Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: NGO leader inspires change through empathy
More than 250,000 people have gone through Crossroads Foundation’s immersive experiences that recreate conditions faced by those on edges of society
Crossroads Foundation president David Begbie has spent three decades showing Hongkongers what life is like on the margins, stripping away comfort in realistic simulations that turn empathy into action.
The humanitarian has been named a finalist in this year’s Spirit of Hong Kong Awards in the Community category, in recognition of his efforts to build empathy and inspire change among leaders, students and families in the city.
The Crossroads Foundation has served people in need for three decades, redistributing surplus resources from Hong Kong to families locally and to communities in more than 100 countries.
The NGO’s simulations, developed to immerse participants in the lives of those at the edge of society, have been running for 20 years.
When Begbie first invited chief executives of companies to spend a night in a slum simulation at the Crossroads Foundation, he wondered if they would walk away in a huff.