2023 Policy Address - A Vibrant Economy for a Caring Community

The Policy Address 2023 sets out a range of initiatives to revive the economy, create opportunities and ensure long-term prosperity and stability of Hong Kong. We have summarised measures related to Youth Development as below - Youth Development Summit Organise the Youth Development Summit in mid-2024 as the opening and highlight of the 2024 Youth Festival and invite participation of guest speakers and youth groups from the Mainland and overseas.  Implementing the Youth Development Blueprint Follow up on the implementation progress of over 160 measures outlined in the Youth Development Blueprint, and continue to listen to the feedback from young people on the blueprint and constantly review and enrich its content. Launch the Youth Dashboard to consolidate youth-related data and trends for keeping better tabs on the pulse of young people. The number of participating committees in the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth has been increased from some 60 in 2022 to 85, with the target of increasing the number of participating committees to no less than 180 within the current-term of the Government.  Financial Planning for the Youth Launch a pilot scheme to provide young people with ­financial planning and counselling services as well as information on ­financial management, saving and investment that suits their individual needs, so as to assist young people in developing an effective financial management plan.  Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurship Launch the Funding Scheme for Experiential Programmes at Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases covering various Mainland provinces and municipalities, so as to encourage young people to explore entrepreneurial opportunities in the enormous Mainland market. Launch a new round of Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the GBA to provide capital subsidy and comprehensive support services to Hong Kong young people interested in starting their businesses locally and in Mainland cities of the GBA. Establish the Alliance of Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneurial Bases in the GBA as a one-stop information, publicity and exchange platform for supporting Hong Kong young people in pursuing entrepreneurship in the GBA.  Youth Engagement Engage youth participants of various government activities through the Youth Link, offering them opportunities to develop diverse talents through participating in seminars, different types of large-scale government activities, exchange visits to the Mainland and overseas, etc. and strengthening their communication, interaction and trust with the Government.  Study the possibility of utilising suitable facilities to provide Youth Link participants with a platform for constant interaction, including multi-function areas, a youth culture and creativity bazaar, and spaces for small-scale performances.  Launch a youth-based mobile application to disseminate diversi­ed information on youth development and enable young people to explore different activities and development opportunities. Leverage online media and channels to bring young people together and tell good stories of Hong Kong.  Broadening Young People’s Horizons Continue to implement various youth exchange and internship programmes outside Hong Kong to enable young people to gain ­first-hand understanding and experience of the latest development in the Mainland and the world. Continue to strengthen support for youth uniformed groups to enhance youth development and national education through the provision of one-off funding.  Continue to implement the Multi-faceted Excellence Scholarship Scheme by providing full scholarships for students who excel in sports, arts and/or community service to pursue undergraduate studies in Hong Kong, with a view to promoting a culture of multi-faceted excellence.  Youth Hostel Scheme Continue to implement the “Subsidy Scheme for Using Hotels and Guesthouses as Youth Hostels”. Three projects with the provision of about 480 hostel places have been approved since its launch in early 2023. Continue to implement the Youth Hostel Scheme (YHS). In addition to the two completed projects providing a total of 1 700 hostel places, the construction of three other projects, which will provide about 1 000 additional hostel places, are in progress. By promoting youth tenants’ participation in community outreach or volunteer services, the scheme seeks to nurture talents with an aspiration to serve the community. Set aside a site in Tung Chung under the Land Sale Programme whereby developers will be required to reserve a certain number of ‑ats to support the YHS on a pilot basis.  Enhancing Positive Thinking Following the launch of the fi­rst round of the Funding Scheme for Youth Positive Thinking Activities and the Funding Scheme for Youth Adventure Training Activities at end-2022, some sponsored organisations have progressively rolled out relevant activities for a period of two years since the summer of 2023.  Strengthen cohesion among the youth by launching the youthfest@HK from 2023 and inviting different sectors of the community to jointly organise a wide spectrum of activities to nurture positive thinking, facilitate development of potential and enhancement of knowledge, promote experience sharing, etc.   For the details of the 2023 Policy Address and the full doucment of the Policy Measures, please visit the website of the Chief Executive's 2023 Policy Address.  

• #YouthDevelopment

Strive and Rise Programme (Recruiting the 2nd Cohort Now)

The Government has launched the “Strive and Rise Programme” which aims to address intergenerational poverty by helping underprivileged students, who join the Programme as mentees, achieve their life goals and strive for upward mobility. The enhanced Programme has started recruiting the second cohort to provide focused support for more secondary students from underprivileged families. The second round of the Strive and Rise Programme will include new elements as: increasing the number of mentees from 2 800 to 4 000, with an extension to cover Secondary Four students from underprivileged families; enriching the variety of group activities with more Mainland study and exchange tours; introducing mentorship groups; and establishing an Alumni Club for mentees who have completed the Programme to provide them with diversified social activities and internship opportunities. Target Mentees Secondary One to Secondary Four students from underprivileged families, particularly those living in subdivided units Three Key Elements 1. Mentorship Mentees will each be paired up with a volunteer mentor who will share his/her life experience to help the mentees build up their self-confidence and guide them to develop their personal goals in a proactive and positive manner; the mentors will also assist their mentees in developing positive financial planning concepts and applying effectively the financial support provided under the Programme. 2. Personal Development Plans Mentors will inspire mentees to explore more possibilities for personal development, develop action plans and make good use of financial resources to achieve their personal development plans under guidance. 3. Financial Support Each mentee will be given a start-up sum of $5,000 for spending under the guidance of the mentor to achieve his/her personal development plan; upon successful completion of the Programme, a scholarship of $5,000 will be awarded to the mentee for his/her own deployment by applying the financial planning concepts acquired Structured Programme Through a structured programme covering orientation, basic training, diverse group activities, mentor-mentee interactive sessions, etc, the Programme will help mentees broaden horizons, reinforce self-confidence, develop a positive outlook on life, set goals for the future and strive for upward mobility. Upon successful completion of the one-year intensive foundation programme, mentees will automatically become members of the Alumni Club for two years. Students can approach their schools and District Organisers for enquiry and application (Click here for contacts of District Organisers / Application Form).  Application will close on 16 November.

• #YouthDevelopment
• #SecondaryStudents
• #CareerEducation