Youth Development Summit sets sail for new horizons and charts new chapter for future (with videos)

     The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) today (August 10) hosted the Youth Development Summit which marks the opening and highlights of the 2024 Youth Festival. Themed "Set Sail for New Horizons", the inaugural Summit has gathered officials responsible for youth policies from different regions, along with business leaders, talent in technological innovation, creative experts, young entrepreneurs and representatives of youth organisations as guest speakers. It also attracted over 2400 young people to register to participate and about 500 of them came from the Mainland and other overseas locations such as Singapore, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand, which enabled them to exchange views and engage in mutual learning on issues of concern to young people. 

     The Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, officiated at the Summit. In his opening remarks, he said, "Young people are the future pillars of our society. Our vision is to foster a new generation of youth equipped with a global perspective, aspiring and positive mindset, and affection for our country and city. We strive to provide our youth with a nurturing environment and hope for the future."

     Mr Lee pointed out that the Government attaches great importance to youth development. The Government has released the first Youth Development Blueprint for Hong Kong, highlighting its vision and concrete steps, for youth development. He said the development potential of both Hong Kong and young people who join the city is unlimited. He encouraged young people to live the Hong Kong spirit of never giving up and striving for excellence.

     At the session on "Empowering the Next Generation" held this morning, key officials responsible for youth policies and devoted to youth development from different regions were invited to exchange views on the critical roles of youth in social and economic developments and shed light on the policies and initiatives taken by governments in nurturing talent, fostering innovation, and encouraging social engagement. The keynote speakers were the Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki; the President of All-China Youth Federation, Mr Xu Xiao; the Deputy Minister for Society Development at the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mr Ahmed Al-Majed; the Deputy Minister of Education and Sports and the Vice President of Lao National Olympic Committee, Lao People's Democratic Republic, Mr Kingmano Phommahaxay; and the Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Malaysia, Mr Adam Adli Abd Halimand.
 
     Mr Chan gave a keynote speech at the Summit and shared the direction and major progress of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and different sectors of the society in promoting youth development. Mr Chan pointed out that the Youth Development Blueprint published in 2022 contains more than 160 measures, in addition to nearly 60 new youth-related measures introduced last year. It aims to provide all round support for young people and respond to their changing needs in a timely manner. The measures are grouped under four directions, namely "exploration", encouraging young people to explore the future; "hope", meeting their needs in various aspects such as internship, employment and entrepreneurship; "empowerment", supporting young people to build resilience and self-reliance; and "contribution", encouraging young people to participate in community-building. 

     Mr Chan said he believes that all the participants of the Summit share the commitment to driving the healthy and holistic development of youth and to building a future where all young people can unleash their full potential. He expressed his hopes that young home-grown talent and those from around the world will seize the development, collaboration and innovation opportunities in Hong Kong and create a brighter future together. 

     Three thematic sessions were held in the afternoon. The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, gave opening remarks at the thematic sessions. She pointed out that Hong Kong is a place filled with opportunities where individuals with diverse abilities and aspirations can unleash their strengths and pursue their dreams. 

     Miss Mak said, "Today's event is the first ever large-scale Summit dedicated to youth development organised by our Government to serve as a new platform for our young people to exchange knowledge, foster cross-cultural understanding, and inspire new ideas with peers from different regions and backgrounds." Miss Mak encouraged young people to take this opportunity to engage not only with the esteemed speakers but also peers from different regions and share their thoughts.

     The first session themed "Promoting Technological Innovation to Accelerate the Development of New Quality Productive Forces" was chaired by Legislative Council Member, Mr Duncan Chiu. The panelists, including the Founder and Chairman of Hozon New Energy Automobile Co, Ltd, Mr Fang Yunzhou; the Deputy Chief Executive of Bank of Communications (Hong Kong) Ltd, Mr Ip Tsz-kin; the Chief Executive Officer of Cathay Group, Mr Ronald Lam; and the General Manager of AstraZeneca Hong Kong and Macau, Ms Shan Wu, explored the power of innovation in driving economic growth and the important role played by youth.

     The next session was hosted by the Chairman of Greater Bay Area Homeland Youth Community Foundation, Mr Daryl Ng, and was titled "Inspiring Youth Creativity for a Sustainable Future". Leaders from different sectors, including the Chief Executive Officer of New World Development Company Ltd, Dr Adrian Cheng; the Principal Partner of MAD Architects, Mr Yosuke Hayano; the artist Ren Zhe; and the Founder of Foundation for Art and Culture, Mr Arthur de Villepin, explored the nexus of creativity, culture, and sustainability and discussed how to empower young people to drive innovative development.

     In addition, the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, acted as the moderator of the session "Nurturing Positive Thinking Amongst Young People for a Brighter Tomorrow" and discussed with the Executive Director, Corporate Affairs of the Hong Kong Jockey Club, Mr Raymond Tam; Legislative Council Member and the Vice Chairman of All-China Youth Federation, Mr Kenneth Fok; the Hong Kong fencer Vivian Kong; and the pianist Zhang Shengliang (Niu Niu). They shared their views on how to inspire and empower youth through the transformative power of positive thinking and delved into the importance of fostering a positive mindset among young people. 

     To enhance the Mainland and overseas participants' understanding of Hong Kong's technological innovation, arts and culture, and heritage conservation, and to provide them with an opportunity to exchange and interact with the local youth, the HYAB is holding a three-day thematic visit programme with exchange activities from yesterday (August 9). The YDC Youth Ambassadors and the Youth Link Committee members acted as the ambassadors of the programme to explore Hong Kong together with over 300 Summit participants. This will foster the interaction and co-operation among young people from different regions, to showcase and promote the city, and to tell the world good stories of Hong Kong. 

     Prior to the opening of the Summit, Mr Chan hosted a welcome dinner yesterday evening for officials, guests and speakers from the Mainland and overseas visiting Hong Kong for the Summit. 

     For the latest updates of the events under the Festival and the recording of the Summit programme, please visit the thematic webpage, www.youthfest.hk.