Yhk 7 3 city rethink by Youth Hong Kong

a quarterly journal from the hongkong federation of youth groups

September

2015

Youth HONG

KONG

City RETHINK

Volume 7 Number 3

EDITORIAL BOARD Rosanna Wong 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

Paul Chan Comment: Alex Lee Nicholas Brooke Lawrence Lai

INTERVIEWS Elaine Morgan Alex Lee Ka-chun Sammantha Leung Wing-sum

TRANSLATION Ada Chau & Angela Ngai PHOTOGRAPHS

by Skype Nomad flickr.com/photos/skypenomad/2490144624/

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS Ling Kong Howard Chan Sam Ip Cindy Liu Virginia Addison Freddy Law & Till Kraemer Phoebe Tong Ada Chau HKFYG Youth Research Centre Hazel Tse

Edited by Suki May and Sam Suen

19-27 YOUTH WRITE Sammantha Leung Ling Kong Howard Chan Sam Ip Cindy Liu

Ed Stokes & The Photographic Heritage Foundation

28-33

Other photographs acknowledged as captioned, stock images or in public domain

PHOTO ESSAY

Photo essay: Lee Fook Chee

ARTWORK

Lee Fook Chee

Sam Suen, DG3

YOUTH WATCH

DESIGN, LAYOUT & PRINTING

September 2015 Volume 7 Number 3

Contents INTERVIEWS

REPRODUCTION OF CONTENTS without written permission from the publisher is prohibited

Hong Kong

OVERVIEW

6-18

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

Youth

4-7

by See-ming Lee flickr.com/photos/seeminglee/8518328640/

by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

by Lady May Pamintuan flickr.com/photos/mayprodrigo/8018674300/

YOUTH HONG KONG published quarterly

DG3 Asia Ltd ISSN 2071-3193

TEL 3755 7084, 3755 7108 FAX 3755 7155 EMAIL youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk ADVERTISING enquiries to Ada Chau 3755 7108 The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups was founded in 1960 and is the city’s largest non-profit youth organization. Its programmes and activities at over 60 locations have annual attendance of 5 million. CORE SERVICES Youth SPOTs, M21 Multimedia Services, Employment Services, Youth at Risk Services, Counselling Services, Parenting Services, Leadership Training, Volunteer Services, Education Services, Creativity Education and Youth Exchange, Leisure, Cultural and Sports Services, Research and Publications WEB hkfyg.org.hk m21.hk MEDIA PARTNERS Education Post & The Standard

Cover image

Wanchai by Peter Cookson Smith

34-42 ARTS & CULTURE CITY SPACE

43-55 HKFYG

by Justin Gaurav Murgai flickr.com/photos/phoenixation/3027363562/

CORRESPONDENCE to The Editor, