Yhk 7 2 how do they feel by Youth Hong Kong

a quarterly journal from the hongkong federation of youth groups

June

2015

Volume 7 Number 2

Youth HONG

KONG

How Do They Feel?

Elaine Morgan (Editor) Ada Chau (Assistant Editor) Angela Ngai Lakshmi Jacotă William Chung Henry Poon CIRCULATION (unaudited) 11,000-12,000 in Hong Kong, throughout the region and overseas

OVERVIEW

8-13

VIEWS EXPRESSED are the authors’ and interviewees, may come from official sources, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or publisher

INTERVIEWS Eric Chui Carol Yew

REPRODUCTION OF CONTENTS without written permission from the publisher is prohibited INTERVIEWS Elaine Morgan OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

Ada Chau, Angela Ngai & Henry Poon PHOTOGRAPHS Cover image edited by Suki Mak and Sam Suen Other photographs acknowledged as captioned, stock images or in public domain.

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PERSPECTIVES

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TRANSLATION

June 2015 Volume 7 Number 2

14-18

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Ada Chau Joey Wong Connie Yau Henry Lui Sam Ip Diana Han Jonathan Ching Seraph Wu HKFYG unit staff

Hong Kong

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Rosanna Wong

INSIGHT

30-41 ARTS & CULTURE CITY SPACE

42-51 HKFYG

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EDITORIAL BOARD

Youth

4-7

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YOUTH HONG KONG published quarterly by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

Contents OVERVIEW 4 Staying positive under pressure INTERVIEWS 8 Teenagers and contentment Eric Chui City University 12 Restoring balance Carol Yew United Centre of Emotional Health and Positive Living PERSPECTIVES 14 Peter Tsoi Psychiatrist and former HKFYG President 17 Terry Ng Gratia Christian Docent Institute 18 eHealth Tracking life’s ups and downs YOUTH SPEAK 19 Feelings to share YOUTH WATCH 22 Wellbeing in the world of youth Jennifer Lam INSIGHT 28 Anger at the tipping point Wilson Chan Youth Crime Prevention Centre ARTS & CULTURE 30 Inspiration not stage fright The HK Rep 32 Thangka Buddhist painting Ada Chau with Kim Chong Yin-kim 34 10,000 Horses Guinness World Record CITY SPACE 36 Should you get your genome sequenced now? Diana Han 38 Goodbye fantasy, hello fame Jonathan Ching 40 Creation to innovation Seraph Wu HKFYG 42 Hong Kong General Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs 44 Summer Youth Programme 46 The Last Crayon: new film from M21 48 Creating Social Value: Social Innovation Centre 51 China Week 2015: Diplomacy

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

by Rich Trenholm flickr.com/photos/fireandforget/2797356778/

Editorial

n 1948, the World Health Organization spoke of health as a “state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing … not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.” Nearly 70 years later, this definition has even greater meaning, as we see how rapid social, economic and technological changes have affected wellbeing and the ability to cope with daily life. This seems particularly true of today’s young people, faced with constant pressures, dramatic changes, adult expectations and a competitive environment, all of which can result in imbalances to emotional and psychological health. So, how do they feel? This issue of Youth Hong Kong explores the facts of the situation, with reference to survey data and a range of professional perspectives. The wellbeing of Hong Kong’s youth is central, not only to their attitudes and motivation but also to the city’s success. To put it in jeopardy is to risk a generation’s happiness and contentment. To nurture it will benefit us all.

Dr Rosanna Wong, DBE, JP Executive Director, HKFYG June 2015

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Overview

Staying positive under pressure

by Elaine Morgan

What does it feel like to be young in Hong Kong today? Is life enjoyable and satisfying? If not, what are the reasons? Does the daily grind of school or work, the pressure to pass exams, build portfolios and match expectations get young people down to a serious extent? If so, what can be done about it? A recent, well-publicized story of such overload concerned a five year-old child whose parents enrolled him for 40 kindergarten interviews and 20 summer activities. Such excess causes grave concern. Fortunately, it was an extreme case, albeit one that was indicative of the burdens that over-anxious parents place on their children. Such problems and their consequences are the main focus of this issue, along with the preventive measures that can be taken and the therapies that counsellors can offer when needed.

Pressure and failure Local surveys (see box) indicate first and foremost that the pressure to perform well academically in order to meet high expectations at home as well as at school is the key element. The pressure, and the stress to which it leads are compounded by the city’s highly competitive environment and stagnating upward social mobility, for young men in particular. Such an overload can lead to a multitude of emotional problems, some of them very serious.5 Second, the surveys bring out strongly the dissatisfaction and discontent among young people, who feel their views are not being taken into consideration by policymakers. Whether the bone of contention is housing or democracy, the root cause is the same: lack of civic engagement and empowerment.

Three Hong Kong Surveys The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Youth 1 Quality of Life Index of 15-24 year-olds covers psychological wellbeing, social wellbeing and overall wellbeing. As of a year ago, respondents were optimistic about the future. On average they had a positive self-image and felt fine about their relationships with family members and friends. On the other hand, they considered the Hong Kong government’s performance marginally acceptable and said they had limited influence on policymaking which failed to take care of their needs. The Hong Kong Happiness Index has been compiled by the Centre for Public Policy Studies at Lingnan University since 2006. Findings published in 2014 with a category for the under 30s reveal a general downward trend in happiness since 2011, with lows in 2008 and 2010. Since 2012, the Centre has also 2 compiled a Children’s Happiness Index of students in late primary and early secondary education. It showed a drop in happiness levels last year from 7.23 in 2013 to 6.74 on a scale of 0 to 10. Researchers suggest this may be related to the Occupy Central Movement and the political controversies arising from it. 3

A City University survey published in early 2015 and explored in detail in the next article, looks specifically at psychosocial and emotional wellbeing, rather than the political or economic sphere. It has some very interesting findings, including one that girls are more satisfied and happier than boys. The underlying cause of these feelings appears to be different levels of expectation. This view is corroborated by an earlier City University study showing that teenage boys are 4 twice as likely to suffer from depression as girls. Researcher Sylvia Kwok attributed this to Chinese culture, and again to overblown expectations.

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Overview

Feel-good factors

Anxiety, money and security

When most young people are asked to describe feeling good, they speak in terms of wellbeing, happiness, optimism, self-esteem, self-confidence and fulfilment. Getting satisfaction out of life, on the other hand, is generally thought to be a more profound feeling. It includes delayed gratification and the achievement of goals.

Insecurity, loneliness and isolation, contribute to loss of wellbeing. Although doubts remain about whether unhappiness or the lack of wellbeing can be accurately measured, certain factors are used widely in academic research. Regardless of age, not having enough money for basic needs, feeling insecure at home and lacking a supportive social network are at the top of the list of negatives for most people of all ages.

by Henrik Berger Jørgensen flickr.com/photos/darkb4dawn/3457794471/

Psychologists call these emotions “subjective wellbeing” and their surveys try to measure it by asking how satisfied people feel and how much positive and negative emotion they experience. Achievement of personal goals and the approbation that comes from matching parents’ and teachers’ expectations are also undeniable feel-good factors. For young people in Hong Kong however, anxious about how well they match up with their age cohort, one overriding element recurs over and over again: doing well academically.

Andrew Oswald,6 a behavioural economist who says that, “recent happiness research …findings have been to found to generalize across countries,” also found that, in general, contentment begins to decline in adolescence. As self-awareness grows, feelings of stress and anger, typical of rebellious youth, are less likely. However, in cities like Hong Kong, where there is continued dependency on the family home and income, this change may be postponed, and anxiety about doing well enough to get a good job and become independent may be accentuated.

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Overview

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It is thought that genetic influences have a role to play in how satisfied one is with life: there are some people who are just more likely to be cheerful than others. It is also thought that these influences determine a set point of happiness or wellbeing, from which we vary and to which we return over time. This theory suggests that subjective wellbeing, determined also by personality traits ingrained early in life, remains relatively constant. Levels of happiness may change briefly in response to events, but almost always return to the baseline level as we adjust to change and its consequences over time.9

However, academics have found that being overly optimistic is not necessarily helpful, and a certain level of pessimism is not unhealthy. In fact, over-

ender

All in the balance: the wider context

Nevertheless, optimism, whether it be about exam results or health, marriage or investments, tends to be more consistent in those who are young and those who are seniors.10 Perhaps the views represented by the surveys will change as the participants grow older, and perhaps the next cohort of under25s will be troubled by different problems.

Age + g

Oswald concluded that the better-educated and better-paid you are, the better you feel â&#x20AC;&#x201C; up to a point. This bears out the data from Hong Kong, showing how important doing well academically is to the vast majority. Nevertheless, other specialists7 argue that wealth is of declining marginal utility and satisfaction with life, over time, has little â&#x20AC;&#x201C; if anything to do with income. Other studies have shown that although wealth is strongly connected with life satisfaction it does not make people happy.8

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Overview

Where subjective psychosocial and emotional wellbeing is concerned, a quantum of realism and balance is needed. Happiness and wellbeing come from attunement between the individual and his or her sociocultural context, where expectations are as closely aligned with reality as possible. However, experience of both positive and the negative emotions, sadness and happiness, make it possible to understand both better.

Stress relief Hong Kong’s youth in a time of transition need ways to relieve stress. They also need the equilibrium which tells them that no matter how they feel today the future can be in their own hands. This message can be emphasized by parents and teachers so that when the question, “How do they feel?” is asked, the answers remain predominantly positive and the pressure to perform never becomes an impossible burden.

by Aldas Kirvaitis flickr.com/photos/aldask/651108831/

confidence may make you perform worse.11 This echoes the findings of critics of the positive psychologists, also discussed later in this issue.

近年不少調查報告反映香港青年面對巨大的生活壓力。本刊今期特別探討香港青年的切身感受。如果他們時常帶有負面情緒，並受到精神困擾，家長、教師以至社區各界應該如何回應？有研究指出，個人整體感覺良好，其實涉及自尊、自信，以及達到個人期望及目標等因素；而令青年感到最大壓力的，往往就是對成功的追求。要讓青年從過量壓力中釋放，我們首先要明白他們的壓力來源，然後了解其真正想法，協助他們認識個人的真正需要，從而達到生活上的平衡。

Sources and further reading 1. cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press_detail.php?id=1840 2. ln.edu.hk/news/20140217/children_happiness_index_2014 3. Chui, Wing-hong & Wong, Mathew YH. Social Indicators Research, January 2015 DOI 10.1007/ s11205-015-0867-z 4. chinadailyasia.com/news/2013-05/31/content_15075225.html 5. csrp.hku.hk/sss/ 6. Oswald, Andrew andrewoswald.com/ 7. Easterlin, RA. time.dufe.edu.cn/wencong/easterlin/paper7.pdf 8. Kahneman, D, Deaton A. http://www.pnas.org/content/107/38/16489.full.pdf 9. psychologytoday.com/blog/happiness-in-world/201304/how-reset-your-happiness-set-point 10. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjective_well-being 11. readbyqxmd.com/read/25751715/-too-optimistic-about-optimism-the-belief-that-optimismimproves-performance 12. bcf.usc.edu/~jessegra/papers/OGKG.inpress.HappinessConcepts.PSPB.pdf 13. Wu, Y. Shang shu xing ban. Taipei: Taiwan: Tong Da Books, 1991. 14. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11577847 15. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eudaimonia Further reading Aristotle. The Nichomachean Ethics. Ross, D (ed.). Oxford University Press, 1986. Diener, Edward. Subjective wellbeing. American Psychologist, 2000. 55, 34-43. Henriques, G. Happiness Versus Wellbeing. psychologytoday.com/blog/ theory-knowledge/201302/happiness-versus-well-being Kahneman, Daniel, Diener, Edward, Schwarz, Norbert (eds). Wellbeing. Russell Sage, 1999. Seligman, M. Flourish. Simon and Schuster, 2011.

A good and auspicious life There is wide agreement among philosophers from Christian, Aristotelian, Confucian, Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim and humanist traditions that a sense of wellbeing depends on exercising certain personal virtues and strengths. In Chinese, the term fuk, or fu 「福」denotes happiness. It is also used to mean 12 “fortunate, lucky, smooth and free of obstacles.” In 13 other words, “anything positive and good in life.” Confucian philosophy emphasizes the collective welfare of the family or clan as a route to happiness, stressing integration and harmony with other people, 14 society and nature.” Philosophers such as Aristotle define happiness as living a good life. He uses the term 15 eudaemonia. Literally, it means “harmony/balance of the moving self. A good life has meaning and goals and is only attainable through the exercise of reason. Aristotle says, “Happiness depends on ourselves.”

