kakase/hk_gov_press_release huggingface dataset:
Home and Youth Affairs Bureau launches Youth Link (with photos)
30.9.2023

The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, today (September 30) officiated at the kick-off ceremony of the Youth Link, witnessing the establishment of a new youth network initiated by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) together with a group of young people. The Government attaches great importance to youth development. The HYAB published the Youth Development Blueprint in December last year, and building the youth network is one of its key initiatives. The name of "Youth Link" highlighted the Government's aspiration to connect young people together, and to provide them with extensive opportunities to develop their talents and serve the community. The Youth Link aims to engage a group of young people who are energetic, diversified, competitive and are dedicated to contribute to community building, which in the long run can create a young talent pool for Hong Kong. Speaking at the ceremony, Miss Mak said that the HYAB will provide members of the Youth Link with training and activities that cater for their development needs, as well as opportunities to participate in public affairs. These include public policy exchange sessions, study tours to the Mainland and overseas, opportunities to take part in various large-scale government activities, with a view to supporting young people in developing diverse talents and contributing to society, and at the same time strengthening their communication, interaction and mutual trust with the Government. Target participants of the Youth Link are young people aged 12 to 39. In the start-up stage, the Youth Link has recruited nearly 5 000 youths, who have participated in youth development programmes organised or funded by the HYAB and 18 District Offices. The recruitment will gradually expand to youth development programmes run by other government departments. Other officiating guests included the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Ms Shirley Lam; the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung; and the Vice-Chairman of the Youth Development Commission, Mr Kenneth Leung. Representatives of district youth networks also attended the event. After the kick-off ceremony, Miss Mak visited the Youth Programmes Highlights cum Entrepreneur Bazaar organised by the HYAB at the same venue. In addition to introducing youth development programmes, the bazaar also showcased products by local youth entrepreneurial teams, such as creative handicrafts and environmentally friendly and natural products.
Selection results for District Services and Community Care Teams in Yau Tsim Mong, Sha Tin, Yuen Long, Sai Kung and Kwai Tsing Districts
28.9.2023

ããThe Government has completed the selection of District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams) in Yau Tsim Mong, Sha Tin, Yuen Long, Sai Kung and Kwai Tsing Districts, and announced the results today (September 28). The number of applicant organisations and a summary of selection results are in Annex 1. The list of selected organisations is in Annex 2. ããThe selection process of the Care Teams consists of two stages: (1) organisation selection stage and (2) service proposal assessment stage. Qualifications of applicant organisations are assessed in the first stage. In order to pass the first-stage selection, the applicant organisations must meet all the selection criteria set out in the application guidelines, so as to ensure that the organisations are patriotic and love Hong Kong, will support and follow the Government's leadership, have a certain level of district network and service experience, possess cross-district mobilisation capability, and are able to consolidate and will seek community resources. Organisations that have passed the first stage may submit service proposals for no more than three sub-districts in the second stage. ããBoth stages of selection have to be vetted by a two-tiered structure, namely the District Assessment and Coordinating Panels on Care Teams chaired by District Officers and the Territory-wide Assessment and Steering Group on Care Teams chaired by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, to ensure its transparency and fairness. ããThe five District Offices informed the selected organisations respectively today (September 28) and will shortly enter into funding agreements with the selected organisations based on the accepted service proposals. ããThe Government has completed the selection of Care Teams in the 18 districts.
Selection results for District Services and Community Care Teams in Eastern, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Tuen Mun and Islands Districts
25.9.2023

