To make sure that we do our job in helping you build your child’s cultural identity as authentically as possible, we work with our international Spark Guides. They are a team of inspiring cultural ambassadors who are passionate about celebrating their culture with the world!

Let us introduce you to Lok, our Hong Kong Spark Guide.

Lok

Tell us about yourself

My name is Lok-Wah Li and I am from Hong Kong. I was born and raised in Hong Kong and moved to the US for my high school education and I have been living in Massachusetts since then. I am now in graduate school pursuing a Ph.D. in Child Study and Human Development. When I am not writing papers or doing research in and out of communities, I enjoy visiting museums, drawing, and listening to jazz. 

What makes you passionate about your culture and why do you want to share it with the world?

From my personal experience as a Chinese immigrant from Hong Kong, I notice that the Chinese culture and our festivals celebrations are often featured in the general public in ways that do not communicate the real meaning behind it. For instance, celebrating Mid-Autumn festival is beyond eating moon cakes or playing with lanterns -- it is about family members coming together and reflect upon our bond and relationship. Looking at the moon and playing with lanterns are perhaps the by-products of family members coming together to spend time as a group, which is something that is getting more precious as the younger members begin to work and have their own lives. Sharing the values and meaning behind the festivals is something I feel responsible, as a member of the immigrant Hong Kong Chinese community, to share with others who are interested in our culture.

What do you hope to achieve by being a Campfire Crate Cultural Ambassador? 

I hope to learn from the leadership team of the Campfire Crates, especially in ways to engage families in talking about cultures! Before returning to graduate school I worked as an early childhood educator in a Children’s Museum, and I often designed and implemented activities for families with young children. It was always a challenge to come up with activities that can strike a balance between being respectful to the culture and making it fun for caregivers and children. Although I no longer work as a frontline educator, I still hope to collaborate with others and understand the process of creating activities and kits that are supportive to families’ learning about culture.