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Interviews

Teenagers and contentment how gender and parents matter

ow do happiness and satisfaction vary among Hong Kong’s teens? Professor Eric Chui in the Department of Applied Social Sciences at City University of Hong Kong talks about his new research and unexpected finding that girls are happier than boys. We were amazed to find that females were so much happier than males.

Gender expectations

In fact, according to the research, girls are both happier and more satisfied with life than boys. The cause appears to lie in varying expectations. Overblown, unrealistic expectations lead to stress, and failure brings conflict, disapproval and tension - especially at home. Hong Kong parents usually expect boys to do better than girls, and the boys feel the pressure and consequences of failure more. If they do well, that’s fine. Balance is maintained. By contrast, when a girl performs well, she has the chance of making her family unexpectedly happy. Furthermore, irrespective of wellbeing in the children, according to the study, parents with daughters are happier if the girls succeed at school than parents are with sons who get good marks.

What difference does gender make? The findings1 showed that while higher marks made boys “happier” than girls, they made girls more “satisfied.” Why should that be, and what conclusions does it suggest? Is it because boys’ raised sense of self-esteem at seeing good results is only briefly felt? Professor Chui suggests that from a girl’s point of view, good academic performance is a portent of future success and satisfaction, rather than something to be enjoyed in a transitory moment.

“We were amazed to find that females were so much happier than males, and these findings were confirmed by results on the eight different standardised scales or measurements we used. Something very interesting is going on. It probably concerns interpersonal relationships in the family. Guys are not meant to cry, want a hug from mummy or reveal emotions. With the more demonstrative girls, stronger bonds tend to form.” When the girls do well, those social bonds are reinforced.

Adolescence is a time of emotional upheaval so it is not surprising to discover that there are dramatic fluctuations in teenagers’ feelings. However, Professor Chui’s recent study on psychosocial subjective wellbeing came up with very interesting findings about gender and the marital status of parents. Academic achievement was the other key psychosocial factor. The sample group of about 1,500 10-19 year-olds came from several schools in Central & Western District and mostly from middle-class backgrounds.

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

by Rex Pe flickr.com/photos/goldendragon613/253198842/

Interviews

Changing places

One parent or two

“I always thought males were more privileged in a patriarchal society like ours,” Professor Chui continues, “They always used to be considered the stronger sex, the leaders, and so they were supposed to be happier and more satisfied with life because they had greater opportunities.” This is changing in Hong Kong, even at secondary school. Now, the stereotypes are changing, in more ways than one.

Another surprise finding concerned teenagers with divorced or separated parents. They develop a stronger sense of purpose and higher selfesteem. Perhaps this is because their upbringing forces them to be independent relatively early in life.2 Since both purposefulness and self-esteem contribute to a sense of wellbeing they may mitigate the adverse effects of being less happy or satisfied with life as a result of a parental breakup.

“Maybe males are losing their edge,” he suggests. “The economic market means their prospects may be poorer than in the past. Females, once stereotyped as emotional, weak and lowachieving, now show they are good at school as well as at home, and that bodes well for future employment. As far as I know, this is the first research of its kind to reveal such a trend in a Chinese society. Parents used to prefer boys. Now they prefer girls. They are less trouble!” Not only in Hong Kong but elsewhere in the developed world, there is an upward trend in female achievement and the study’s findings reflect this trend. Professor Chui agrees that interpersonal and communication skills are very important today, skills at which females excel more often than boys.

On the other hand, social relationships, especially with the family, are more important to girls than boys, according to Professor Chui’s research, although the role of the family is crucial in the subjective wellbeing of all adolescents. If girls’ parents are married, the girls are both happier and more satisfied with life in general, whereas the marital status of parents matters much less where boys’ wellbeing is concerned. The same applies to the number of close friends: they make girls happier than they do boys, although they don’t necessarily make them feel any more satisfied with life.

Teenagers with divorced or separated parents develop a stronger sense of purpose and higher self-esteem.

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Interviews

Pressure, results and vanity The significance of academic achievement reflects Hong Kong’s cultural climate, says Professor Chui. “My first-year students think their parents and grandparents were happier than they are in their teens.” Despite greater affluence, today’s students feel their prospects are not as good as those of their forebears. “They say that they don’t like going to tutorial classes and piano lessons. Instead, they want freedom and space to breathe.” Parents would probably consider this to be ignoring good opportunities. The pressure on students to work hard and pass examinations permeates their lives. It dictates relationships at home in the present and chances of security and success in the future. It is also a major factor in family harmony which in turn affects quality of life. While all

by Rex Pe flickr.com/photos/goldendragon613/250122102/

One wants one’s children to do well. It reflects on oneself. It also reveals parental vanity.

parents want their children to do well, a socalled “tiger mother” style of parenting is the main source of pressure. When children don’t match up to expectations – either their own or their parents’ – what do they do? Try harder. Trying to do well for the sake of the family can upset a teenager’s sense of wellbeing and delicate equilibrium, especially if the effort turns out to be futile. If expectations were too high in the first place it can cause serious distress. Yet adolescents, for whom family ties are particularly important, feel they must try because if they have indeed disappointed their parents, there will be inevitable negative consequences. “I would say that Hong Kong education places too much emphasis on academic achievement. I have an eight year-old and however hard I try I cannot avoid this social climate. One wants one’s children to do well. It reflects on oneself. It also reveals parental vanity. The change in today’s family structure contributes to this. Most families have only one child. This child represents a great investment and if they don’t do well at school, they hear the underlying message that there is no hope for them.”

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Sources 1. Chui, Wing-hong & Wong, Mathew YH. "Gender differences in happiness and life satisfaction among adolescents in Hong Kong: relationships and self-concept." In Social Indicators Research, January 2015 DOI 10.1007/s11205-015-0867-z 2. Chui, Wing-hong & Wong, Mathew YH. "Association between parents. Marital status and the development of purpose, hope and self-esteem in adolescents" in Hong Kong. (Forthcoming in Journal of Family Issues.) 3. Chui, Wing-hong & Wong, Mathew YH. "Gender, academic achievement, and family functioning among adolescents" in Hong Kong: the role of parental expectations. (Unpublished. at time of writing) Further Reading

More research to follow The importance of precise age during adolescence is also revealing. Happiness and satisfaction dwindled markedly in the teenagers studied after the age of 16, the point at which they prepare for the public Diploma of Secondary Education examinations. This is when pressure becomes increasingly intense, both at school and, often at home, again underlining the significance of academic achievement for these youngsters. “Even external examiners who come from Britain cannot understand why there is so much pressure on students here. To change this system needs strong leadership.” “This research is just a beginning,” says Professor Chui, as he talks about his next, territory-wide survey. “My first study was not representative of older suburbs or new towns.” He stresses that quantitative, qualitative and longitudinal studies are needed in future. “As with all research, it can’t give all the answers. For now, we are making conjectures based on initial findings.” Scales and questionnaires used in the study Eight standardized measurement scales were used by Professor Chui and a strong correlation was found confirming the above findings on all of the scales. Chinese Family Assessment: Shek (2002) General Health Questionnaire: Goldberg & Williams (1970) opelessness Scale: Shek (1993) [Chinese version] H based on Beck et al (1974) xford Happiness Questionnaire: O [Chinese version for Hong Kong] Hills & Argyle (2002) Positive and Negative Affect Schedule: Watson et al (1988) Purpose in Life Questionnaire: Crumbaugh (1968) Satisfaction with Life: Diener et al (1985) Self-Esteem: Rosenberg (1965)

• Agliata, AK & Renk, K. College students’ affective distress. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 18, 396-411. 2009. • Chua, A. Battle hymn of the tiger mother. New York: Penguin, 2011. • Costigan, CL, Hua, JM & Su, TF. Living up to expectations. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 25, 223-245. 2010. • Guo, K. Ideals and realities in Chinese immigrant parenting: Tiger mother versus others. Journal of Family Studies, 19(1), 44–52. 2013. • Ho, DYF, & Kang, TK. Intergenerational comparisons of child-rearing attitudes and practices in Hong Kong. Developmental Psychology, 20, 1004–1006. 1984. • Kwan, YK. Life satisfaction and self-assessed health among adolescents in Hong Kong. Journal of Happiness Studies, 11, 383–393. 2010. • Li, AKF. Parental attitudes, test anxiety, and achievement motivation: a Hong Kong study. Journal of Social Psychology, 93, 3–11. 1970. • Li, J & Wang, Q. Perceptions of achievement and achieving peers in U.S. and Chinese Kindergartens. Social Development, 13(3), 413–435. 2004. • Lopez, N. Hopeful girls, troubled boys. New York: Routledge, 2003. • Ng, F et al. European American and Chinese parents’ responses to children’s success and failure. Developmental Psychology, 43(5), 1239–1255. 2007. • Shek, DTL. The Chinese purpose-in-life test and psychological wellbeing in Chinese college students. International Forum for Logotherapy, 16(1), 35-42. 1993. • Shek, DTL. Measurement of pessimism in Chinese adolescents. The Chinese Hopelessness Scale. Social Behaviour and Personality, 21(2), 107-120. 1993. • Sun, RCF & Shek, DTL. Life satisfaction, positive youth development and problem behavior among Chinese adolescents in Hong Kong. Social Indicators Research, 95 (3), 455-474. 2010. • Tran, QD et al. Ethnic and gender differences in parental expectations and life stress. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 13, 515–526. 1996.

城市大學崔永康教授的研究發現，女孩子比男孩子快樂，也較容易感到滿足。其中原因包括：家長對男孩子的學業成績有較大期望，故男孩子要承受較大壓力；而女孩子拿到好成績，則會令家長喜出望外。此外，雖然同樣拿到好成績，但女孩子的父母會更開心，原因可能是女孩子較容易表露情感，在人際關係上較優勝，也較容易取得父母歡心。傳統中國社會偏向重男輕女，男孩子享有較多機會和優勢。但這現象在香港正發生轉變，由於女孩子在人際關係和溝通技巧上佔優，她們在學業、照顧家庭及工作上，表現都較優勝。因此部分家長也希望能育有女兒。另一有趣發現是：單親家庭中成長的青年，生命更有目標，也更有自信，所以他們生活同樣快樂。此外，家庭和朋友關係良好，也會令女孩子更快樂。家長視子女的成績重於一切，又不希望自己的孩子給別人比下去，故不斷催谷孩子，令青少年情緒緊張和困擾，也影響了兩代關係與和諧。調查發現，青年人的快樂指數於16歲後明顯下降，這正與面對中學文憑試的壓力有關。

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Interviews

Restoring balance C

arol Yew, Hong Kong Psychological Society Registered Clinical Psychologist and Expressive Arts Therapist, answers questions about her work with depressed and anxious youth. She suggests ways to restore their balance. In your experience, which emotional disorders and psychological problems are common among Hong Kong youth? Depression and anxiety, especially social anxiety, and performance or exam anxiety are the more common kinds among my young clients. They often lead to deterioration in academic performance, less interaction with classmates, and even truancy.

They can be conceptualized as the “3 P”s. The first P stands for predisposing factors. These include a family history of mental illness, parental style of upbringing, negative early childhood experiences, and a premorbid personality.1 The second P stands for precipitating factors. These include events which trigger the onset of emotional disorders. They are often called stressors and can be major life-changing events such as changes in family dynamics and divorce. Extreme stress in the public exams, a sudden drop in school grades, being bullied at school, or unfortunate, traumatic events are other examples.

The third P stands for perpetuating factors which maintain and sustain mood problems. Some examples are maladaptive coping strategies such as smoking and drinking, negative attitude and lack of social or familial support.

by Rachel Lee

What are the underlying causes?

In what ways do you help these young people? One of my patients skipped classes for almost a year because of extreme anxiety. Treatment for students like this usually begins with cognitive-behavioral therapy2 then goes on to positive psychological interventions in order to try to prevent a relapse. Therapies like these help you to identify and “own” your strengths, to appreciate others, be grateful for what you have, and be more optimistic. One strategy is to write a “gratitude journal” every night, describing things you are grateful for and why, focusing on the good parts of life and appreciating them more. Over time, those who feel more grateful generally become happier and more positive.

