AEP Festival 2025 (Urban Tapestry: Weaving Community Through Murals 2025)

Department: Art Unit

Leaders: Wang Mo

Members: Nicole, Soi Mui, Mike

1.  What was the current need/gap that you were addressing?

Traditionally, the AEP initiatives tend to be more inward-looking, with learning opportunities largely designed to benefit AEP students within school. While these programmes are effective in developing students’ artistic skills, they often have limited impact beyond the immediate AEP community and do not sufficiently contribute to the wider art fraternity or nurture early interest in the arts among non-AEP students. This AEPF initiative sought to address this gap by extending meaningful art learning and collaborative opportunities beyond AEP students alone. Through Urban Tapestry: Weaving Community Through Murals, the programme was intentionally designed to be inclusive and outward-facing. It provided structured exposure and authentic learning experiences not only for NYGH AEP students from Secondary 1 to 4, but also for 100 primary school students from 9 schools, many of whom had limited prior access to large scale collaborative art making. By engaging a local artist and facilitating cross-age, cross-school collaboration, the programme broadened access to professional artistic practices and mentorship. It allowed younger students to experience art as a communal and socially meaningful process, while AEP students developed leadership, facilitation, and collaborative skills in a real-world context. In doing so, the programme effectively bridged the gap between AEP and non-AEP communities, expanded the reach of arts education, and contributed to the growth of a more inclusive and connected art ecosystem.

2.  How had it been experimented and enacted?

Yes, enacted from March to July 2025 through a series of workshops, bootcamps, and painting activities.

3.  Which group(s) had benefited?

Students (Selected Groups), Teaching Staff (Selected Groups), Others

4.  What was the positive impact?

Impact on AEP Students For NYGH AEP students, the programme provided differentiated and meaningful learning outcomes across levels. Lower Secondary AEP students were exposed to a new artistic medium—large-scale mural painting—which broadened their artistic repertoire beyond studio-based practices. Working collaboratively on a public-facing artwork allowed them to experience art-making as a communal and socially situated process, deepening their understanding of art’s role beyond individual expression. Upper Secondary AEP students took on the role of facilitators and art advocates, guiding primary school participants throughout the mural-making process. This provided authentic leadership opportunities where students applied their artistic knowledge in real-world contexts, developed communication and facilitation skills, and learnt to adapt their guidance for younger learners. Through this experience, they grew in confidence as peer leaders and gained a stronger sense of responsibility as representatives of the arts community. Impact on Teachers For NYGH teachers, the programme provided valuable professional learning through the planning and execution of a large-scale, multi-partner event. Teachers gained experience collaborating with multiple stakeholders, including primary schools, external venues, and a local artist, while managing logistical, safety, and pedagogical considerations across diverse student groups. Organising an event involving 100 primary school students enhanced teachers’ capacity in large-scale event coordination, outreach planning, and cross-sector collaboration, contributing to stronger organisational and leadership competencies within the department. Broader Educational Impact Beyond individual stakeholders, the programme strengthened connections between secondary and primary schools and expanded access to meaningful arts experiences. By positioning AEP students as facilitators and mentors, the initiative modelled a sustainable approach to arts outreach that empowers students to take ownership of advocacy and community engagement through the arts.

5.  What is a future need that this IdEas@work could meet?

There is a growing need for arts programmes that are inclusive, scalable, and extend beyond individual schools or specialised cohorts. This project addresses the future need for structured platforms that broaden access to arts education while developing students as leaders and advocates for the arts. By positioning AEP students as facilitators for younger learners, the model supports the development of sustainable arts mentorship pathways that nurture interest in the arts from an early age. It also responds to the need for stronger cross-school and school–community collaboration, enabling schools to maximise limited arts resources through partnerships with external venues and local artists. This initiative offers a replicable framework for outward-facing, student-led arts outreach that can be adapted by other schools, ensuring arts education remains relevant, accessible, and impactful for a wider community of learners.