ããThe Government has completed the selection of District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams) in Eastern, Sham Shui Po, Wong Tai Sin, Tuen Mun and Islands Districts, and announced the results today (September 25). The number of applicant organisations and a summary of selection results are at Annex 1. The list of selected organisations is at Annex 2. ããThe selection process of the Care Teams consists of two stages: (1) organisation selection stage and (2) service proposal assessment stage. Qualifications of applicant organisations are assessed in the first stage. In order to pass the first-stage selection, the applicant organisations must meet all the selection criteria set out in the application guidelines, so as to ensure that the organisations are patriotic and love Hong Kong, will support and follow the Government's leadership, have a certain level of district network and service experience, possess cross-district mobilisation capability, and are able to consolidate and will seek community resources. Organisations that have passed the first stage may submit service proposals for no more than three sub-districts in the second stage. ããBoth stages of selection have to be vetted by a two-tiered structure, namely the District Assessment and Coordinating Panels on Care Teams chaired by District Officers and the Territory-wide Assessment and Steering Group on Care Teams chaired by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, to ensure its transparency and fairness. ããThe five District Offices informed the selected organisations respectively today (September 25) and will shortly enter into funding agreements with the selected organisations based on the accepted service proposals. ããThe Government has completed the selection of Care Teams in 13 districts. The selection results for Care Teams in the remaining five districts will be announced upon completion of selection. ããMoreover, the Home Affairs Department (HAD) has issued guidelines to Care Teams, setting out the points that they should pay attention to and comply with during public elections, including maintaining neutrality in elections, refraining from using resources of Care Teams in participation in election-related activities, refraining from involvement in all Care Teams-related work if a person affiliated with Care Teams becomes a candidate or an election agent, etc. The guidelines (Chinese version only) have been uploaded onto the HAD webpage ( www.had.gov.hk/tc/public_services/district_services_community_care_teams/relatedguidelines.htm ).
Selection results for District Services and Community Care Teams in Central and Western, Wan Chai, Kowloon City, Kwun Tong, Tai Po and North Districts
19.9.2023

ããFollowing the selection of District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams) in Tsuen Wan and Southern districts in March 2023, the Government has completed the selection of Care Teams in Central and Western, Wan Chai, Kowloon City, Kwun Tong, Tai Po and North districts, and announced the results today (September 19). The number of applicant organisations and a summary of selection results are at Annex 1. The list of selected organisations is at Annex 2. ããThe selection process of the Care Teams consists of two stages: (1) organisation selection stage and (2) service proposal assessment stage. Qualifications of applicant organisations are assessed in the first stage. In order to pass the first-stage selection, the applicant organisations must meet all the selection criteria set out in the application guidelines so as to ensure that the organisations are patriotic and love Hong Kong, will support and follow the Government's leadership, have a certain level of district network and service experience, possess cross-district mobilisation capability, and are able to consolidate and will seek community resources. Organisations that have passed the first stage may submit service proposals for no more than three sub-districts in the second stage. ããBoth stages of selection have to be vetted by a two-tiered structure, namely the District Assessment and Coordinating Panels on Care Teams chaired by District Officers and the Territory-wide Assessment and Steering Group on Care Teams chaired by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, to ensure its transparency and fairness. ããThe six District Offices informed the selected organisations respectively today (September 19) and will shortly enter into funding agreements with the selected organisations based on the accepted service proposals. ããThe selection results for Care Teams in the remaining 10 districts will be announced upon completion of selection.
SHYA meets with delegation of Shanghai Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and Shanghai Youth Federation (with photos)
13.9.2023

The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, accompanied by the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, met with Deputy Secretary of the Shanghai Committee of the Communist Youth League of China and the President of the Shanghai Youth Federation Mr Wu Bin today (September 13), to exchange views on enhancing youth exchanges in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Miss Mak welcomed the delegation led by Mr Wu. She said that Hong Kong and Shanghai have maintained close ties and extensive co-operation in various aspects such as cultural and creative industries, innovation and technology, and finance. Shanghai has also been staunchly supporting the youth development of Hong Kong and has proactively provided exchange and internship opportunities for Hong Kong young people. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau has adopted a multipronged approach to enhance young people's knowledge of the country and encourage them to integrate into the overall development of the country through various exchange and internship programmes. This year, the Funding Scheme for Youth Internship in the Mainland sponsored 21 youth internship programmes in Shanghai, while the Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland sponsored 29 youth exchange tours to Shanghai. A total of about 2 000 young people are expected to benefit from the schemes. Miss Mak looks forward to exploring measures to promote youth exchanges with Shanghai so as to provide more opportunities for Hong Kong young people to gain better understanding of the local culture and deepen their understanding of the national development and opportunities.
Youth uniformed groups visit PLA Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center (with photos)
30.8.2023