Notes 1. A premorbid personality is one that is characterized by early signs or symptoms of a mental disorder. 2. Cognitive-behavioural therapy is a talking therapy that can help you manage your problems by changing the way you think and behave.

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Can schools and the community help?

by Stefano Corso flickr.com/photos/pensiero/4520445396/

We strongly support incorporating positive psychology, positive virtues and character strengths into the school curriculum. We believe that prevention is better than cure and positive psychology helps in this respect. In fact, research has shown that certain strengths correlate with better grades, so it is very worthwhile to teach and cultivate them from an achievement point of view. The community at large can help in the same way, by embracing positive psychological concepts such as altruism and hope.

Today, the concept of health has evolved to include physical, mental, social and spiritual health, namely holistic wellbeing. If we believe that happiness is more than the absence of depression, and health is more than the absence of disease, then we should do more to promote both individual and community positive psychology. Self-help The United Centre of Emotional Health and Positive Living (UCEP), where Ms Yew is the Clinical Director of the Psychological Service, publishes books on emotional health education and positive psychology. For young people whose emotional health has been badly affected by social or exam anxiety, Ms Yew recommends《焦慮自療》, a self-help book on anxiety, 《喜樂工程》, a basic text on positive psychology, and 《走進360度的幸福》, easy and light-hearted reading with short articles on positive psychology.

With thanks to both Ms Yew and Dr Anthony Tong, Clinical Psychologist at UCEP. More information www.ucep.org.hk / www.ucn.org.hk Further reading

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_psychology criticalscience.com/positive-psychology-merits-shortcomings.html apa.org/monitor/2011/04/positive-psychology.aspx apa.org/monitor/2011/04/positive-psychology.aspx onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jclp.10094/abstract psychologytoday.com/blog/the-good-life/200805/whatis-positive-psychology-and-what-is-it-not psychologytoday.com/blog/the-skeptical-psychologist/200906/ispositive-psychology-everyone-new-research-raises-doubts?

香港心理學會註冊臨床心理學家及表達藝術治療師姚穎詩表示，香港青年最常見的情緒和心理問題是抑鬱及焦慮；其中以社交焦慮、學業壓力過大等最為普遍。而當中三大主要原因包括家族遺傳因素、誘發因素及持續因素。姚女士表示，現時針對焦慮及壓力過大的治療方法，包括認知行為治療（Cognitive Behavioral Therapy ，簡稱CBT）。這種方法有助患者重新認知自己的優點，並鞏固其正面想法。另外，姚女士亦認為學校及社會可更積極協助年輕患者，例如在學校課程加入正向思考教學，以及加強學生性格優勢等。如果社會大眾認同：「快樂」並不止於「沒有不快樂」；而「健康」亦不獨指「沒有生病」的話，那麼我們便應更積極提倡個人及社會建立正向心理。

Positive psychology Positive psychology focuses on human wellbeing. Its roots are in humanistic psychology. It uses a quantitative approach and is intended to complement and extend conventional psychology. There is division among psychologists as to its application. Advocates believe that psychology has been too focused on mental illness and insufficiently focused on mental health. Critics say that interpretations of positive psychology overemphasize the power of the positive and do not take individual difference sufficiently into account. A counter argument, based on the theory of defensive pessimism, while not denying that optimism and positive mood can help some people, indicates that being optimistic may not benefit everyone equally. The proponents of positive psychology believe that it benefits the majority and its value, while still debated, has been made evident by scholars who have conducted rigorous and creative work on the origins of happiness and related feelings.

“The optimist thinks this is the best of all possible worlds. The pessimist fears this is true.” J Robert Oppenheimer

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Perspectives

When the world gets you down S

evere social withdrawal by young people is a subject of real concern in Hong Kong. Dr Peter Tsoi, a psychiatrist who works with young people, is a former President of HKFYG. He tells Youth Hong Kong that he believes the roots of the problem lie in the stressful education system. Who are the “hidden youth,” known in Hong Kong as teenage hermits or 隱蔽青年, in Japan as hikikomori and in Britain as NEETs (not in employment, education or training)? These reclusive adolescents, who are neither at school nor at work, spend their time at home, mostly playing video games. Some stay there for months, even for years. The phenomenon may start with dropping out of school or failure to get a job but then, gradually, the young person become increasingly withdrawn from the world.

Although it is possible that some of them might actually be addicted to the internet before they become socially withdrawn, I would say sitting in front of the computer all day is predominantly an effect of social withdrawal rather than a cause.

Underlying causes

Those who have no specific mental disorder just use social withdrawal as a way to maintain their balance. Theories on as the underlying causes of the hikikomori phenomenon in Japan include conformity and collectivism, overprotective parenting and particularities of the educational system. Many of these also apply in Hong Kong.

What causes their problems? Although many of them are difficult to categorize, some fit the diagnostic criteria of psychiatric disorders, the most common of which are depression and generalized anxiety disorder. These hidden youth may also give the impression of being addicted because they are likely to kill time with their computers.

In Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea, even the very young have to start learning how to compete and succeed. In middle class families especially, parents have high expectations and tend to put too much pressure on their children to achieve. They overprotect and over-provide at the same time.

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

by L'hĂ˛ flickr.com/photos/lorissettanni/15302307624/

Perspectives

Reaction and transformation Youth experiencing overwhelming stress react according to their different potential, talents, personality and social background. Most find a way to balance the various demands and conflicts. They learn how to navigate between the values of parents and their expectations while discovering who they are and what they can realistically do. Achieving this kind of balance means resolving an identity crisis. This is a prerequisite for successful transformation into adulthood and opens up the route to happiness, contentment and wellbeing through self-actualization. Those who fail to find such balance as they grow up and become adults may take different paths. The ones who have an in-born tendency to develop psychiatric disorders become mentally ill. Others who have personality defects develop behavioural problems or delinquency. Some react by simply withdrawing from the world, as in the hikikomori.

Society should not label them as abnormal. Indeed, in some ways, it is society that is abnormal and that is why some young people nowadays choose to shut themselves away from it.

How to help them Cases of hikikomori seldom appear in psychiatric clinics as both the young people concerned and their parents may not think there is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;mentalâ&#x20AC;? problem. In fact, a socially withdrawn youth will usually resist any suggestion of seeing a psychiatrist. When I encounter this kind of case, regardless of whether the parents or the young person seeks a consultation, it is important to distinguish those with mental illness who need psychiatric treatment from those who have only a psychological problem. I would refer those in the latter group to a psychologist colleague.

Successful treatment of an underlying psychiatric illness, such as anxiety or depression, usually ameliorates social withdrawal. For example, I have encountered several cases of university students who suddenly became withdrawn and disappeared This is only possible if a certain set of conditions from the campus for months. Later, they were prevails. These include parental tolerance of the found to be suffering from depression and after social withdrawal, by at least one parent. In the end, successful treatment they resumed their studies. the parent cannot accept the failure of their child and tries to hide it. Another necessary condition Treatment includes individual psychotherapy is sufficient resources in the family to support a and family therapy. The former usually adopts socially withdrawn youth. Less accepting and less a cognitive-behavioural approach. In family affluent families would not permit hikikomori to therapy, there are different techniques according develop. In such cases, the mounting stress would to different schools of thought and training. There probably create another problem or mental illness. was a case report some years ago by a Japanese

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Perspectives

therapist who successfully treated a hikikomori youth with solution-focus family therapy. Success of treatment hinges on the resolution of underlying psychological conflicts and family psychopathology. If the problem is developmental, being able to overcome obstacles in the transformation to adult life and integration into society mean recovery and good prognosis.

System at fault The hikikomori phenomenon illustrates the pitfalls of the current education system in many countries, especially in Asia and Hong Kong. Cutting oneself off totally from the outside world can be seen as a response to the tremendous stress of having to compete from a very early age. But they are not the only ones who suffer from this “pressurecooker” educational environment. Perhaps they are actually luckier than those who become mentally ill as a result of too much study pressure.

It is obvious that the education system needs to be reviewed with the aim of promoting health, wellbeing and wellness among Hong Kong youth instead of damaging it. My opinion is that society should not put all the blame on the hidden youth for their problem by labelling them as “abnormal.” Indeed, in some ways, it is society that is abnormal and that is why some young people nowadays choose to shut themselves away from it. 香港青年協會前任主席蔡定國醫生作為精神科專家，一向關注青年發展。就他的經驗而言，他認為導致青年出現精神健康問題的因素很多，其中教育制度讓青年壓力過大是眾多原因之一。他指出，在亞洲地區，包括香港、日本、台灣、新加坡及南韓等，青年自幼便學習如何競爭及力爭上游，尤其面對期望過高的父母時，青年感到的壓力特別大。青年如果能找到平衡方法固然是好事，但有些受先天因素影響，則會因這些壓力誘發成精神病；另一些則可能因此衍生行為問題，例如成為隱蔽青年或社會上的不良分子。他認為，要有效幫助這些青年，首先要了解他們到底是有精神問題還是心理問題，然後尋求專家協助，制定治療方案，例如採取個人治療或家庭治療方式等。

by Paranoid Monk flickr.com/photos/eddus/100369250/

Mental illness in Hong Kong youth

In Hong Kong, a survey of 1,120 young people aged under 25 found that 32.5% of them showed symptoms of depression, with the youngest aged only 12. Recent statistics confirm that the trend for 10-14 year-old males and 20-24 year-old females having worsening mental health, and an annual study put the index of mental health among 15-24 year-olds at 53 this year on a scale of 0-100, down from 64 and 63 in the past two years. Researchers have found that the phenomenon of socially withdrawn youth is as common in Hong Kong as in Japan. Prevalence rates among a sample group of 1,010 12-29 year-olds was 1.9% and 2.5% for more than six months and less than six months respectively. Helplines for youth mental health http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/student-parents/crisis-management/helpline-communityresources/index.html Sources info.gov.hk/gia/general/201105/18/P201105180167.htm statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11303032014AN14B0100.pdf scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1616447/decline-mental-health-hong-kong-youth-distressing-says-expert Wong, PW et al. Int J Soc Psychiatry. 2014 July 24. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25063752

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Perspectives

Forgotten smile D

r Terry Ng, of Gratia Christian Docent Institute, is a professional counselling tutor for students with special needs. He writes here about training them to cope with the demands of life at school and the confusion and unhappiness they cause.

Kids from all sorts of schools come to me: local government schools, DSS schools, international schools. Their intelligence varies like their personalities. But in one way they are all the same: unhappy about school. I show them how to look for joy in their bogged-down education by teaching them skills to achieve at least the minimum.

byDaniel Foster https://www.flickr.com/photos/danielfoster/3397863852/

I’ll give you an example. Let’s call him David, a Secondary 6 student referred by an educational psychologist. He was completely silent in class. Nobody could get any response. It was almost as bad at home. He seemed indifferent to everybody and everything.

I don’t pretend I can solve problems through positive thinking. People like David have to help themselves. The public DSE exams were looming. Since the results are the benchmark for university and jobs, they cannot be avoided. We started planning and setting goals. The exams were a tough test and David had a crisis in the middle of them. He came to see me, frustrated and pessimistic about his performance, convinced that he would fail. I reminded him of his abilities and eventually he left with more confidence.

When he joined my group he was just the same. So I talked to him about comics. No serious subjects or school work, just light-hearted nonsense. Gradually In fact, David had very good results and is going he relaxed and responded. There was no threat. He on to do a higher diploma in tourism this year. I accepted me and the others and started talking. don’t know if his problems have gone away. One must be realistic. I don’t pretend I can solve He told us that he didn’t know when, but he had problems through positive thinking. People like forgotten how to smile. David have to help themselves. When I talked to his parents again they said communications had Eventually, he admitted his worst fears. He didn’t improved and they are now cautiously optimistic. think he could match his family’s expectations. He came from an ordinary middle- class background When I last saw him, I asked David why he had and was convinced that his family would waste all chosen to study tourism, which demands good their money on him. communication skills. He answered with a thoughtful, casual smile. I tried to explain this to his parents, who were open-minded, well-educated and ready to lower their He had remembered. expectations. They told me they hadn’t expected top 香港融合教育中心主任的吳志光博士專為有特別需要的學 marks anyway. They didn’t understand their son, the 生提供輔導。多年來，吳博士曾經輔導來自不同學校的青 size of the problem or the cause of his emotional disturbance. I told them not to think about academic 年，無論他們的成績、性格如何，他們都面對相近的問題 ──不滿意自己的學習。吳博士首先會嘗試跟他們建立良 performance but to concentrate on building David’s 好關係，然後再了解他們的問題所在，並找出解決方法。 self-confidence and skills of self-expression.

