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Tips for celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival 2021

The Mid-Autumn Festival is just around the corner. Although festive activities are limited this year due to COVID-19, you can still enjoy the Festival with family members and friends with the following tips suggested by various government departments. Best time for moon watching One of the must-do activities in Mid-Autumn Festival is moon-watching. The Mid-Autumn Festival this year falls on September 21. According to the forecast of the Hong Kong Observatory, the times of moonrise and transit will be at 6:47 pm (on September 21) and 0:54 am (in the next morning) respectively. To schedule your moon-watching activities, please refer to the 9-Day Weather Forecast for the planning of moon-watching activities on the latest weather conditions during the Mid-Autumn Festival period. Seven keys to Enjoying Mooncakes Mooncakes are essential for the Festival. When you enjoy your mooncakes, don’t forget to check the seven tips suggested by the Centre for Food Safety, such as origin, expiry dates, packaging and nutrition labels, and to keep clean during the food handling process. A Greener Mid-Autumn Some green tips shared by the Environmental Department, which are summarised below, help you to reduce waste and enjoy an eco-friendly Mid-Autumn Festival. Choose mooncakes with simple or environmentally friendly packaging and avoid ordering an excessive amount. Avoid buying bottled waters or lanterns. Use reusable utensils. Reuse lanterns of previous years or be creative to make lanterns from waste; avoid buying lanterns made of unrecyclable materials. If you opt for camping or hiking to enjoy the full moon in the countryside, remember to “Bring Your Litter Home” and conserve nature. Clean mooncake boxes before putting them into the appropriate recycle bins. You can easily find a nearby recycling point at public places (including those within the country park barbecue sites) via the mobile application “Waste Less”. Lantern Making Workshop Join the “Mid-Autumn Festival Workshop” to learn to make your own lantern and enjoy a green Mid-Autumn Festival! The workshop, organised by City Gallery, will be held from 18 to 19 September 2021 at Community Lounge. 12 free-of-charge vacancies will be provided on-site on a first-come-first-served basis. (The image above is designed by the student of Hong Kong Design Institute)

• #MidAutumn

[Newly Open] The Hong Kong Award For Young People Jockey Club Duke of Edinburgh Training Camp

Apart from following the tips of the Fun and Educational Places series to explore Hong Kong, how are you spending your holidays? Go visit the newly renovated The Hong Kong Award For Young People (AYP) Jockey Club Duke of Edinburgh Training Camp with friends and join the outdoor adventure! After six years of redevelopment work, the camp site was reopened in March 2021. Let's get to know the new features of the camp site: Innovative Design and State-of-the-art Facilities The new training camp provides diverse and innovative camp activities to young people and families. It is the only camp site in Hong Kong that has an official HADO AR Dodgeball court. It enables the public to experience emerging sports at a reasonable price. Besides, the Adventure Park is the first rope course requiring teamwork of four to finish, whereas the climbing wall allows participants to play sports climbing in the day time and AR climbing at night. The semi-indoor Challenge Course is built in a cover area so that climbers can challenge themselves at night too. Sustainable Elements in Building Design, Youth Service and Camp Management The training camp was awarded BEAM Plus Provisional Silver Rating for adopting sustainable development in the design, construction, operations and maintenance of the building. The introduction of natural daylight reduces the use of indoor lighting. Also, the bridge between the South and North wings facilitates ventilation and avoids the “wall effect”. Besides, the installation of solar panels and solar-powered tables will help to generate renewable energy. Light and motion sensors are installed in the halls to improve energy efficiency. AYP integrates sustainable elements into youth service and camp management to bring bigger benefits to the community.   Pilot Scheme on Youth Outdoor Adventure Training Activities Want to try out the facilities at the new training camp? Here comes the opportunity! Organised by Home Affairs Bureau and Youth Development Commission and co-organised by AYP, the “Pilot Scheme on Youth Outdoor Adventure Training Activities” is now open for application. This scheme incorporates innovative elements into outdoor adventure training, such as Sports Adventure, Eco Adventure and Technology Adventure. Details of the scheme are as follows: Pilot Scheme Belief: Improve young people's physical and mental well-being, foster positive thinking, sense of collectivism and resilience in times of difficulties, and emphasize the importance of cultivating positive value and mentality of young people during their growth and development.Content: Rope Course, Recycling Workshop, Innovative Sports Game etc. to be held at the newly renovated training campTarget: F.3-F.5 StudentsCamp Type: Participants could choose from Day Camp for 1, 2 or 3 days OR Overnight Camp for 3 days and 2 nights or 4 days and 3 nightsDate: from July 2021Fee: The scheme fee is free (assigned transportation and meals included)Enquiry: 2157 8610 Please visit the >>official website<< for application method and other details.  

