the safe space it creates for people who are questioning mainstreamed thinking, all these things embedded within it changed my life when I was 22. I learned to be truly empathic, curious and open-minded.
I wish ICE and everyone around it, a bright pathway ahead and to be able to keep striving for things that we believe is right and worthy.
English Teacher / company Jolly Kingdom
I remember when we went hiking to Sai Kung couple years ago and I realised how l blessed I am to know all the amazing people from ICE.
Keep growing and developing the company. It helps lots Hong Kong students to learn more about the world and people they are surrounded by. And thanks for making this world a better place!
I still remember my very first project with ICE: I had to wake up very early, catch a train to Sha Tin, and take a bus to the place I have never been to. I was frankly wondering whether this entire thing was legit, especially that I agreed to join just by talking to a literal stranger in an event (poke Linka). That day turned out to be fine, and the rest is history; I must have been to more than ten schools since that cold, damp day.
Never stop doing what you’re doing – cross-cultural understanding is a gem in today’s world.
The reason why I thoroughly enjoyed working with ICE is simple: I learned new things every single time. When I went to different schools, I saw a completely different side of Hong Kong – seeing how the students learned in schools made me much more appreciative of local life. When I joined ICE events, I learned new knowledge from other countries that I would not get from binge reading Wikipedia. More importantly, ICE projects encouraged me to learn about Indonesia (as I had to do the sharing). And acting as literally Indonesian ambassador in schools flipped my view of the country upside down. That, for me, was remarkable.
Working with ICE – and eventually working in them – has been one of my best highlights in Hong Kong. Looking back, things that I did, realized, and experienced would not exist if it wasn’t for joining ICE.
Perhaps, I would be struggling to call Hong Kong a home if it’s not for ICE and the wonderful people associated with it.
Operations Specialist
at Flexport
I got to know ICE during my first year in university and it’s almost crazy to think it’s been 4 years! I still remember the first school I went with ICE in Shatin and how I was sort of nervous because I didn’t know anyone back then. I wasn’t even sure if I’m representing my country right too! Fast forward to the year 2020, ICE became one of the most important communities I’m part of. I’ve learned so much, met so many incredible people and ICE has definitely played a part in making Hong Kong my second home.
Happiest birthday to ICE and keep being super amazing!
I remember that ICE office has each team member photos on the wall! ICE family make me feel sweet and warm TIll can always think and speak very fast, and Jey always humble with great thought, Aggie always friendly and take care all the dirty work at the back All lovely guys around.
Diverse team with different projects to achieve same goal!
I had a great time working as a culture sharer and an intern in ICE in my university life. I learned so much not only from other culture sharers but also from the local students whenever we were doing a school project. In ICE, everyone is welcomed to share and exchange different cultural values. I love what ICE is doing and ICE will always be my family!
Happy birthday, ICE! Wish you empower more youth and inspire them to become world citizens!
2016 Go to Top
#十年回顧 #貳零壹陸 #TenYears
2016 – 第一次TEAM Trip 去了哈薩克🇰🇿 還有第一次大型的貧窮模擬體驗🤓
Peter Youngblood – PhD Student, CUHK Religious Studies
I first discovered ICE when they came to CUHK wayyyyy back in 2015, when they had us international students do that silly pipe cleaner engineering challenge…which obviously my group failed miserably at. Despite the utter shame of failure, I started volunteering with ICE that very next year (2016). I was bored and really needed a distraction from my studies. I never imagined I would be with them for the next four years.
I can’t think of any other company that lets you visit local kids and proudly tell and show them why your culture is awesome (and not all about guns). I can’t think of any other job where you role-lay part of a coffee cartel in a fictional African nation (maybe the theater). I can’t think of any other organization that sends you to the streets of Macau, leading a gaggle of lawyers on a scavenger hunt (which I also lost). And I certainly can’t think of another group so dedicated to the task of cultural awareness.
Happy Birthday to ICE! You are as cool as…well, you know!
I still remember the first time I attended ICE’s event. It was a workshop about Costa Rica in CUHK. To a guy who grew up in local schools, travelling and world culture was not a common theme of conversations in classrooms. So it fascinated me. I then volunteered to intern in ICE, trying to educate myself more about the world. My time in ICE as an official intern was brief but full of memories. Thanks to ICE, I had a lot of my firsts meeting people from all over the world, each of them taught me something new. I like the openness and the growth spirit that are so rooted in ICE’s ethos. Things are always unsettling when you do it for the first time, but they’d always say, you learn the most when you do things that makes you uncomfortable. I am so grateful to be part of this community where diversity and differences are respected and appreciated. I hope many more decades of ICE will follow after the first.
I hope ICE will continue to expand to parts of the world where it is needed!
2017 Go to Top
#十年回顧 #貳零壹柒 #TenYears
2017 – 似乎是有很大進步的一年啊🙃
Akbota, Just finished UN Volunteer in communications at UN Vietnam
My first encounter with ICE was when I joined one event they organized at my university. It was about refugees, and they brought three refugees who resided in Hong Kong at the time. One of the first things Till Kramer did in the class was asking how many people can name 10 countries, then 20, then 50. At the last number there were only 2-3 people who raised their hands, and everyone could feel how much we don’t know about the world. After that event I signed up to become a volunteer.
I really enjoyed the time I spent volunteering for ICE. Not only I met people from all around the world, I could also learn about their countries and it often wasn’t something I’d ask. Water system in Germany? Sure. Murder case in Croatia? Interesting. Not to mention how much I learned about my own country while I was researching for another topic I haven’t thought about for years.
Happy birthday ICE! I hope you will continue to grow and to bring knowledge about the world to Hong Kong youth and beyond.
Ontario Certified Teacher / International Educator
Back in 2017, I was on the lookout for global learning opportunities for my alternative practicum placement during my Bachelor of Education program at Queen’s University (Canada). I stumbled upon ICE’s website and impressed with their vision and mission statement, I sent out an introductory e-mail and arrangements were swiftly made. In the time that I spent with the ICE team as an intern, not only did I gain invaluable skills that developed my own intercultural competency and global citizenship, but I came away with something even greater — the friendships with the many amazing people involved with this wonderful organization. If we hope to continue striving for a better tomorrow in our ever-changing world, the cross-cultural platform that ICE has been providing for the last decade is a significant step in that direction. The dialogues exchanged, the perspectives shared, and the curiosity fostered have forged bridges connecting innumerable paths with people from all walks of life, exemplifying the strength that comes from embracing diversity and conducting successful cultural interactions. I’m humbled to have been a contributor to ICE’s growth and I remain a proud cheerleader for them.
Happy 10th Birthday, ICE — here’s to an even brighter future!
ICE is arguably one of the few hubs where I could talk a lot without feeling (way) out of place. There is always a topic that springs up and keeps the conversation going, and always an event to keep us in touch. Probably my most memorable was that dodgeball competition in a secondary school in Pok Fu Lam. They got funny people over there too!
May your milestone be a sign of many more years to come!
As I was writing, I happened to remember an encounter with some international exchange students in a restaurant in Mainland China. Having forgotten they have not ordered food yet, I keep on talking and talking to them. My friends had to kindly drag me away by my shirt so that those fellows could order their dinner. It was at that moment that I thought to myself I could have probably kept talking only in ICE.
2018 Go to Top
#十年回顧 #貳零壹捌 #TenYears
2018 – 繼續遇到很多美好的人，也有很多新嘗試 💪
Dulanga, Engineering Student at The Chinese University of Hong Kong
I admire the way Till does his presentations—more photos than words—and going to schools with ICE helped me improve my presentation skills massively, especially when I’m talking to people who don’t use English as their first language.
One of my earliest memories of ICE was from Wong Shiu Chi all the way back in 2017, when a delivery truck dumped dozens of boxes of Calbee chips for us to hand out to the students. The sad part is that I don’t really enjoy eating chips, and had some strong feelings of cognitive dissonance when literally everybody was trying to offer me chips. Also, Till leaned on me while we were taking a photo at the school, and although I put on a gangster face, I was genuinely terrified I was going to fall.
I was shocked at how well students from Tsinghua Secondary School spoke English and interacted with foreigners was when I joined ICE at an event for them in 2018. They impressed me a lot, and I would say that talking to them was one of the highlights of my time with ICE. There was also this time where I met this really smart I-think-11 year old at Cheung Chuk Shan, again in 2018; he seemed to know as much about each of our countries as we did ourselves!