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Perspectives

eHealth

tracking life’s ups and downs

any websites, apps, and devices exist to help keep track of psychological health. Information collected can also help doctors. We look at some of these online services and how well they work. For those with psychological problems, common obstacles to getting better, have, in the past, included lack of accurate and complete information, costs of treatment, effects of stigma, and beliefs such as “nobody understands me” or “this is just the way I am.” The internet can be used to remove some of these hurdles. Here are some examples of recent developments. Australia

Canada

E-hub is an initiative of the National Institute for Mental Health Research at the Australian National University. Its developers and researchers are internationally recognized experts in the field of mental health and web service delivery, some of whom have personally experienced depression. E-hub develops and evaluates websites that deliver psycho-education and psychological interventions for common mental health problems, as well as clinical and consumer networking. It has developed five innovative online self-help services that can be accessed anonymously, free of charge, 24 hours a day, from anywhere in the world. MOODgym for learning cognitive behaviour therapy skills is one example. It is designed to help prevent depression and provide coping strategies.

WalkAlong is a “mental health companion” website, a “community where young Canadians can explore their mental health amongst peers.” The portal is a Canadian-based mental health resource that also provides information and links to existing mental healthcare resources for friends and family members. The WalkAlong team is a group of researchers and practitioners located at the University of British Columbia. Examples of services are an online mental health assessment and a Life Chart that keeps track of users’ wellbeing.

NHS Choices, while stressing that self-help cannot usually provide all the answers, has links to pages such as a cognitive-behaviour therapy-based computer self-help course called Beating the Blues for the treatment of depression and a similar course called FearFighter for generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

facebook.com/ehub.selfhelp/info?tab=page_info

walkalong.ca/

These are available around the clock and are easily accessible via a computer, tablet or smartphone. One service for the under 20s is Kooth, which offers emotional and mental health support for children and young people. Those who sign up can choose an avatar, have a “drop-in” chat with a counsellor or therapist, book a oneto-one session or contact other young people anonymously on the forums. Kooth is free in certain areas of the UK. nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/ self-help-therapies.aspx

continued on page 50

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth speak

Feelings to share M

any of the same problems, doubts and worries plague youth now as ever, as well as the same incomprehension of parents. Life is better for those with fewer illusions. Eight youngsters reflect on how they feel.

Pressured but coping

Wistful dreamer

“I

don’t think of myself as being particularly happy or unhappy, but to be honest, to be really happy would mean having my own set of drums in my own studio doing what I really want to do supported by people I care about. But I know that my parents would never let me. As soon as I discovered playing the drums, they told me to ‘just get through the public exams and don’t think too much!’ Well, an older school friend taught me the basic drumming techniques and I practised with her every day after class but it all stopped when she left school and my exam results weren’t very good anyway. That was ten years ago. I feel that because I am not fulfilled in one area of my life, other areas are affected. I keep thinking that maybe, if I’d had my family’s support, maybe I could have been a professional drummer by now.”

'm a post 80s girl and like most of my friends I feel OK. We know we’re a lot better off than any generation before us. But it seems that much unhappiness stems from the unrealistic pressures that parents place on us. We are expected to get a job right out of university and start earning significant income straight away. We are also raised thinking we are special and so we think that we are better than everyone else which is obviously not true. I do wish parents would stop telling us these things. They spoil us too. Think of that bratty child, the one who didn't get their Christmas present handed to them on a plate but was told they would have to do some volunteer work or something like that first. It makes him impossible to live with.Yes, he’s unhappy. Well, some of us are like that. One thing I’ve learnt is that if you want to be happy, lower your expectations.”

In Hong Kong, most parents would prefer their offspring to do something conventional like accounting or medicine but making the right decision for a career path that will set a course for life is a huge step, and one that some take too soon.

by Bertram Ng flickr.com/photos/bert_ng/5514753245/

by wsilver https://flic.kr/p/at3SVU

Certainly it seems that parents push their children hard to achieve and many adults acknowledge the fact. But not all young people force themselves to try harder just in order to please and some, like this young lady, adopt a hard-edged attitude early on in life.

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Youth speak

Anxious but determined

Unhappy and sensitive

“I

always feel worried when faced with the unfamiliar. It happens all the time now that I am a nursing student and my patients keep changing. I lack confidence in clinical skills and in making decisions and I don’t know how to cope sometimes. Recently, all these negative thoughts affected the way I did an exam. There were so many unknowns and uncertainties. But beyond all that, I try to remind myself that the reason I am doing nursing is because I want to help people. Helping people makes me feel better. I just need to learn how to balance this with self-doubt.”

don’t have a happy family life and I’ve never had any really close friends. My grandmother hates us all and I have to force myself just to smile at her. It disgusts me. Once, when I was a child, she threw me and my mother out of the house. The most pathetic thing was that my father totally supported her. She was his mother and he never said a thing to help. After that, my mother has always expected me to do what she says. It’s actually because she needs to feel in control. In fact, she has no control except over me, but this means I can’t control my own life. I don’t really want to share my feeling with others. I just want to forget all those bad memories.” It is very sad when a home life has badly affected selfconfidence and led to such tangles as this young person writes about. When others seem to be having fun with their friends or family, being the odd one out is upsetting. However, research has shown that people with children are not necessarily happy about it and parents certainly can contribute to their children’s unhappiness by being unhappy themselves.

By Tommy Wong flickr.com/photos/gracewong/312922513/

by aaron gilson flickr.com/photos/aarongilson/8603251226/

Tackling a difficult subject for a vocational degree is a hurdle that Hong Kong’s youth seem often willing to take on, sometimes for heartfelt reasons, but not for the sake of happiness. Helping people, on the other hand, though demanding, can be its own reward and lead to great satisfaction.

“W

hat do I feel pessimistic about? Housing. Even with a great job, how can you ever buy your own home in Hong Kong? The government could do something about housing but they are just unwilling. Not only that, but I think it is very rare to see people in Hong Kong really happy, doing what they want to do. I think they compensate by buying the latest thing, an iPhone for example. They will queue for days, but really, it won't make life any better.”

This young person wrote to us on a brilliant spring day. He also said he felt joyful to see the clear skies. On the other hand, he has grave doubts about his prospects. Respondents to surveys in other sections of the magazine have similar misgivings, and they believe their views are heard by nobody with any power or influence.

by Joe Hastings flickr.com/photos/joehastings/348874251/

Realist at heart

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth speak

A bit out of the ordinary

Conquering depression

“I

Feeling different from the crowd can work both ways, making people feel satisfied because of the freedom and independence it brings but uneasy and isolated if they are not well-liked. To achieve a balance between the two is rare in a young person.

Focusing on the positive side of life is a good coping strategy. “Smile,” they say, “it will make you feel better.” For some, perhaps, in the end, being realistic is what matters most.

used to feel negative about everything. I felt totally redundant at home and had no confidence at school. I still think my mother wished she’d never had me and really only loves my sister. It helped when the social worker sent me to a counsellor. That’s when I realized I love making films. When I make a good one it’s so satisfying. Even if it’s not very good it doesn’t really matter. The main thing is never to spend a whole day at home. Always go out, get some fresh air, have a coffee with a friend. Then the depression stays away. I’ve even done some volunteer work and life is looking up although my relationship with mum is still terrible. If I distract myself from the sadness by doing things I love, then I can get by.”

Pursuing goals

“S

ome people believe they can buy happiness, but for me, happiness comes with a sense of achievement. It could be simple things, like scoring a try in rugby or finishing a long essay. These small things give me a positive feeling and I think that kind of happiness cannot be measured by any universal standard or scale. It is all about what you feel inside. Having said that, happiness is a short-term feeling for me. I have always loved pursuing goals but once I achieve them the happiness fades. I remember how happy I was when I found out that I had a place at university. That feeling will never come again. It was unique.” The experience, if not the self-knowledge of this 21 year-old student, is representative of his gender and age group, [see the article on pages 8-11]. Fleeting happiness comes and goes. Contentment and satisfaction are altogether different.

by Mark Johnson flickr.com/photos/7468143@N04/2333932785/

by digital cat flickr.com/photos/14646075@N03/4338288447/

by Heather Ruiz flickr.com/photos/39424835@N03/3623646983/

am doing quite well at school and life has felt good since I started going out with my new boyfriend. But my parents don’t seem very happy and they don’t like him much. I think me and my brother cause problems for them, although they like giving us treats and taking us on holidays in new countries. That’s fun for us but they seem to disagree a lot. The families who seem happiest are always doing the same things together. They go to the same restaurants and watch movies together. I don’t think we are like that. Maybe being different can make you discontented. For me, my friends are the most important thing and I feel lucky when we are together. But I also love being on my own.”

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Youth watch

Wellbeing

in the world of youth

he media often dwell on the dark side of being young, with stories of stress and suicide, but are today’s youngsters really that miserable? In this round-up, Jennifer Lam takes a look around the region and at Britain, beginning with Hong Kong and ending with Bhutan.

The Global Youth Wellbeing Index1 (GYWI), the primary source for this article, ranks youth aged 10-24 in 30 countries. Its approach, informed by the Human Development Index,2 uses 40 quality of life indicators, including subjective outlook and satisfaction as well as objective and behavioural factors across six interconnected aspects (domains): citizen participation; education; economic opportunity; health; information and communication technology (ICT); safety and security.

Hong Kong not very happy plus Î Hong Kong youth were happier in 2014 than 2013 according to the latest Chinese University of Hong Kong Quality of Life Index,3 which uses similar domains to GYWI. There were reports of overall improvement in psychological wellbeing, society, education, living environment, youth crime rate, mental health, drug abuse, economic conditions and environmental quality. There were fewer reports of high pressure from school and extracurricular activities. Good relationships with family and friends improved wellbeing the most. However, youth were already feeling less happy with government performance, public expenditure on education, and opportunities for development.

minus Ð Scores on Lingnan University’s Happiness Index4 fell from 7.23 in 2013 to 6.74 in 2014. The index was compiled in September-November at the time of the Occupy Central protests. The decline was sharpest in 15-17 year-olds, for whom the index slipped from 6.58 to 5.83 on a 1-10 scale, a drop of 11.4% in a year. City University’s 2015 Happiness Index5 recorded its lowest findings, with a top score of 6.98 compared to 7.32 ten years ago. A Hong Kong Ideas Centre study,6 conducted from January-March, noted that social dissatisfaction was highest among 20-24 year-olds, because of social conditions, including housing and mainland visitors.

