​The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, chaired the second meeting of the Youth Development Commission (YDC) today (June 19). At the meeting, members endorsed the YDC youth engagement plan and agreed to regularise the Youth Ambassadors Scheme (tentative name). Details are as follows:
(1) The YDC agreed to organise regular youth engagement activities, including regular visits to schools and district youth organisations for direct dialogue with students and young people of different backgrounds, e.g. young people from low-income families and non-Chinese speaking students, and to maintain close contact with the 18 District Youth Programme Committees. The YDC will organise focus group meetings and invite young people and relevant stakeholders to have in-depth discussions on specific issues related to youth development. The YDC will also hold a youth summit next year to examine the outcome of the YDC’s work with stakeholders and listen to the views of young people. In addition, the YDC will make use of online platforms and social media to strengthen communication with young people.
(2) The YDC will regularise the Youth Ambassadors Scheme (tentative name) and recruit 100 young people each year. The purpose is to identify and nurture more young people who are committed and passionate about serving the community. The scheme will provide training to enhance participants’ understanding of the social and public affairs of Hong Kong, while improving their team spirit, confidence, logical thinking, leadership skills and interpersonal relations. Participants will also have opportunities to take part in a wide range of programmes, including large-scale events and international conferences, international youth exchanges, community services and youth engagement activities. The YDC will announce details of programme specifics and recruitment arrangements in due course.
The meeting took note of the progress reports of the three Task Forces set up under the YDC. The three Task Forces, namely the Task Force on Youth Exchange and Internship, the Task Force on Youth Development Fund and Programmes and the Task Force on Youth Outreach and Engagement, convened their first meetings in June separately and commenced discussion on issues that fell within their respective scope.
The meeting noted that more than 70 000 Hong Kong young people would participate in exchange and internship programmes on the Mainland and overseas to be organised, funded or co-ordinated by the Government on average in one year. The YDC will conduct a half to full-day visit outside Hong Kong (tentatively Shenzhen) during the summer holidays for better understanding of the internship programmes.
The meeting noted that, through co-operation with non-governmental organisations, the Youth Development Fund supported around 190 young people to start their businesses during the first application cycle. The YDC will study how the Youth Development Fund can be enhanced to provide better support to young people to start their businesses, including those outside Hong Kong, e.g. in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area.
A dedicated website for the YDC was launched today to promote YDC activities to young people and relevant stakeholders in a more effective manner. The dedicated website contains information on youth development activities and programmes that are organised or funded by the YDC or the Home Affairs Bureau. The activities and programmes cover various areas including youth exchange, internship, innovation and entrepreneurship, life planning and life education. For more information, please visit www.ydc.gov.hk.
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