The camping trip of 2019 was another event I enjoyed very much, despite being ripped to shreds by Sukie through the night. We played some great games around the campfire, where Till was repeatedly forced to make some very tough calls (partly thanks to yours truly). And then afterwards I slept to the lullabies of Benito and Till harassing people to go skinny dipping with them. I hope I can do that again someday.
iLounge events are the time of the semester when I get to lowkey annoy Till and Jey while appearing to be a curious student on the outside. I’m going to miss this very much when I graduate.
I appreciate Aggie and Jey for believing in me, and for letting me third-wheel them sometimes (we should grab dinner together more often; I could be like your experimental child). I also enjoy deep-talk with Jey, and as I write this I realise that I’m the one doing most of the talking while he asks the questions. I also appreciate Verena for sharing her life with me, and for being the happy-go-lucky weirdo she is.
Thanks for making Hong Kong a little more like “Asia’s World City” #noshade
I was honored to have worked and volunteer in ICE for a couple years. Through ICE I meet people from around the world, who in lightened my understanding of the world and befriended with me.
It is ICE 10 year birthday and a huge credit goes to ICE staff and volunteers. The hard work you had put into it made this special day possible and I want to thank you all and wish HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ICE.
It was always great to help this social enterprise raise awareness. Students pay extra attention when they learn something that they never heard before, as ICE touches on unique topics for each country. Sometimes the students would ask me followup questions to fulfil their curiosity, and I’d help them understand more about the culture, country, or the people. It’s also a huge opportunity to learn more about other countries’ culture, as I would’ve never known had it not been the efforts of ICE to put people from different countries together. It’s a true bliss.
Hope ICE can spread international awareness so people really get to know one another. Coronavirus has been spreading quite a bit of hatred.
2019 Go to Top
#十年回顧 #貳零壹玖 #TenYears
2019 – 回顧剛過去的一年，大家都在逆境下奮鬥和成長，著手擴展更多業務和發展機會，未來繼續努力 💪
Maria, Current Intern
I have joined ICE only last December and it all was rather spontaneous than planned. Yet I am very happy that I got this Internship and had the chance to meet so many interesting people, who are passionate and kind! The Harry Potter themed project in Elegantia College was for me the most fun one, since I got the chance to dress up like a Hogwarts student and we did a photo shoot with wands, robes and heads. The assembly was fun as well, because I learn some Cantonese and was able to tell it to a teacher (I learned:“You are a beautiful girl“ and I said that to a male teacher :D).
In the office we sometimes hear weird German folk music, which is just terrible because the music is so bad and just annoying and embarrassing. In the meantime the other interns like to learn German swear words and in return teach me Cantonese one‘s and other Cantonese words and phrases (but I’m very bad at learning new languages). After work in the office we once went to the promenade to play badminton, which was especially fun because Aggie was very judgemental If someone didn’t hit the ball and always shouted to everyone „Move!“ (mainly to Jey). Still she was usually the one that moved as little as possible. I hope that there will be many new memories and experiences!
Happy Birthday! I hope that ICE will stay strong and keeps the good work up even in these challenging times!
An anecdote is when Aggie asked me to draw something for ICE letters for FutureName and
Happy growing ICE and stay young!
I said no. Then she asked me again three more times and I succumbed :”D… I’m glad though
because now we have some cute ICE merchandise.
Myths, Fables and Legends!
Here’s hoping your efforts not only make HK locals more global citizens, but that you also become a model for other organizations to follow and make the world more inclusive and curious!
This was the theme of my very first project volunteering with ICE. It’s special to me because I saw first-hand how ICE strives to bring the world to local students; giving them the opportunity to expand their minds beyond what textbooks and the typical classroom exercises can offer.
On a personal note, I got to interact with both students and ICE staff during breaks as well as after sessions, sharing and learning about diverse cultures. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of one of my most enlightening experiences her in Hong Kong.
There is also the added benefit of seeing Aggie’s face whenever we mentioned “Myths, Fables and Legends” after the event!
🤩Online Quiz X YouTube LIVE
正日當日會有#YoutTube LIVE直播一齊慶祝及玩問答遊戲，記得留意喇！
2020 March 18 (Wed) 21 (Sat)
10% of questions are ice related and 90% are about global stuffs
Time: Let’s poll on IG story
Medium: English
🗣How to join?
We will announce the Quiz Pin/ the tools we use during YouTube LIVE
You should have your computer ready to watch our LIVE
and your phone to join the quiz.
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