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth watch

India pleased to have a voice plus Î India rates 26th overall in the GYWI, lowest in the Asia-Pacific region, but it comes 3rd for citizen participation. In general, Indian youth are realistic about their challenges. Both their perceived stress levels and levels of self-harm are below average. In 2006, a study of 16-34 year-olds in 14 countries found Indian young people had the greatest perceived sense of wellbeing, but a 2013 youth survey14 found that 41.5% of the surveyed youth said the pursuit of happiness still topped their wish list.15

The incidence of suicide among Hong Kong youth is very high. In 2012 it was 8.3 for every 100,000 youths.7 According to the University of Hong Kong’s Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, suicide is the leading cause of death for those the minus Ð same as aged 15-24, the same as the US.8 A 2012 Baptist Oi Kwan survey found that of the 2,500 A 2013 Lancet study found India had the high school pupils surveyed, 44% had symptoms of highest suicide rate in the world.16 One-third depression, with 6% showing serious symptoms.9 of suicides are young people aged 15–29.17 36% of Indians are likely to suffer a major depressive episode in their lifetime, with the Australia average age of the depressed being 31.18 top score, but some way to go

plus Î GYWI rates Australia 1st overall for youth wellbeing. Among other Asia-Pacific countries it ranks highest for citizen participation. It also comes top in the education domain, borne out by a 2013 study10 that found 75% of teenagers and 32% of young adults were in full-time education. The proportion of young people who reported being very satisfied with life has increased over the past decade and was higher among teenagers than young adults.

minus Ð According to the Australian Research Alliance for Children and Youth,11 30% of young people aged 15-24 are overweight or obese, and 18% had used illicit drugs. The rate of youth suicide is falling, but in 2013, 108 males aged 15-19 and 148 males aged 20-24 committed suicide. In the same year, 40 females aged 15-19, and 52 females aged 20 to 24 killed themselves.12 It’s estimated that 6-7% of young people aged 16-24 experience depression.13

Japan positive but still problems plus Î GYWI rates Japan 7th overall, confirmed by a 2012 survey conducted by the NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, in which 94% of junior high school students said they were happy.19 Young people generally have a positive outlook and a government-run survey20 reports levels of youth life satisfaction over 78% by 2014 the highest since 1967 and higher than during Japan’s booming economy of the 1980s.

minus Ð The country comes 23rd in citizen participation due to the absence of a youth policy and relatively low volunteer rates. It is home to the reclusive hikikomori and a survey of 6-12 year-olds reports high stress levels.21 Suicide is the leading cause of death among Japanese men aged 20-44.22

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Youth watch

Wellbeing Rankings Dark green: best Tan: moderate Red: worst

Mainland China mostly optimistic plus Î GYWI ranks mainland China 14th overall and 10th for economic opportunity. Of the nine countries in the Asia-Pacific region surveyed, Chinese youth report the greatest optimism and satisfaction in economic opportunity, and safety and security. A 2013 Ipsos AsiaPacific survey23 found 27% of 18-29 yearolds were very happy and 60% rather happy. China’s suicide rates have declined to be among the lowest rates in the world, according to a 2014 report from the University of Hong Kong. The most dramatic shift has been for rural women under 35, whose suicide rate appears to have dropped by as much as 90%.24 Moving to the cities to work has liberated many rural young women from parental pressures, arranged marriages and poverty.

minus Ð

China ranks 22nd in the GYWI education domain and 28th for citizen participation. Reasons given are its lack of youth policy, lower levels of youth volunteering, and more pessimistic outlook on government. It is below average for prioritization of healthy living. Of the nine countries in the Asia-Pacific region, China ranks 6th overall, scoring only above Indonesia, the Philippines, and India, according to GYWI.

Philippines safety and security worries plus Î GYWI rates the Philippines 22nd overall among the 30 countries surveyed, and 8th in the nine countries of the Asia-Pacific region. Young Filipinos are smoking slightly less, drinking less alcohol and drug use has plummeted, according to the Young Adult Fertility and Sexuality Study25, which surveyed just over 19,000 respondents aged 15-24 in 2013 when only 4% of young Filipinos admitting to taking drugs, compared to almost 11% in 2002.

minus Ð With the exception of the education domain, lower youth satisfaction drives down the Philippines’ scores. Filipino youth express their greatest dissatisfaction with safety and security. Suicide rates, while lower than in many other countries, have gone up in the last 21 years, with the majority of cases being young people aged 24 or less.26

Youth Hong Kong

Youth watch

South Korea technology scores, but youth not happy plus Î GYWI rates South Korea 3rd overall and top in the ICT domain. It also ranks top in the Asia-Pacific region, and does well in terms of youth wellbeing. In each domain, excluding citizen participation, it is in the top ten.

minus Ð However, not everyone is happy in South Korea. Youth happiness stands at 74 in an annual index27 with a median of 100. Only two-thirds of Korean youth said they were satisfied with life, much less than the OECD average of 85.8%. A 2014 poll by the Korea Health Promotion Foundation found that just over half of South Korean teenagers had had suicidal thoughts,28 while nearly one in three said they had felt very depressed. The suicide rate for people aged 15-24 in South Korea was 13 deaths per 100,000 people.29

Map source Global Youth Wellbeing Index 2014

Thailand challenges in security plus Î GYWI rates Thailand 10th for youth wellbeing overall and 6th for providing youth with economic opportunities. Across all the six domains studied, youth are generally optimistic about their circumstances and future prospects. The Thai Government has established Children and Youth Councils at national, provincial and district levels.30

minus Ð Thai youth experience their greatest challenges in safety and security. Thailand’s Mental Health Department says suicide is the No 3 cause of death in Thai teenagers31 with 852 teen suicides from 2007 to 2011. In 2011, the suicide rate among Thais aged 15-19 was at 3.43 per 100,000. Male teens are three times more likely to kill themselves than female teens, who are three times more likely to injure themselves than males.35

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Youth watch

How many 10-24 year-olds in the overall population?

56% 31% 28% 26% 22% 22% 20% 19% 18% 14% 12.6% Bhutan

Philippines

India

Vietnam

Thailand

Mainland China

UK dissatisfied about participation and jobs plus Î GYWI rates the UK as the 4th best country overall for young adults and 2nd among the European countries. The UK achieves strong results in the ICT, education and health domains. A 2013 Unicef survey32 found that wellbeing of British children had risen over the past decade, from the bottom to 16th out of 29 developed countries.

minus Ð Young people are not happy with levels of citizen participation, economic growth or opportunities. A YouGov poll33 reported that 40% of jobless young people had experienced symptoms of mental illness, including suicidal thoughts or feelings of self-loathing and panic attacks, due to unemployment. Of those polled, 9% said they did not “have anything to live for.” According to official figures, 10% of British children aged 5-16 have a recognizable mental disorder, with 4% suffering from an emotional disorder such as anxiety or depression.34 In 2012 male suicide was the single biggest killer of 20-49 year-old males.35

Australia

South Korea

Japan

Hong Kong

Vietnam optimistic about prospects plus Î GYWI rates Vietnam 11th for youth wellbeing, and 5th among the nine countries in the AsiaPacific region. Vietnam achieves particularly strong results in the economic opportunity and health domains. Across the domains, youth are generally optimistic about their circumstances and future prospects. A 2012 survey found young people were confident that life would be much better than it had been for previous generations, and 73% considered happiness and family values more important than money.36

minus Ð Several surveys in 2014 found high parental expectations were fuelling increased anxiety and depression among school students, with 26% of just over 1,700 students suffering from mental problems.37 In 2010 a government survey found more than 4% of 14-25 yearolds had suicidal thoughts or attempted suicide, double the 2006 figure. Females are twice as likely to attempt suicide than males. More than 7% of the survey’s 10,000 participants said their self-harm was caused by stress.38

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth watch

Notes and sources

Apart from the countries chosen for this article, GYWI looked at Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Germany, Ghana, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, Nigeria. Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Tanzania, Turkey, the US and Uganda. It found that most of today's youth are experiencing lower levels of wellbeing than hitherto, and how young people feel about their wellbeing does not always align with objective data. 1. Global Youth Wellbeing Index. Center for Strategic and International Studies & International Youth Foundation, 2014. youthindex.org/reports/globalyouthwellbeingindex. pdf 2. http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/human-development-index-hdi 3. https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press_detail.php?id=1840 4. http://www.ln.edu.hk/news/20140217/children_happiness_index_2014 5. http://wikisites.cityu.edu.hk/sites/newscentre/en/Pages/201502160417.aspx 6. http://www.ideascentre.hk/wordpress/?p=7533&lang=en [in Chinese] 7. scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1454331/government-schools-need-do-more-stopyouth-suicides-say-experts 8. http://csrp.hku.hk/sss/ 9. chinadaily.com.cn/hkedition/2012-09/13/content_15754097.htm 10. aracy.org.au/projects/report-card-the-wellbeing-of-young-australians

Bhutan not everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s happy

11. https://cica.org.au/wp-content/uploads/FYA_HYPAF-2013_Digital1.pdf 12. mindframe-media.info/for-media/reporting-suicide/facts-and-stats#sthash.NDHkCRIG. dpuf 13. headspace.org.au/what-works/research-information/depression 14. hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/youthsurvey2013/chunk-ht-ui-youthsurvey2013careerandmoneytopstories/41-of-the-youth-seek-happiness-30-want-to-be-rich/ sp-article10-1104225.aspx

Bhutan measures quality of life according to Gross National Happiness (GNH), rather than GNP. It has rapidly reduced poverty and its GDP per capita was US$2,584 in 2012.39 84% of the population have mobile phones and about 29% mobile broadband.40 Bhutan is one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest democracies. It held its first parliamentary elections in 2008. Youth participation is stressed as an important policy objective, although young people have few channels for voicing concerns. Despite the GNH philosophy, which aspires to development encompassing environmental, spiritual, emotional and cultural dimensions, Bhutan faces big challenges. Youth unemployment in 2013 stood at 9.5% for males and 11.6% for females, with rates as high as 29.5% for males in urban areas.41 Rural-urban migration and the mismatch between available jobs and the aspirations and skills of applicants are causes. Youth self-harm, drug abuse, alienation, depression and suicide are also growing problems, with suicide the second most likely cause of death among the under 25s.

15. prnewswire.com/news-releases/mtv-networks-international-wellbeing-study-revealsfascinating-insights-into-global-culture---telling-a-tale-of-two-worlds-for-kids-andyouth-56466407.html 16. oneindia.com/feature/2013/depression-takes-a-toll-on-youth-1233050.html 17. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Youth_suicide 18. mentalhealthy.co.uk/news/731-profile-of-mental-health-in-india.html 19. nippon.com/en/in-depth/a04002/ 20. eastasiaforum.org/2014/09/17/the-fragile-happiness-of-japans-insular-youth/ 21. globalkidsstudy.com/2013/02/05/global-kids-happiness-inde/ 22. theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/04/japan-vows-suicide-rate-cut-cultural-resistancemental-health 23. ipsosasiapacific.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/11/Press-Release-APACHappiness-Index-Q3-2013_FINAL.pdf 24. http://www.economist.com/node/21605942/print 25. drdf.org.ph/yafs4 26. mb.com.ph/suicide-is-second-leading-cause-of-death-among-youthwho/#SH9ri7vpWc1RZTTq.99 27. http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2014/11/20/2014112001819.html 28. http://blogs.wsj.com/korearealtime/2014/03/20/poll-shows-half-of-korean-teenagers-havesuicidal-thoughts/ 29. oecd.org/pisa/keyfindings/pisa-2012-results-overview.pdf 30. wikigender.org/index.php/Thailand%E2%80%99s_Youth_Policy 31. thaivisa.com/forum/topic/582481-suicide-growing-among-thais/page-3 32. http://theconversation.com/explainer-how-does-the-uk-rank-on-child-well-being-24180 33. theguardian.com/society/2014/jan/02/one-in-10-jobless-yougov-poll 34. nhs.uk/conditions/stress-anxiety-depression/pages/children-depressed-signs.aspx 35. tasc-uk.org/category/organisation-type/youth-suicide 36. thanhniennews.com/education-youth/vietnam-youth-care-more-for-happiness-thanmaking-money-survey-19046.html 37. thanhniennews.com/education-youth/depression-mental-disorders-on-the-rise-amongvietnamese-students-29976.html 38. asianewsnet.net/news-36278.html 39. http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/WDSContentServer/WDSP/IB/2014/09/ 11/000470435_20140911111516/Rendered/ PDF/905320WP0Bhuta00Box385319B00PUBLIC0.pdf 40. http://www.moic.gov.bt/ministry-statistics 41. bt.undp.org/content/bhutan/en/home/library/mdg/2013-maf-report-youth-employmentin-bhutan/

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Insight

at the Anger tipping point

any youngsters get angry â&#x2C6;&#x2019; with family, teachers and peers. Anger leads to problems at school, in personal relationships and in overall wellbeing. Wilson Chan, a professional social worker who works with vulnerable youth, gives some advice.

Bouts of rage in adolescence are not unusual. Often the cause is frustration or too much pressure. Problems arise when emotions become uncontrollable. Then there can be verbal or physical aggression. Young people who are prone to behave like this can learn techniques for self-control. The roots of anger may be genetic or physiological; some people are born more quick-tempered than others. They may also be sociocultural; some societies prefer non-confrontation and try to bottle up emotions. Family background may also contribute; people who are easily

angered tend to come from families that are not skilled at communication. However, one of the most common causes of anger is seeing things too much in black and white, jumping to conclusions and then overreacting.

