The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, chaired the 16th meeting of the Youth Development Commission (YDC) today (July 29). 
      
     At the meeting, members were briefed by government representatives on the latest implementation matters of the Youth Development Blueprint. They were pleased to note that policy bureaux and departments have been taking forward more than 160 measures as stated in the Blueprint, and nearly 60 new measures put forward last year, at full steam to support the growth and development of young people in an all-round manner.
 
     The progress of the various youth development initiatives under the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) and the YDC, from among those measures, is summarised as follows:

     (1) The HYAB is actively preparing to organise the Youth Development Summit scheduled to be held on August 10 this year as the opening and highlight of the 2024 Youth Festival. Under the theme "Set Sail for New Horizons", the Summit has invited key officials responsible for youth policies, technology innovators, experts from creative industries, young entrepreneurs, representatives of youth organisations, etc as guest speakers. The HYAB has also recruited local young people and invited youth groups from the Mainland and overseas to participate in the event in Hong Kong; 

     (2) The HYAB and the YDC continue to implement various Mainland and overseas exchange and internship programmes, and have launched for the first time the Pilot Scheme on Subsidy to Grassroots Youth for Participating in Exchange Activities Outside Hong Kong to provide additional subsidies to grassroots youths, to encourage more young people of different backgrounds to broaden their horizons and explore development opportunities; 

     (3) In March this year, the HYAB launched the mobile application for youth "HKYouth+" as a one-stop platform to disseminate diversified information on various youth development programmes, covering a number of areas such as national development, arts and culture and entertainment, innovative technology, and physical and mental wellbeing. It enables young people to explore suitable activities and development opportunities based on their needs and interests; 

     (4) The HYAB and the YDC launched in April this year a new round of the Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) and the Funding Scheme for Experiential Programmes at Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases under the Youth Development Fund. Through providing entrepreneurial support and incubation services in the GBA for young people of Hong Kong, the two funding schemes help them address the initial capital needs and cope with the challenges in setting up their business. A total of 80 applications by non-governmental organisations were received in the current round of the two funding schemes, an increase of about 40 per cent compared with the previous round; 

     (5) The HYAB has subsidised various youth uniformed groups to enhance national education promotion efforts. It has also organised five rounds of a Chinese Drill Instructors Workshop together with the Hong Kong Police College and the Civil Aid Service. A total of more than 270 instructors have been trained, enabling all youth uniformed groups to have formally trained instructors to teach Chinese footdrills. In addition, the Tsing Yi Community Isolation Facility has been converted into the Youth Development and National Education Base, which is managed by the Hong Kong Army Cadets Association. It has been available for use by youth uniformed groups starting in April this year for holding activities, including flag raising, footdrill training and other youth development activities; and 

     (6) The HYAB has been continuously organising a number of activities for the Youth Link to link up participants of various government youth programmes, provide them with a wide range of opportunities to develop diverse talent, and strengthen their interaction and trust with the Government. More than 10 000 youths have joined the Youth Link. 
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     Mr Chan said, "The Government has been working with the YDC to continuously take forward and deepen youth development work through the Blueprint. The various measures in the Blueprint have achieved good progress of implementation. I would like to thank all members of the YDC for their active participation in the publicity and implementation of the Blueprint. I hope that the YDC will continue to work closely with various bureaux and departments to steadfastly nurture a new generation of young people with an affection for the country and Hong Kong, and, equipped with global perspective, an aspiring mindset and positive thinking."

Ends/Monday, July 29, 2024
Issued at HKT 19:48

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