Reconnecting to Roots

• bey0ndM@gz!ne
• January 29, 2021
• Default, People-Perspective
• 0 Comments

About ModernMigrants

ModernMigrants is an aid organisation set up by Hong Kong teenager Pankhuri Dayal, which provides digital skills and job placement support for migrant and minority professionals, amidst the rapidly evolving work environment of Covid-19. Every day, new emerging technology is transforming traditional industries such as marketing, media, education, healthcare, art and government services, and Covid-19 will accelerate that.

(https://www.modernmigrants.com)

Why ModernMigrants?
New industries will require new skillsets for all employees. Amidst this, one vulnerable group is left behind: migrants & minorities. Due to lack of connections, community support and knowledge about how their fields will advance in the future, migrants are often unable to digitally up-skill themselves in the speed at which the world is advancing technologically.

ModernMigrants connects these professionals in Hong Kong with global mentors working in the digital version of their chosen field, exposing them to the “Jobs of the future” and helping them develop the necessary skillsets. Training is provided using Zoom calls, the new norm during Covid-19, creating live interactions between program participants and mentors. Post training sessions, the mentors continue to guide the participants towards internships and job opportunities.

ModernMigrants is also developing a dialogue with FAANG: Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google to facilitate training and internships from these tech-savvy employers.

When Pankhuri Dayal, age 17, set up ModernMigrants in March 2020, she did not comprehend what an emotional journey it would be for her. “In many ways, it was going back to my roots for me. As an ethnically Indian adolescent, born in the United States and growing up in Hong Kong, I had always longed to connect with my heritage,” says Pankhuri.

The Hong Kong protests and Covid-19 created a perfect storm: taking away jobs, livelihoods and homes from many South East Asian families. That’s when Pankhuri decided to establish a platform that provided digital skills to young migrants and minority professionals in Hong Kong, allowing them the opportunity to restart their careers. “Becoming digital savvy is key. It opens doors for you in new industries and allows you to access global work opportunities sitting at home, even if the world remains closed.”

Pankhuri has worked with her brother, Pradyumn Dayal , to support Hong Kong’s minority communities for almost 5 years now. “Going back to my childhood, I remember visiting the Hindu temple and Gurdwara regularly. There, I remember seeing so many other minority and migrant families who looked like me, but they went home to far fewer opportunities and privileges than me. I realised that the best way to interact with my roots was to understand the unique challenges they faced,” explains Pankhuri.

Remaining fixed in traditional industries such as catering and transportation is where Pankhuri feels that the minority community’s biggest challenge lies. “Making them aware of new industries, such as Data Science, Artificial Intelligence, E-Commerce, and Digital Marketing, can be a gamechanger. Then, giving them the tools and network to succeed in these new areas will make the minorities true stakeholders in Hong Kong’s digitally evolving society.”

ModernMigrants makes this awareness and growth possible. It provides Zoom Workshops in six key areas: Digital Marketing, Digital Media, Digital Education, Digital Healthcare, Digital Art, and Digital Government Services. “We collaborate with industry leaders and top global universities to design practical workshops, online courses, mentoring programs and work experience opportunities for minority and migrant professionals in Digital areas. This allows them to not only obtain the right training but to also be imbued with the experience and confidence to fearlessly enter the working world of tomorrow,” says Pankhuri.

ModernMigrants is taking its programs global after reaching over 500 participants and multiple businesses in Hong Kong. Expansion will begin in India, followed by in the Middle East and the US. “India alone has 600 million talented youth, many of whom migrate in search of a better life. We are tying up with organizations like DigiYuva to equip migrant youth with cutting edge Digital Skills,” says Pankhuri. At home, the impact ModernMigrants is creating is visible. Pankhuri was just awarded the YEG Youth Excellence Award 2020 in Humanitarian Category. “It was a delight to get to know Pankhuri. We found it very encouraging and recognized her hard work and dedication towards a worthy humanitarian cause, and see her as wonderful example to her peers,” commented Amit Hira, President of YEG.

For Pankhuri, this journey has been nothing short of a homecoming. “I started out to reshape my community, but in reality, this initiative has reshaped me.

There is no better grounding in life than finding your roots and I am lucky to have discovered mine.”

About the Founder
The founder, Pankhuri Dayal, was born in the United States and raised in Hong Kong. She is a Y12 student at Milton Academy near Boston, USA. Pankhuri has been working with underprivileged minority communities from a grassroots level for over 5 years. A community minded teenager, she has tutored disadvantaged children from local schools to improve their English language skills and has raised funds for Kids4Kids to develop childhood literacy. In Boston, she spends her weekends volunteering at an Elderly Care centre and frequently teaches coding to young children at a Refuge Center for Women fleeing abuse and homelessness.

With Gurpreet Kaur