Cognitive therapy for self-control Cognitive therapy, sometimes referred to as CBT, is used by HKFYG counsellors with those prone to outbursts of anger to build self-awareness and improve self-control. There are four steps. The key to all is self-awareness and internal dialogue.

What makes people angry? Triggered memories

Taunts

Threats of any kind

Alcohol / drugs Being criticised Combined effects of medication, additives, alcohol etc

Additives in food / drink Protectiveness (of self / loved ones)

Critical judgments

Projection (projecting feelings on to other people / things)

Displacement Fear of rejection

Not accepting responsibility Feelings of shame and vulnerability

Misunderstandings

Failed expectations

Guilt

Feelings of inadequacy and worthlessness

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Insight

Reasons for anger Attention Sometimes, when young people seem angry they are actually seeking attention.

Boredom Anger may alleviate boredom through excitement and a rush of adrenaline.

Criticism In highly sensitive young people anger can be a natural response to criticism.

Habit Sometimes anger can be an ingrained behaviour pattern. Injustice Anger is a natural reaction to perceived injustice to others or oneself.

Low self-esteem When confidence is undermined, anger may be a defence mechanism.

Self-protection Anger is natural when a person or property is believed to be under threat.

The first is being aware − of feelings coming to a head and of the body’s reaction. With awareness, the mind can regain some control over the body and try to prevent over-reaction.

Changing mindsets: ten key points 1. Acknowledge the existence of a problem. 2. Understand causes of anger. 3. Use techniques to interrupt anger.

The second involves pattern-recognition. This means observing one’s own behaviour and seeing the vicious cycle it can lead to. Counsellors recommend drawing a diagram of the process: what caused the anger in the first place, the young person’s reaction to it, the results of that reaction − both in the angry young person and their protagonist.

4. Keep a hostility log.

The third step involves analysis and identification of the advantages and disadvantages of being angry. Can it lead to any positive outcomes?

9. Build trust and reduce cynicism.

The last step encourages seeking alternatives to react at the point when anger is about to be acted out. This involves not only recognizing the internal alarm signals when they ring, but also knowing that they can be turned off. Strategies include finding distractions like playing a computer game, hitting a tennis ball or listening to music.

5. Learn to relax and laugh at yourself. 6. Listen effectively, miscommunication contributes to frustration. 7. Try to see the situation from another perspective. 8. Take exercise, go for a walk, stretch and breathe deeply. 10. Forgive those who make you angry.

How to control anger STOP Put your right hand on your left shoulder. WAIT Put your hands in your pockets or by your sides. THINK Consider the consequences of losing your temper. TALK Find a sympathetic ear and talk it over.

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Arts & culture

Inspiration not stage fright

ood actors hold us spell-bound. For them, it seems as easy as breathing: making us laugh or cry, leaving us angry or sad, bringing us to our feet with thunderous applause. How do they learn to do it? Chow Chiu-lun, HKRep’s Deputy Head (Outreach and Education) explains.

YHK How do young people learn to act with you?

YHK Do you think that drama teaches young people how to be creative?

CCL You learn best by observing other people. Understanding yourself is important as well. Sometimes I have the feeling that young people here don’t really understand who they are or what they want. They tend just to listen to teachers or family and let them decide what fits them. For the stage, the better you understand yourself, the more elements you can put into your role because every role you play comes from within yourself.

CCL  I think the first thing is to understand what creativity is. From my point of view, creativity means having new ideas or developing a concept based on an existing idea. Creativity is not pure fiction and again, where drama is concerned, the most important element in being creative comes from observing oneself and others in daily life. Once you have enough source material, you can create your own play.

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Arts & culture

YHK Do young people change a lot after coming to classes at the HKRep?

YHK How does the HKRep inspire young people to become socially aware?

CCL There are two types of students. First, there are those who are not really interested in the theatre. They have been pushed into it by teachers and parents. For this type of student, a transformation can take place as a result of learning how to act well. It is as if a door opens which lets them enter a new world. They find great inspiration and as they begin to understand drama better some choose to learn more because they realize they want to.

CCL  For me, drama is all about change and transformation. In a play, the characters have roles where they face adversity and strive to make things better by transforming their existing unsatisfactory circumstances. After watching our plays, we always hope that the audience will gain personal strength from witnessing the characters on stage. Perhaps they will also be inspired to make changes for the better that will transform their own daily lives.

The other type of student has already been in a play at school, maybe in a leading role. This kind of student is self-motivating. They can tell the difference between a professional play and a school play and it drives them to want to learn and improve their acting.

YHK How do you build young people’s self-confidence? CCL  The most important thing is communication and interaction with other people, and that includes friends and teachers. If your mates and teachers give you good feedback from time to time, that will really build your confidence. But some teachers push young people to act on stage when they aren’t ready. That has the opposite effect. The stage is not like a magic wand. The teacher has to give students time, understand their strengths and then guide them.

Call for Youth Talent in Theatre with Hang Seng Bank and HKRep This new drama training programme, co-organized by HKFYG and the HKRep, is sponsored by the Hang Seng Bank. It aims to build self-confidence and develop latent acting talent. Training is now underway in Sham Shui Po for performances on 1920 September in the Hong Kong Polytechnic University Jockey Club Auditorium. More details csu.hkfyg.org.hk/page.aspx?corpname=csu&i=8892 Enquiries Alice Lui 3755 7067

Full details of the 2015-2016 programme and theatre education offered by the HKRep at hkrep.com. Illustrations in this article are for coming productions. They are by Vivian Ho, courtesy of the HKRep.

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Arts & culture

Thangka Treasure from the Buddhist Arts

by Carsten ten Brink

thangka is a Buddhist wall hanging, usually painted on cotton or silk, mounted on a textile backing and kept rolled up when not on display. Chong Yin-kim (Kim) tells Ada Chau how she wants to preserve this ancient Tibetan art form.

Love at first sight When Kim graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design in the UK as a modern graphic designer she knew nothing about thangka, even though her mother was Buddhist. When they went to Tibet together she was astonished. “I had no idea about the vibrant colour combinations and the modern drawing structure.” In the past, thangkas were used for mediation and Tibetans took them everywhere on their travels. As Kim said, “Thangkas have to be rolled up many times. If the paint is too thick it will crack and fall off. That’s why the layers of paint have to be as thin as possible. This also keeps the colours vivid and produces a translucent effect.”

Kim always felt something was missing from her artistic life and the images of thangkas she had seen went round and round in her head.

“In the end I asked a Buddhist lama in Hong Kong where I could learn how to paint them. He told me the best place was the Tsering Art School in Kathmandu. Without giving it a second thought, I started planning to study there.” Kim thought she would master the art of thangka quickly. “After training in Britain I was so confident of my skills, I thought I could learn the new technique in six months. In fact I couldn’t even paint a single leaf!” She studied the techniques for six years and then she wanted to share what she had learned by setting up a school in Hong Kong.

How to preserve this ancient art form? Because the art of painting thangka is so time consuming, artists find it difficult to make a living and Kim is concerned that the ancient craft will be lost. “It takes months, sometimes years

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Arts & culture

Tsering Art School, where Kim learned the traditonal Karma Gadri lineage thangka, was established in 1996 by Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche at the Shechen Monastery in Kathmandu. Its aim is to preserve authentic Tibetan Buddhist culture. Many giant silk appliqué thangka in the same tradition did not survive the Cultural Revolution. More details shechen.org/cultural-preservation/art-school/ tibetcolor.com/tsurphu/67-the-karma-gadri-thangka.html

to paint one good thangka, and an enormous amount of patience. Some of my Hong Kong students loved drawing the outlines, the flowers, the patterns and the Buddha, but many left when it came to completing the colouring. They did not understand why it took so long, or why the paint had to be so thin. Now, I only teach Buddhists who are passionate about the art form. I hope they see their progress as a form of meditation.”

More details Munsel Thang-ka School of Art (Kim’s Workshop) Address 2/F, 14 Queen Victoria Street, Central District, Hong Kong Tel 2696 0008

facebook.com/munselart

In Nepal many are turning to producing “nontraditional” thangka, but Kim is keen to learn more about the authentic craft and wants to promote interest in this precious art form. She has just returned from a study trip to India and will put on a thangka exhibition in Hong Kong which she hopes will stimulate more interest in this delicate painting skill.

Photos courtesy of Tsering Art School

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Arts & culture

Ten Thousand Galloping This massive art installation and educational project set a new Guinness World Record this spring with over 10,000 decorated eco-horse sculptures. The sculptures were inspired by Xu Beihong’s famous paintings and were decorated by over 10,000 Hong Kong pupils. 18 famous designers and celebrities added their special touch by decorating eight 6-foot high horses as well. New Guinness World Record for “The Largest Display of Sculptures made from Recycled Materials”

With thanks to our partners Co-organizing partner: Xu Beihong Art Committee Main sponsor: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Arts & culture

Horses United with One Heart Upcoming exhibitions This fine exhibition was inspired by Xu Beihongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s famous Galloping Horse. The models of thousands of horses in the display are made of recycled papier machĂŠ. A much-applauded tour at the Racecourse in Shatin and the Sky Dome in Tsuen Wan is now being extended so that more people can enjoy this fabulous sight.

VISIT IFC Shopping Mall 27 July to 2 August 2015 More information M21.hk/10000horses

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

City space

Should you get your genome sequenced now?

magine a future where getting your genome sequenced is as easy as getting a CT scan. With sequencing costs now reported to be less than US$1,000 per person, this scenario may arrive faster than you think, writes Diana Han. Whole genome sequencing is the process by which your DNA, the three billion base pairs of your genetic blueprint, is read and recorded. By definition, genome sequencing does not involve any genetic manipulations and is meant to be purely informative. However, while this information is indisputably useful for research, obtaining such information for routine healthcare could be a double-edged sword. Should healthy people get their genome sequenced? If so, who should have access to that information? And should parents sequence their child’s genome before giving birth?

Ethical dilemmas

The ethical dilemmas inherent to healthy people getting their whole genome sequenced are nuanced. Ideally, people should be able to find out about their own genetic predispositions. That way, they can preemptively manage their own health. The most popular example of this is Angelina Jolie undergoing double mastectomies and removal of her ovaries and fallopian tubes after discovering that she had the BRCA1 mutation.

On the other hand, why we get sick, in terms of susceptibility to cancer, heart disease, mental illness and so on, cannot be easily determined from our genome alone. The vast majority of human disease is caused by a complex interaction of multiple genes, the environment and many other cellular mechanisms that we have yet to fully understand. The BRCA1/2 mutation found in hereditary breast cancers actually accounts for fewer than 5% of all diagnosed breast cancers. Simply put, genomic information may not be all that informative about one’s future health. Our genomic sequence often gives confusing results of slightly increased or slightly decreased probabilities of various diseases—ambiguous information that may do more harm than good. What would be the consequence of your knowing that you have a risk of kidney disease that is 10% higher than average? People

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

City space

can have unpredictable responses to information like this. Practically, how do we decide how much increased risk is significant? 10%? 5%? 1%? 0.1%? Even if a genetic variant could predict the chance of a person getting a disease with 100% accuracy, more ethical dilemmas arise. Potentially, a genetic disorder can be discovered before treatment is available or even before symptoms occur. For example, Huntington’s, characterized by a progressive decline into dementia beginning around the age of 40, is a disease with no known cure. If a teenage girl had genome sequencing in order to find out her risk of breast cancer, but was actually found to have the variant for Huntington’s, shouldn’t she be told? Who else would have the right to know? While she has a right to privacy, do her relatives not also have the right to know that they may have the genetic variant as well? What about insurance companies? Do they too have a right to this kind of information?

Do you really want to know? With the growing popularity of prenatal testing for genetic diseases, what are the ethical considerations of sequencing a child’s genome prenatally? While pregnant women have the right to make informed decisions about reproduction, how does one

balance the potential harm that can arise to society from decisions made for non-medical reasons such as fetal sex selection? Other concerns are that some genetic conditions have widely variable clinical manifestations—a child with XXY chromosome, for example, may grow up to be completely normal or, alternatively, be infertile with learning difficulties. Yet a potentially healthy foetus might be terminated on the basis of genetic information alone. Ultimately, with the availability of direct-toconsumer sequencing services, the choice to get your genome sequenced is yours. Before you do though, think hard. Do you really want to know if you have a 30% increased risk of dementia or a 5% increased risk of cancer. How would it change your life if you knew?