The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, today (August 30) led over 120 leaders and members of youth uniformed groups to visit the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center at Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks to strengthen members of youth uniformed groups' understanding of the remarkable achievements of the country, as well as the nation's military history and the work of the Hong Kong Garrison. Members of youth uniformed groups visited the exhibition themed "Dreams of the East". They appreciated historical photos, antiques and models of the PLA's military equipment installed at the three thematic exhibition halls, namely "the Chinese Dream", "the Dream of a Strong Military" and "the PRC HK Garrison", and the weaponry and equipment area. Miss Mak thanked the Hong Kong Garrison for specially arranging the visit. It not only provides young people with a valuable opportunity for national education, but also reflects the care and attention of the Hong Kong Garrison to the young people in Hong Kong. This visit is a signature event under 2023 youthfest@HK (festival). Being one of the key initiatives of the Chief Executive's 2022 Policy Address and the Youth Development Blueprint, the festival attracts and unites young people from different backgrounds and with varying aspirations and hobbies through a variety of activities. Through participating in the festival, young people are able to broaden their horizons, understand their potential and interests, and be inspired to plan for their future. With the tripartite collaboration among the Government, the business sector and the community, there are more than 100 all-encompassing activities under the festival to promote positive thinking among young people on all fronts. For the latest updates of the events under the festival, please visit the thematic webpage www.youthfest.hk .
SHYA meets with representatives of youth federation in Guangdong Province and municipalities (with photos)
1.8.2023

The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, today (August 1) met with representatives of the Guangdong Youth Federation and youth federations in other municipalities to share views on enhancing youth development and exchanges between Guangdong and Hong Kong. The Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, also joined the meeting. Miss Mak welcomed the delegation led by the person-in-charge of the Guangdong Youth Federation, Ms He Lulu. She said that Guangdong and Hong Kong are inextricably linked, and that the Guangdong Youth Federation is an important partner of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) which has all along supported Hong Kong's youth work in many aspects. With the full resumption of travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland early this year, the HYAB and the Guangdong Youth Federation have restarted the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Youth Internship Programme at Palace Museum and the Youth Internship Programme at Wolong National Nature Reserve, Sichuan. The programmes facilitate youth exchanges in the two places and provide Hong Kong youths with diversified, unique and in-depth thematic internship opportunities, which further enhance their knowledge of the country and encourage them to integrate into the overall development of the country. In addition, the Guangdong Youth Federation has also assisted the HYAB in organising study tours in the Mainland cities of the Greater Bay Area for Hong Kong youths. The HYAB promulgated the Youth Development Blueprint at the end of last year, which states that the breadth and depth of the Mainland and international internship and exchange programmes will be further strengthened, and that the development opportunities for Hong Kong youths in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area will be expanded. Miss Mak looks forward to strengthening co-operation with the Guangdong Youth Federation and youth federations of municipalities so as to jointly promote youth development and exchanges in the two places.
Transcript of remarks by SHYA at media session
22.7.2023

Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, at a media session after attending a radio programme today (July 22): Reporter: (On cases of falling concrete) What more can be done by the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau on current mechanism? The second question is about the upcoming Policy Address. Any new development on the youth development part and any review from you guys about the Care Teams and the previous initiatives in the past year? Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs: The Secretary for Development is very concerned about the various cases. The Development Bureau has already convened the meeting, inviting the Buildings Department, the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), and also the Home Affairs Department to discuss about the mechanism to help those owners maintain their own properties. As for the Home Affairs Department, we have all along been helping those owners convene owners' meetings and give them advice on how to seek professional services on maintaining their own buildings. So we will make well use of this mechanism to work with the Buildings Department and the URA. For the Home Affairs Department, we will continue to reach out to the owners in need and to provide them with suitable advice and to help them seek suitable and relevant professional services. As for the upcoming Policy Address, we are working full steam ahead on the various new initiatives on various aspects, including youth services and district governance. We have also looked into how we can better reach out to our young people and community. For Care Teams, this is a very important task for the Home Affairs Department. We expect that the 16 district Care Teams will be formed in the coming two months. We hope that through the services of the Care Teams, we can better reach out to the community and provide services to our people in various districts. For the Care Teams set up in Tsuen Wan District and Southern District, those Care Team members have already provided various services to people living in the two districts. Just like during the typhoon period, the Care Team members stood by at the shelters to help those people in need. They have also helped the elderly apply for suitable services and they will pay regular visits to the elderly in the districts. We hope that through the services of the Care Teams, we can better reach out to the community, and understand the needs of those in need and provide them with suitable services. And through this process, we also work with other government departments, just like the Social Welfare Department. They have indicated their wish to work with the Care Teams so that we can pay regular visits to the elderly in the community. And we will be more than willing to help our fellow departments liaise and reach out to our community. (Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)
SHYA to visit Beijing
15.7.2023