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Four Social Innovation Funding Programmes Open For Applications

You may now apply for a funding support if you wish to address social problems through entrepreneurship. The Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) under the Commission on Poverty creates social impact through innovative solutions that address poverty and social exclusion partly through the intermediaries. Four Innovative Programmes run by the intermediaries are currently opened for applications, read the programmes details below and register now! Good Seed (Cohort 2) Objective: To help students or alumni of higher education institutions unleash their innate ability for innovation and develop innovative ideas and creative solutions to tackle social problems and address the needs of the underprivileged in Hong Kong. Eligibility: The programme is open to students and graduates of higher education institutions in and outside Hong Kong with Hong Kong residency. Participants can enrol on an individual or team basis. Intermediary: PolyU Technology and Consultancy Co Ltd Application deadline: September 27, 2021 at 6pm Details: https://goodseed.hk/ BEHub (Cohort 4) Objective: Inspiring and nurturing the disadvantaged population and members of the public to become social innovators to address the challenges relating to poverty and social exclusion faced by the disadvantaged population, particularly rehabilitated persons, current or ex-drug abusers, people of diverse race, youth-at-risks, people with disabilities or persons in recovery, through innovative solutions. Eligibility: "BEHub" is open to organisations or individuals, particularly disadvantaged people, aged 18 or above with no bankruptcy order or proceedings during the application. Intermediary: The Society of Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention, Hong Kong Application deadline: September 21, 2021 Details: www.behub.org.hk / https://forms.gle/9dgEWzUb1GT8AHKk6 Impact Incubator (Third Round) Objective: a one-stop platform that connects social entrepreneurs to knowledge, resources and networks of social welfare agencies, social enterprises, philanthropic foundations, business associations, professional bodies, etc. This platform helps social entrepreneurs implement innovative solutions to address poverty and social exclusion problems in Hong Kong and drive sustainable impact. Eligibility: "Impact Incubator" is open to Hong Kong permanent residents aged 18 years or above (for late prototype only) as well as organisations and companies registered in Hong Kong. Intermediary: The Hong Kong Council of Social Service Application deadline: September 30, 2021 Details: https://socialinnovation.org.hk/   Impact Incubator (innovative proposals addressing mental health and well-being in Hong Kong) Objective: To address mental health and well-being issues amongst local youth, elderly and other disadvantaged groups in Hong Kong. The projects should also relate to poverty alleviation, prevention or social inclusion. Eligibility: The programme is open to organisations and companies registered in Hong Kong. Intermediary: The Hong Kong Council of Social Service Application deadline: October 28, 2021 Details: https://bit.ly/2Xi45r3

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• #Startup
• #BusinessSupport

【GBA Youth Employment Scheme】

Explore a new pathway for your career in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area. Set off for a broader horizon now!

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• #greaterbayarea

2nd Phase of Futuremakers' First Job Youth Employment and Subsidy Programme

To support youth employment and help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) weather the difficult time, St. James’ Settlement and Standard Chartered Bank (Hong Kong) Limited jointly introduced the “Futuremakers’ First Job Youth Employment and Subsidy Programme” in 2020. The programme encouraged SMEs to provide full time or short-term job opportunities for graduates by subsidising half of the wages of the youths employed. In 2021, the Standard Chartered Foundation donated another HK$5 million to launch the second phase of the programme. The maximum amount of subsidy is raised and participants will be guaranteed job interview opportunities under the new phase. SMEs would be able to identify suitable talents through the job matching platform, while Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE), post-secondary and university graduates will be able to find job opportunities that suit their interests and abilities. Corporates will receive half of the wages of each youth hired or up to HK$39,000 each over a 6-month period. Participating youths will also be provided with training in job-seeking skills and employment as well as guaranteed interview opportunities within two weeks of joining the programme. The second phase of the programme is now accepting applications from 2019, 2020 or 2021 graduates. For more details, please visit the programme's website. If you have any enquiries, please call 2596 2569 or e-mail futuremakers.enquiry@sjs.org.hk.