Diana Han Year 3 The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. Winner of an Innovation & Technology Scholarship Award 2015, a programme organized by HKFYG, supported by the Innovation & Technology Commission and sponsored by HSBC.

Genome Projects The Human Genome Project sequenced DNA pooled from a range of individuals to create a ‘reference’ genome.’ However, every genome is unique, and with the development of DNA sequencing technologies, it is now becoming affordable for individuals to choose to get their genomes sequenced. This is called personal genomics. Steve Jobs had his genome sequenced for US$100,000 a few years ago. A number of public and private companies are competing to develop a full genome sequencing platform that is commercially viable and the Personal Genome Project was founded in 2005 dedicated to creating public genome, health, and trait data.

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

by Ed Schipul flickr.com/photos/eschipul/8358087911/

City space

Goodbye fantasy hello fame T echnological entrepreneurship can turn sci-fi ideas into realities, as well as hard cash, says Jonathan Ching. What gives some people a head start and whereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the best place to be?

As children of the nineties, we grew up watching futuristic, visually captivating sci-fi movies like Transformers, Batman and those starring Marvel superheroes like Iron Man. Many of us must have dreamed of building those cool toys ourselves, but when the time comes for charting our own directions, most of us will opt for the popular and the mainstream.

The time: now

Today, however, those sci-fi dreams are becoming realities. The laser canon, as featured in the Star Wars moviesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; starships, is already being deployed by the US army and by 2020 we could be seeing Iron Manâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 3D printing and holographic displays. Innovative technology entrepreneurs around the world are taking these seemingly impossible fantasies, turning them into real inventions and earning good money.

Technological entrepreneurship like this involves the process of identifying high-potential, technology-driven business opportunities, and then building a feasible product by gathering together the necessary resources and talents. Famous tech entrepreneurs including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Steve Jobs made their names by pioneering in this field and they share some attributes. These visionaries could all identify a new market or technology opportunity before others had understood it. A successful entrepreneur also needs technological expertise, the capability to apply technological advancements to the real-world, an entrepreneurial spirit, and the mental strength to handle enormous pressure and high risks. Added to this, it is vital to have the ability to lead, to attract funds and to market a product.

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

The place: Hong Kong Being a tech entrepreneur is definitely not an easy option, but the excitement and challenges can be more rewarding than those offered by stable jobs. So the question remains, does Hong Kong have the environment for start-ups to thrive? It seems the answer is yes. Hong Kong was ranked as the top “Tech Capital to Watch” in a Forbes article1 and Huffington Post has dubbed the city the “Silicon Valley of the East”.2 One of the indicators of the rising popularity of startups here is the proliferation of co-working spaces, where entrepreneurs can network to realize their plans. In 2013 there were only a handful of such spaces in the city. Now there are more than 40. Meanwhile, incubator programs and accelerators, in which start-ups are offered funding, business advice and connections, have proliferated thanks to the orchestrated efforts of universities, government sponsored programmes such as Cyberport and HK Science and Technology Parks, NGOs like HKFYG, and venture capitalists.

by Apionid flickr.com/photos/apionid/17372454561/

by Ed Schipul flickr.com/photos/eschipul/8358087911/

City space

The booming start-up scene has also been fuelled by success stories such as GoGoVan, Insight Robotics and Shopline. The achievement of DJI Phantom, a HKUST spin-off robotics drones company, set an even higher standard for Hong Kong companies. So, if you are bright, keen to master new technologies, willing to challenge the status quo, and have a passion to change how the world works, technological entrepreneurship could be the right role for you. Who knows, you might be the one who turns Luke Skywalker’s sabre into a saleable product. Jonathan Ching Year 2 The University of Hong Kong, BBA (Information Systems). Winner of an Innovation & Technology Scholarship Award 2015, a programme organized by HKFYG, supported by the Innovation & Technology Commission and sponsored by HSBC.

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

City space

by Dominik Schwind flickr.com/photos/dominik/1842248594/

by European Commission DG ECHO flickr.com/photos/69583224@N05/16987677681/

Creation to innovation

pp Problem: Polluted water

pp MSG testing

Imagine seeing your 6 year-old daughter mixing different shampoos in the sink, with lather and water overflowing onto the floor. She tells you she is trying to create the best mixture for making long-lasting bubbles. What would you say? Most Hong Kong parents would think she was being mischievous or wasteful, but mine would ask what I was doing and why, then let me go ahead, knowing that unusual behaviour can stimulate creativity. Only when children are given sufficient freedom can they think outside the box and invent something. Innovation involves reflecting on the current situation and coming up with ways to improve it. Widespread concern about water pollution and drinking water contaminated with heavy metal ions made me want to create a handy test kit, something everyone could afford instead of costly equipment. My simple kit uses MSG. It shows up metal ions in water in different colours. If the water turns pink, that indicates cobalt (II) ions. If it turns blue, there are copper (II) ions present.

pp Showing up different colors of metal ions

Although good academic performance is fundamental, only by exposing yourself to different disciplines can you develop an innovative mind. This low-cost test kit can be used to identify not only the type of metal ions but also to check concentrations by matching colour intensity with a prepared colour chart. In order to discover which kind of chemical substance reacts with metal ions to form complexes with the most prominent colours, I tested over 20 lab reagents with 5 metal ions, creating over 100 combinations. Only this kind of persistence and repetitive analysis, tedious to some people, can ensure success. Although good academic performance is fundamental, only by exposing yourself to different disciplines can you develop an innovative mind.

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

City space

by Gabriel Rocha flickr.com/photos/gabriel_rocha/4213043923/

hildren need understanding parents and freedom to explore if they are to cross new frontiers, says young scientist Seraph Wu.

pp Findings complete

Being open to new adventures is vital. So last year I headed to Beijing to join the China Adolescents Science and Technology Innovation Contest and then in October I went to the mainland’s Awarding Program for Future Scientists. On a trip to Israel I visited the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, where I could talk to young entrepreneurs like Rami Kasterstein and Joey Simhon who won the Webby Award for their mobile phone application “Everything.Me”. In May this year it was the International Sustainable World Energy Engineering Environment Project (I-SWEEEP) Olympiad, where I could swap ideas with young people from 67 other countries. Mind-expanding experiences not only give insight into science and innovation, they can also help you to appreciate cultural differences and enlarge your social circle. There were 427 projects to look at and one in particular interested me: an innovative project using mandarin peel to remove metal ions from soil. It was created by high school students from Tajikistan and the ideas were similar to my own for analyzing water pollution, so we had a lot of fun discussing the issues.

pp Result: More clean drinking water

As well as studying science, I love painting and playing the piano and guzheng, but I have always wanted a career in medical research. For this, Professor Rossa Chiu, winner of the 2011 IFCC Young Investigator Award for research on noninvasive prenatal diagnostic approaches, is my inspiration. However, it was American politician John S Herrington who gave me a motto: “There are no dreams too large, no innovation unimaginable and no frontiers beyond our reach.” If you want to achieve something, just be bold and do it.

Seraph Wu, Secondary 6 St Paul’s Convent School. Participant in HKFYG’s Hong Kong Young Ambassador Scheme (2013-2015) Leadership Programmes (2014-2015) and volunteer network (2013-2014) Among the best three in the 2014 National Awarding Program for Future Scientists

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

HKFYG

Youth entrepreneurship New Chamber of Commerce Launched

he Hong Kong General Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs brings together business people aged 18-45 who are dedicated to promoting entrepreneurial opportunities and networking.

Entrepreneurs are often good at using their initiative and, as more and more enterprising young people explore the idea of setting up their own business, the time came this year for a brand new idea. The Hong Kong General Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs (HKGCYE) was established by young entrepreneurs for young entrepreneurs, with the Federation as its founding sponsor.

Hong Kong General Chamber of Young Entrepreneurs Board of Directors

by linuts flickr.com/photos/linuts/5437521973/

Chairman

Vice-Chairman (External Affairs)

Vice-Chair (External Affairs)

Rono Kwong

Jerry Chan

Eva Chiu

Founder and CEO, Best Video Ltd

Founder and CEO of Mediaon Ltd

the first production company to introduce high definition technology for corporate video production

a leading online marketing network in the Asia-Pacific region

Founder and Managing Director Etin Hong Kong Ltd

Secretary

Treasurer

Director (Membership)

Joyce Wu

Calvin Tse

Felix Chung

Co-founder and Director, Cana Academy Ltd

Founder and Director Visio Catering Management Group Ltd

Cana offers academic consultation and education services for international curricula

a company which manages ten Hong Kong restaurants

which uses trendy umbrellas for advertising

Co-founder, EcoSage Ltd

a recycling company that launched the first app for recycling in Hong Kong

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

What do they do?

Believing that a thriving young entrepreneur community will generate a more dynamic economy and provide greater employment opportunities in the city, the aim of the Chamber is to create a stronger community of young entrepreneurs, to gather greater support and acknowledgment from society for youth entrepreneurship, and to promote greater business networks and opportunities for young entrepreneurs. Its twelve founding directors are committed to five main strategies: Connecting…

Organizing exposure…

business leaders with enthusiastic young entrepreneurs creating an interactive platform for sharing experience

for members wanting to expand into overseas and regional markets

holding events which network people from diverse industries

with mainland business opportunities

Promoting…

members with investors

exhibitions and pitching sessions the Chamber’s e-channels

Advocating entrepreneurship…

Fund matching…

in the community at workshops in schools

How to find them

HKGCYE is open to all young entrepreneurs in Hong Kong. It organizes training and education for its members, opening up new prospects and exciting windows of opportunity.

Phone +852 3595 0945 E-mail info@hkgcye.org.hk Website www.hkgcye.org.hk

Vice-Chair (External Affairs)

Vice-Chairman (Internal Affairs)

Vice-Chairman (External Affairs)

Viola Lam

Johnny Luk

William Shum

Founder & CEO of FS Education

Co-Founder and Director Speedy Group Corp Ltd

Founder and CEO, Memorigin Watch Company Ltd

an IT service contractor for the HKSAR Government

the first Hong Kong high end tourbillon watch brand designer and manufacturer

Director (Events)

Director (IT Apps)

Director (Publications)

Loson Lo

William Tsang

Sam Wong

Founder, Synapse Design

Co-founder, Mr Web Ltd

a shopping mall renovation and design company that also provides venue design services

a web design company which provides all round I.T. services to over 1,000 clients

Founder, New Verdure Printing & Design Services

offering tuition services, an online learning platform and mathematics problem-solving lessons

for books, magazines, packaging leaflets etc

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

HKFYG

Joy of Summer HKFYG Summer Youth Programme 2015 Summer creations Calling for creative projects Young people often show great creativity. Now we invite them to share their creations and win HK$2,000 to turn imaginative ideas into reality. Entry deadline 5 July Ages 6 to 35 Apply at syp.hkfyg.org.hk/creativeproject Contact Mandy to sign up membership@hkfyg.org.hk tel 3755 7072

he Federation has organized loads of fun activities for young people this summer. There are more than 4,500 activities lined up for youngsters of all ages. Not to be missed!

Summer life Alan’s Kitchen Series – Latte Art This class on preparing and appreciating coffee is taught by well-known tutor Alan Lee. Participants learn how to make patterns in the foamy milk topping of latte. Dates 5 sessions every Friday 17 July to 14 August Time 7.30pm-9pm Venue HKFYG LOHAS Youth SPOT, Sai Kung, NT Ages 13 to 35 Fee HK$490 Programme code LS-S5-220 Contact Man Leung to sign up ls@hkfyg.org.hk tel 2702 2202 •Certificates are given on completion of the course

u.Kitchen – Desserts People always joke that women have two stomachs, one for the main dish and the other for desserts! If you want to make yummy desserts for the ladies in your life, come and join us! Dates 5 sessions every Friday 24 July to 21 August Time 2.30pm-4pm Venue HKFYG Jockey Club Wang Tau Hom Youth SPOT Ages 14 and over Fee HK$520 Contact Vanessa to sign up wth@hkfyg.org.hk tel 2337 7189

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Summer green Save food for the hungry

Adventure training and teamwork are great for both character building and bonding and this summer’s water sports with HKFYG have just the right mix.

