Home and Youth Affairs Bureau launches Pilot Scheme on Subsidy to Grassroots Youth for Participating in Exchange Activities Outside Hong Kong

     â€‹The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) announced today (May 3) the launch of the Pilot Scheme on Subsidy to Grassroots Youth for Participating in Exchange Activities Outside Hong Kong (Pilot Scheme), providing further support to grassroots youth to participate in exchange activities outside Hong Kong under the Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland (FSYEM) and the Funding Scheme for International Youth Exchange (FSIYE) in 2024-25.
      
     The HYAB and the Youth Development Commission (YDC) earlier launched the FSYEM and FSIYE targeting young people aged between 12 and 35. The FSYEM provides funding for eligible non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to organise youth exchange projects to the Mainland, with a view to promoting Hong Kong youth's awareness and understanding of the home country, strengthening exchanges with Mainland people and enhancing their sense of national identity. The FSIYE provides funding for eligible NGOs to organise international exchange projects for Hong Kong youth for them to widen their global exposure and understand the history, culture and development situations of different places in the world. 
      
     In 2024-25, the FSYEM (first round) will sponsor over 480 youth exchange projects with around 30 800 places in total, covering different provinces and municipalities on the Mainland. The FSIYE will sponsor 96 youth exchange projects with around 2 500 places in total, covering 44 overseas countries.
      
     Depending on the location, duration, content and other different factors of the exchange projects, some of the funded NGOs may still need to charge participation fees. In order to further support young people of different backgrounds to participate in these funded exchange projects under the FSYEM and the FSIYE, the HYAB launches the Pilot Scheme to provide additional subsidies to grassroots youth with financial needs. The beneficiaries include eligible youths receiving (i) Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA); and (ii) a full grant under the School Textbook Assistance Scheme or a full grant of tuition fees under one of the means-tested schemes by the Working Family and Student Financial Assistance Agency.
      
     Under the Pilot Scheme, the fees to be borne by eligible participants will be capped at $500 for Mainland exchange projects and $3,000 for international exchange projects, while the remainder of the fees will be fully subsidised by the Government. The organisers will be required to bear in advance the fees exceeding the aforementioned caps (excluding refundable deposits) for eligible participants. The Government will reimburse the relevant subsidies to the organisers after receiving the complete exchange project report.
      
     The lists of funded exchange projects under the FSYEM and FSIYE have been uploaded to the YDC website. Eligible youth can contact the organisers direct for the application and detailed information about the Pilot Scheme when they apply for the exchange projects.