A skill for life: learn a new skill this summer

Katya Virshilas

Founder BallroomBees 

Performing in the hit BBC show, Strictly Come Dancing, Katya Virshilas has danced in over 200 shows with her professional partner Pasha Kovalev. Along with her husband and son, Virshilas moved to Hong Kong. 

Virshilas wanted her son to express himself in a creative outlet as well as a physical one but found it difficult to find something suitable. “I wanted the core foundation that Ballroom dance brings. I found everything was geared for girls, pink tutus and Ballet. I went to a ballet class with my son and he was the only boy and they didn’t have any props for him. He was upset and it got me thinking that we need to create a dance programme that unites boys and girls.” 

She went on to start BallroomBees, a one-of-a-kind programme designed to nurture a child’s all-round development, all through the joy of dance. Suitable for both boys and girls aged from walking to 8 years old, each class focuses on developing children’s social skills and etiquette, building confidence and fostering a deep sense of respect.“The past two years growing BallroomBees through the protests and a pandemic has been so tough. It’s very far from my previous glamorous life, but I’ve never been happier. When you have something special it will grow.” The company now has classes in eight locations across the city.

Adam Hunsley

Founder Ed Start HK

Recently expanding to Hong Kong from the UK, Ed Start is a Sports Coaching company that provides the highest standards of coaches and sports sessions. 

Having worked as a coach in Hong Kong for over ten years, Adam Hunsley believes that sport helps children control their emotions and learn how to lose. “Being a good loser takes maturity and practice. Losing teaches children to bounce back from disappointment, cope with unpleasant experiences and is an important part of becoming resilient,” says Hunsley. Spending his teenage years playing  professional football for Oldham Athletic, representing the Great Britain University Volleyball team in Europe and coaching for many schools in Hong Kong, Hunsley thought it was time to run his own company. “I spoke to the team in the UK to see if this would be something they would like to take international and within the space of a couple of months everything was ready to go,” he says.

 Since many children have spent a considerable amount of time at home the past year Hunsley believes it is more important than ever to make sure children’s mental health does not suffer and will be introducing a Health and Wellbeing programme along with the Little Hero award which helps children focus on weekly tasks.

Read more: Best sports classes for kids in Hong Kong

Manoj Dhar

Co founder and CEO of Integrated Brilliant Education 

Integrated Brilliant Education (IBE) is a registered charity that provides after school educational support, with a special emphasis on Chinese language learning to Hong Kong’s educationally marginalised non Chinese speaking children. 

Manoj Dhar originally moved to the city 22 years ago as an financial industry professional but after noticing a divide in the educational background of minority children, Dhar and his wife Geetanjali co-founded IBEL to provide equal and inclusive Chinese language learning opportunities for Hong Kong’s underserved children community. “Language is the most important of all educational and skill acquisitions, it allows for us to appreciate a culture, whilst also integrating into its social fabric,” he says. 

Dhar has two Education Bureau registered centres in Cheung Sha Wan and Jordan the charity supports the academic needs of over 240 children through tried and tested in and out of classroom interactive curriculum, providing them with confidence and life skills to help free themselves from the shackles of intergenerational poverty. “With Hong Kong’s population ageing, these homegrown, language empowered children will be ready to assume the roles of dynamic leadership and captains of industry,” says Dhar. 

Whilst schools remained largely closed and the educational journey of these children suffered immensely over the past few years, IBEL’s education centers remained open, ensuring that their beneficiary children were never abandoned.

Arndt Borchert

Urban Entertainment Group

Moving to Hong Kong at just a few months old, Arndt learnt to fly before he learnt to walk. “I was born in Germany but Hong Kong is in my blood,” says Arndt. 

Growing up, he was fascinated with the city’s bar and restaurant scene, but upon his father’s insistence he left to attend business school first. On his return to the city in 1997, Arndt worked for hotels, clubs and various restaurant groups, moving to Sai Kung in 2000. 

With ties to both Hong Kong and Europe, Arndt has been able to experience both cultures, “speaking with my European hat on, I feel Hong Kong can relax a bit, slow down and re-evaluate some of the priorities set, but in the end everybody needs to make their own choices. To use an old acronym I’ve always had a ‘work hard, play hard’ attitude to life, I still do, but sometimes the ‘play hard’ takes a back seat in Hong Kong.” 

With this in mind, Arndt joined the Urban Entertainment team six years ago, “we wanted to have a place where people go and relax, have fun, entertainment, laughs, good food, good drink, stay all day and then leave with a sense of fulfilment,” he says. With five venues inside the Centro building, including the popular Tikitiki Bowling Bar and Sci-Fi Cafe, the location boasts itself as a destination for fun.

Bek Joyce 

Founder of Jewel Jam

New Zealand-born Bek Joyce moved to Hong Kong in 2009 and thought the city’s children edu-tainment industry needed a little more sparkle. So she combined her teaching background with her jewellery expertise to create Jewel Jam, a mobile service that teaches school-aged children to make beaded jewellery and handmade accessories.

“Jewel Jam is a fun business to run, with a focus on creativity and learning a new skill. It’s immensely satisfying to host a party for a group of children, teaching them how to make something completely unique and personal to them,” she says. 

During a Jewel Jam children design their own necklace which is finished professionally with a magnetic clasp. They choose their next accessory to make from a selection of choices, such as a bracelet, bag tag, key chain, beaded bookmark or a beaded pen. At the end of a Jewel Jam, children take away their self-crafted pieces of jewellery in a special goodie bag. 

Since the pandemic, Jewel Jam has helped open up creative opportunities for children and parents in order to give them a sense of fulfilment and satisfaction. “It’s vital for children’s mental health to have an activity that can relieve anxiety and help them find inner peace. Beading is a very therapeutic activity. It’s a combination of colour and gem therapy.” 

Bek will be hosting workshops and pop-ups throughout the summer. Be sure to follow @jeweljamparties on Instagram to keep up-to-date with their classes in Hong Kong.