About 3,600 tonnes of food is thrown into Hong Kong’s landfills every day. Volunteers on this programme save it to take to the needy.

On the water

Date Tuesday 21 July Time 6.30pm-7.30pm Venue HKFYG Jockey Club Hung Hom Youth SPOT

Date Saturday 8 August Time 8am-6.30pm Venue HKFYG Tai Mei Tuk Outdoor Activities Centre Ages 14 to 20 ▏Fee HK$200 HK$200 Programme code KF-S15-004 Contact Patsy Lee to sign up kfit@hkfyg.org.hk tel 2423 1366

Collecting leftovers and distribution

Fee includes shuttle bus, lunch, camp book, badge and certificate

Contact Yan hhit@hkfyg.org.hk tel 2774 5300

Participants must be able to swim 50 metres

kr.com/p h

Briefing session

e M flic

Date Saturday 1 August Time 6pm-7pm Venue HKFYG Jockey Club Kwai Fong Youth SPOT

by Coo ki

Pre-camp gathering

otos/co okiem

Water adventures − for teens and twenties

/208830 3017/

Summer adventures

Dates Every Tuesday 28 July to 11 August Time 6.30pm-8.30pm Venue Hung Hom market and HKFYG Jockey Club Hung Hom Youth SPOT Ages 15 and over ▏Fee HK$20 Programme code HH-S15-513

Bring spare clothes and shoes to wear in the water

My Fotomo in the wetland Water adventures with friends – for the young

Ecotourism, picnicking, photo taking and Fotomo all included.

Trainers will teach elementary skills for canoe, trainees will be able to move forward, backward and horizontally. Finishers will get certificate, badge and camp book.

Workshop

Date Tuesday 4 August Time 8.30am-5.30pm Venue HKFYG Tai Mei Tuk Outdoor Activities Centre Ages 8 to 13 ▏Fee HK$200 Programme code TY-S15-002 Contact Kwan to sign up ty@hkfyg.org.hk tel 2445 4868 Participants must be able to swim 50 metres Bring spare clothes and shoes to wear in the water

Dates 4 sessions every Tuesday 28 July to 18 August Time 5.15pm-6.15pm Venue HKFYG Heng Fa Chuen Youth SPOT

Outdoor photography day Date Thursday 30 July Time 9am-5pm Ages 10 to 13 ▏Fee HK$250 Programme code HH-S15-002 Contact Tao to sign up hfc@hkfyg.org.hk tel 2557 0142 Fee includes travel and lunch Participants should bring their own cameras

Fee includes shuttle bus, camp book, badge and certificate

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

HKFYG

The Last Crayon

The story This is the story of five primary school children in Hong Kong who take on a challenge and survive. The children, two of whom are from the mainland and one of whom has just come back from the US with her family, have lunch together one day and then get food poisoning. They suspect there may have been something wrong with the bean curd in their lunch boxes and decide to track down its source when they go on a school exchange trip to the mountains in China. On the last day of their trip they get lost. Night falls. All they have with them is a box of wax crayons, miraculously used as candles. This gives the children hope, but it seems shortlived. When only one crayon is left, they start to think they might die, but then come up with a plan. If one of them is prepared to make a sacrifice for the sake of the othersâ&#x20AC;Ś.

Want to find out what happens next? Go and see the movie!

The show From now till 10 July 2015 MCL Telford Cinema, MCL Kornhill Cinema and MCL Metro City Cinema Yuen Long Cinema

Tickets

Groups and schools HK$30 Individuals tel 3979 0000 More details m21.hk/thelastcrayon

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

The message

M21 video production for the young by the young

Directors Jeremy Yung Wai-mi and Henry Poon say the message behind the movie is one of love for parents and children standing at a crossroads. They see both the best and the worst of Hong Kong, the trouble facing the city, the prejudice and hatred of some of its people, and the ways in which this may have distorted the way children think. The plot of The Last Crayon portrays city kids who face problems together in wild mountain country up north. They too see that they are at a crossroads and find that their friendship matters more than anything.

Jeremy Yung Wai-mi

Henry Poon

Young ideas, inspired by growing up in the city and transformed into film for the wide screen, have been generated by young people at HKFYG's M21 since it opened in 2013. The first independent movie from M21 to go on general release was When C Goes With G7. Released in late 2013, it is all about a heartbroken graduate of film school meeting aspiring young musicians. It has a very catchy soundtrack and, like The Last Crayon, it met with industry and media acclaim. More details of M21 HKFYG Jockey Club M21 multimedia centre m21.hk/yfilm/

ď&#x201A;ˇ 2015 IndieFest Film Award Winner Produced by HKFYG Jockey Club1 Media21 EP_School_Directory_197x144.pdf 3/3/15

11:41 AM

Made by iUmedia and FILMSKOUT

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

HKFYG

Creating social value

HKFYG Jockey Club Social Innovation Centre

en Ngai, who is in charge of the HKFYG Jockey Club Social Innovation Centre, explains that it is a co-working space dedicated to those who create social value with technology as the key driver. Rick Lam, the centre’s designer, comments on his concept for the facilities in the photo captions.

Defining social innovation Innovative social solutions today cut across the traditional boundaries between government, NGOs and profit-making businesses. In the context of HKFYG’s centre, newly established in 2015, social innovation can be defined as the application of innovative, practical, business-like approaches that achieve positive change for society or the environment through the use of technology.

Goals The centre seeks start-ups with socially-oriented objectives and the commitment to work for the benefit of society. Since this can be achieved more easily when entrepreneurs cluster together and spark ideas off one another, the centre provides space for them to generate breakthrough business ideas together and develop financially viable business plans. Rick Lam, the designer of the centre comments, “Society is now more connected than ever thanks to innovative technologies, but the irony is that instead of being more close-knit, our social fabric is growing thin because of factors such as wealth disparities and ethnic disputes. We need not only social services but also innovative social businesses that are sustainable and One-stop services can address the issues of a society in constant flux.” A pleasant working space with furniture and office equipment. This facilitates the execution of business plans by providing essential support, plus seed funding, business mentoring and networking.

p “The HKFYG Jockey Club Social Innovation Centre is an incubator for social businesses. Correspondingly, the incubator’s design conveys a sense of youth and optimism that is vital for our target group. ”

Key features

Youth orientation Targeting young people aged 18-35, the centre enables them to contribute ideas from their individual perspectives, collaborate on social change and cooperate on business ventures.

Step-by-step support A stepwise approach inspires, incubates, and invests in aspiring young social innovators.

Social innovation via technology

Advancements in technology and communication lower start-up costs and let more people become their own boss. Enabled by technologies such as the mobile internet, social value through social innovation can be encouraged.

p “Simultaneously, it provides a sense of privacy for peripheral programmed spaces. Other features include a phone booth, pantry, private oﬃces and meeting rooms to ensure that social businesses of all sizes and categories can operate and thrive together.”

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Asia saw the success of early social innovators in 2006 with Nobel Peace Prize winners Muhammad Yunus and the Grameen microfinance bank. Social innovation then took off in 2010 with the Obama Social Innovation Fund and the “Big Society” of British prime minister, David Cameron. The underlying aim of social innovation is to seek “a novel solution to a social problem that is more effective, efficient, sustainable or just than existing solutions and for which the value created accrues primarily to society as a whole rather than private individuals.”

Five core areas The centre offers special encouragement to start-ups and social ventures in five areas concerned with social wellbeing.

Education Innovative design for enhanced, effective learning Help for evaluating the teaching-learning process Assistance and support for social integration via education and e-learning

Health Raised public awareness about health Mindfulness about healthy habits Awareness of medical care and healthcare

Environmental protection Green measures to reduce waste and carbon emissions Educational programmes to increase environmental awareness Encouragement for recycling

Ageing Helping to ease the burdens created by a rapidly ageing demographic Raised awareness of the needs of the elderly Improved quality of life for seniors including social skills

Social inclusion Strategies that cross the digital divide Schemes to reduce the wealth gap and the ability/disability gap Building a supportive, inclusive society for all

Address Units B-E, 11/F., Genesis, 33-35 Wong Chuk Hang Road, Hong Kong Services The HKFYG Jockey Club Social Innovation Centre offers a co-working space of 8,000 square feet for more than 70 entrepreneurial social innovators at a low monthly rent of around HK$1,000. Integrated support includes seed funding, incubation programmes, business networks and capacity-enhancement programmes. More details m21.hk/sic Enquiries Ken Ngai, tel 3755 7062 or Miranda Wong, tel 3965 8001 p “At the entrance is a large Event Space that can hold 70-80 people for lectures, networking and so on. Two super-sized swing doors create a thoroughfare to the Central Workspace which features a continuous piece of in-built furniture with portals, desks, lockers, sofas and shelving.”

Partners Sponsor J.P.Morgan Programme STartup Empowerment Programme [STEP] Sponsor Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust Programme Jockey Club Incubation Programme for Social Innovation

Youth Hong Kong | June 2015

Perspectives

eHealth tracking lifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ups and downs continued from page 18

Some apps for anxiety, loneliness, depression and suicide in Asia Hong Kong At City University, the founders of a startup called Lul.io are developing an app for teenagers as an alternative to traditional suicide risk assessments. Aimed at secondary school students it may reduce the stigma attached to traditional counselling. scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1697484/game-app-monitor-teenage-suicide-risk

Mainland China An app with a test to determine if a user is depressed and provide information on treatment options is being developed by the psychiatry research centre of Huilongguan Hospital in Beijing. Ongoing research is also examining the use of WeChat, Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most popular social network, for the promotion of psychological wellbeing.

Doubts and hype

blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2014/09/11/amid-scarcity-of-psychologists-an-anti-suicide-appfor-china/ repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1066&context=mapp_capstone

One study testing the effects of internet-based positive psychology interventions found there was a small but significant effect. Another study suggests that a mobile app game based on an emerging cognitive treatment for anxiety called attention-bias modification training (ABMT) reduces anxiety and stress among people suffering from high anxiety. Nevertheless, both game developers and medical professionals admit that apps cannot replace warm human relationships.

South Korea More than 4 million South Koreans, 80% of them teenagers, use an app to talk to an imaginary friend. It is designed to send a supportive or reassuring text message when a user expresses feelings of loneliness or depression. The South Korean government has been developing a number of other apps to help warn parents when their child might be at risk of suicide.

tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17439760.2014.910822

telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/southkorea/11582367/South-Korean-children-findimaginary-friends-on-phone-app.html

by Nick Kidd flickr.com/photos/kynetyx/5278105321/

scmp.com/lifestyle/health/article/1554086/anti-anxiety-apps-offer-cure-depression-dothey-work

June 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Diplomacy:

a new experience at China Week 2015

rom late June to early August, in Hong Kong and mainland China, participants in this youth exchange and development programme will get a taste of diplomacy and foreign policy.

by Wolfgang Manousek flickr.com/photos/manousek/16092054989/

At China Week workshops and competitions this year, students in Hong Kong secondary schools and universities have the chance to talk to experts in diplomacy at the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Republic of China (PRC) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). To begin with, they attend seminars, workshops and visits as part of a oneday Youth Diplomat Academy in late June. They meet personnel from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC in the HKSAR, and are joined by experts in the media and international relations. Enriched understanding of Chinaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s foreign policy is the goal.

A 24-Hour Diplomatic Crisis Competition follows in July. The competition is divided into a Secondary School Division and a University Division. In the first stage, each division is assigned a crisis scenario involving a diplomatic incident. Participants in both divisions are required to make a short video, act as representatives of the PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs and give an official response within 24 hours to the mock scenario. Video uploads to the official event website follow on 4-5 July. Outstanding teams in this preliminary round go forward to the final round on 10 July and winners go on a oneweek sponsored visit to the Beijing PRC Ministry of Foreign Affairs in August.

More details chinaweek.hkfyg.org.hk/2015/index.php Enquiries Rita Fan tel 2169 0255

Publisher : The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

香港青年協會

www.hkfyg.org.hk．www.m21.hk

Youth Hong Kong: 21/F, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, Hong Kong Tel : 3755 7084．3755 7108．Fax : 3755 7155．Email : youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk．Website : youthhongkong.hkfyg.org.hk

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