• #CareerEducation
• #Career
• #StJames

[We Venture] How to apply a startup funding of up to HK$600,000

Wish to start your own business?  The Youth Development Commission has rolled out the “Funding Scheme for Youth Entrepreneurship in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA)” under the “Youth Development Fund”, which aims at providing a capital subsidy of up to HK$600,000, as well as entrepreneurial support and incubation services that befit the needs of young people who are about to start their businesses in Hong Kong and Mainland GBA cities. Read the following easy guide to learn more details of the scheme.   Eligibility criteria#: Youth aged between 18 and 40 Hong Kong permanent resident Start-ups that have not been in operation or have been in operation for not more than 3 years Business registration in Hong Kong Having a planned/established business in Hong Kong and/or Mainland GBA cities (start-ups may set up their business in Mainland GBA cities and/or in Hong Kong)#Individual NGOs may prescribe additional application conditions. Please refer to the project details of the relevant NGOs.     Funding Amount: Each start-up may receive a capital subsidy of up to HK$600,000     Entrepreneurial support and incubation services*: Assistance for settling entrepreneurial bases in Hong Kong and Mainland GBA cities Entrepreneurial guidance and business know-how Professional consultation services Business networking Market and supply chain development services Concessionary and facilitative measures for youth start-ups in various cities*Each youth entrepreneurship project lasts for a maximum of 3 years     Application Method: A total of 16 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are funded under the scheme to implement youth entrepreneurship projects. Individual funded NGOs may further prescribe additional requirements for applicants (such as business nature, affiliation with the institutions, etc.). Interested applicants may refer to the We Venture website.   You may also watch the following video for more information of the Scheme:

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• #greaterbayarea

AIESEC Startup Challenge: What is “Creating Shared Value”?

Creating Shared Value (CSV) is a strategy for addressing society’s challenges through profitable business models. With the popularity of the idea of “CSV”, various organisations and schools have participated in promotional works. Early this year, AIESEC, an international student organisation, has held the Outlier CSV Challenge 2021. Students from different tertiary institutions worked in teams to hack profitable yet socially impactful business models to tackle social issues in Hong Kong. Let's watch the video below for the highlights of the Challenge: You may also learn more about the idea of CSV through a few frequently asked questions below: Q: How can a “CSV” approach generates economic and social values simultaneously?A: "Shared Value” is created for both the company and the society when a company applies its assets and skills to innovative projects that bring business return while simultaneously advancing the economic, environmental and social conditions in the communities in which it operates. Q: How can businesses adopt a “CSV” approach?A: There are mainly three ways: Reconceiving products and markets, meeting social needs while serving existing markets or accessing new ones through innovation. Redefining productivity in the value chain, improving the quality, quantity and reliability of products while driving economic development. Enabling local cluster development, leveraging their network of local suppliers, access to talent, and an effective infrastructural system to thrive. Q: How is CSV difference from Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)?A: Shared Value is more than just corporate social responsibility or philanthropy. It is about sound strategic thinking on the part of business leaders whose goal is to create sustainable shareholder value, and who understand how to engage with and invest in society in a way that is essential to long term business success and social progress. We will interview with three winning teams of the Outlier CSV Challenge:  Uplift, the champion team which concerns about the mental health of the students; Tech-kle, the 1st-runner up team which assists the visually impaired in e-learning; and Soscientist, the 2-nd runner up team which provides a job-matching platform for people of diverse race. Please stay tuned to understand how they won the cash prizes and internship opportunities with creativity!   Source: SIE Fund / Outlier CSV Challenge Facebook

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• #StartupTips