It's impossible not to feel like a failure, at least sometimes, and especially as a kid growing up in Hong Kong.

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In Failure Club, we'll unpack what success and failure actually mean and what they look like. I draw on my own anecdotes of going to school in Hong Kong, handling disabilities, and creating The Hong Konger (which was an initial failure), while outlining frameworks for students to rethink their pathways to long-term success and resilience.

Art careers don't make money... or do they? In Creative Careers, I show the nitty-gritty details of how I turned an iPad art hobby into a profitable business and social enterprise.

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We'll delve into what I spent and made in my first three years as a creative, the things I still do to maintain a steady income, and how Hong Kong students can best set themselves up for their own creative careers.

How can Hong Kong students achieve tangible social impact for charities and community initiatives? In Volunteer Visions, we'll learn the 3 Ts of Charity and brainstorm not only new but also actionable ideas to create change for good in our communities and beyond. I draw on my work at Pangolin Society, my company uses art to fundraise and support local charitable organisations.

Reading and writing can feel daunting to many young Hong Kongers, but there are ways to get stuck in and enthusiastic.

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In Everyone's a Storyteller, we discuss the significance and ubiquity of literacy and stories, and how stories are structured to make them engaging.

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Then, we pivot to learning ways to share our own stories, using tips and guides to making them interesting not only to readers, but also to storytellers themselves.

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This is a great workshop to invigorate students' enthusiasm for reading and writing.

Get your students interested in music theory and appreciation in this art, literature, and music session.

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The Stowaways Symphony was commissioned by the Hong Kong Philharmomic Orchestra in 2023 to teach children music appreciation concertgoing etiquette through fun fiction.

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We'll read the story together, listening along to the HK Phil play Mahler No.1, and then I get my little guitar out and we try out different fundamentals of music that showed up in the story.

Whether you've read one of my books in class or would just like your students to hear from a working writer and illustrator from Hong Kong, Book Talks are for you. I'll share the unseen creative and strategic decision-making that went into writing and illustration one or more of the following books based on your preferences:

• The Stowaways Symphony (ages 3-9)

• The Heist of Hooded Light (ages 8-13)

• The (Unlikely) Hong Konger (ages 13 and up)

To prepare for the talk, we'll have a consultation call to discuss whether you'd like your students to experience a literature / illustration focused talk or commercial / business strategy talk.

Need a custom school talk about creativity, community or resilience? I’d love to design a bespoke programme for you. The answer is (usually) yes! If you have a particular set of learning objectives, I'm happy to build custom workshops and talks for you and your students, colleagues, or parents. To get started, please email me at sophia@sophiahotung.com. We’ll have a conversation to review your needs and goals, then I’ll get to work preparing your programme.

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Previous requests from Hong Kong educators have included:

• We need a workshop that uses The Hong Konger as a framework to help Year 6s start their IB PYP exhibitions.

• We've been studying The Hong Konger Anthology, can you create analyses on certain specific artworks and poems?

• Parents feel conflicted over letting their children take arty subjects. Can you talk to them?

• Can you do a gap year student training on leadership and resilience?”