LCQ16: The Youth Development Blueprint
13.12.2023

Following is a question by Dr the Hon Tan Yueheng and a written reply by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, in the Legislative Council today (December 13): Question: The Government released the Youth Development Blueprint (Blueprint) in December last year, proposing the directions and pathways for implementing youth development policies in the future. However, it is reported that a survey has found that more than half of the young respondents with grassroots background are unaware of the Blueprint released by the Government, nearly 65 per cent of the respondents have never read the Blueprint and 80 per cent of them are even very or quite unfamiliar with the contents of the Blueprint. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: (1) of the main ways in which the content of the relevant policies in the Blueprint are conveyed to the youth community; whether it has communicated and interacted with young people and other stakeholders in respect of the content of the Blueprint and listen to the views of the communities concerned on the Blueprint; (2) of the issues on which the views and suggestions of young people and other stakeholders on the Blueprint are mainly focused; whether it will take on board these views and suggestions in order to review afresh and update the Blueprint as necessary; and (3) whether it will publish regularly, bi-annually or annually, the implementation situation of the policy measures in the Blueprint? Reply: President, The Government all along attaches great importance to youth development. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) released the Youth Development Blueprint (Blueprint) late last year to outline the overall vision and guiding principles for the Government's long-term youth development work in future. More than 160 concrete actions and measures were put forward in the Blueprint with a vision to nurture a new generation of young people with an affection for our country and Hong Kong, and equipped with global perspective and positive thinking. Relevant bureaux and departments are actively taking forward the measures to provide all-round support for youth development. The reply to the question raised by Dr the Hon Tan Yueheng is as follows: (1) Following the release of the Blueprint, the HYAB has promptly publicised and promoted it to young people and the community through diverse channels, such as broadcasting the promotional video on television and in cinemas, producing a television programme for the public to better understand the vision and measures of the Blueprint. In order to enable young people to better understand how the Blueprint would support their development, the HYAB also produced pamphlets and infographic booklets which are tailored for young people of different age groups, and distributed them through different channels, including various post-secondary institutions, primary and secondary schools, over 500 youth organisations and the Home Affairs Enquiry Centres in all districts. Over the past year, the HYAB has also been disseminating content relating to the Blueprint and the relevant policy measures on social media platforms, so that young people can obtain latest information related to youth development. In addition, with a view to promoting the Blueprint to young people and relevant stakeholders in a more in-depth manner, the HYAB and members of the Youth Development Commission (YDC) have proactively visited various post-secondary institutions, around 110 secondary schools, several government advisory committees and other organisations, and set up street counters in different districts across Hong Kong to exchange views with young people and relevant stakeholders and listened to their feedback on the Blueprint. So far, we have introduced the key content of the Blueprint to over 40 000 people in person. (2) Since the release of the Blueprint, we have received generally positive feedback from the community on the Blueprint. The HYAB has also been reaching out to young people and relevant stakeholders to listen to their comments on the Blueprint. Young people are relatively more concerned with areas relating to education and further studies, life planning, internship and exchange opportunities, mental wellness, housing needs, etc. The HYAB will continue to implement and enhance various youth development measures. We will also review and enrich the content of the Blueprint and formulate an updated edition as appropriate, so as to ensure that the Blueprint is a living document that can keep up with the times and respond to the needs of young people in a timely manner. (3) The HYAB has been monitoring and assessing the implementation progress and performance indicators of the Blueprint, and has regularly reported the progress to the YDC chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration. We plan to report the latest implementation progress of the Blueprint to the Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports of the Legislative Council early next year.