The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, will depart for a visit to Beijing tomorrow (July 16). During her stay in Beijing, Miss Mak will call on the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council, the All-China Women's Federation, the All-China Youth Federation, the Committee on Liaison with Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and Overseas Chinese of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and other organisations to strengthen exchanges and collaboration on issues including district governance, youth development and women's affairs. Miss Mak will also officiate at the inauguration ceremony of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Youth Internship Programme at Palace Museum and the Youth Internship Programme at Chinese Academy of Sciences, as well as meet with Hong Kong students and youths in Beijing to know more about their lives and development on the Mainland. Members of the delegation include the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Ms Shirley Lam; the Director of Home Affairs, Mrs Alice Cheung; and the Deputy Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs (Home Affairs), Mr Nick Au Yeung. Miss Mak will return to Hong Kong on July 19. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, will be the Acting Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs.
SHYA and team visit PLA Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center (with photos)
11.7.2023

The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak; the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Ms Shirley Lam; the Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, and a team from the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) today (July 11) visited the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Hong Kong Garrison Exhibition Center at Ngong Shuen Chau Barracks to have a further understanding of the remarkable achievements of the country and the Communist Party of China, as well as the glorious history of the PLA and the contribution made by the PLA Hong Kong Garrison to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Miss Mak and the team toured an exhibition themed "Dreams of the East". They looked at historical photos, antiques and models of the PLA's military equipment installed at the main hall, three thematic exhibition halls, namely "the Chinese Dream", "the Dream of a Strong Military" and "the PRC HK Garrison", and the weaponry and equipment area. Miss Mak thanked the Hong Kong Garrison for inviting her and the team to visit the exhibition. Miss Mak said that since its opening in July 2021, the Exhibition Center has attracted many young visitors who acquired a correct understanding of national affairs through the interesting and informative exhibition. The exhibition centre has contributed to the HKSAR Government's effort in nurturing a new generation of young people with an affection for the country and Hong Kong. As a symbol of national sovereignty, the Hong Kong Garrison has performed defence functions and responsibilities in Hong Kong and provided staunch support for maintaining the long-term prosperity and stability of the HKSAR. The Hong Kong Garrison is also a core part of the Hong Kong community.
SHYA meets with Director-General of Hubei Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office (with photos)
27.6.2023

The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, today (June 27) met with the Director-General of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the Hubei Provincial People's Government, Ms Zhang Xiaomei, to exchange views on enhancing youth development and exchanges between Hubei and Hong Kong. The Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, and the Commissioner for Youth, Mr Wallace Lau, also joined the meeting. Miss Mak welcomed the delegation led by Ms Zhang. Miss Mak said that Hong Kong and Hubei have frequent contact and close relationships in various areas including finance, innovation and technology, and tourism. Hubei and Hong Kong established a high-level government co-operation mechanism in 2021 to support Hong Kong youths to participate in exchange activities in Hubei to deepen their understanding of national affairs and history, as well as to cultivate their sense of national identity, with the help of Hubei's rich historical and cultural resources. The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) promulgated earlier the Youth Development Blueprint which stated that the breadth and depth of the Mainland and international internship and exchange programmes will be further strengthened. The HYAB is also taking forward the resumption of various youth exchange and internship programmes this year. In the new round of the Funding Scheme for Youth Exchange in the Mainland, non-governmental organisations are sponsored to organise youth exchange tours to the Mainland, including tours in the fields of education, sports and culture in different cities of Hubei Province. Miss Mak looks forward to exploring proposals to jointly promote youth development and exchanges with Hubei so as to provide more opportunities for Hong Kong young people to travel there and see for themselves the latest situation of the country.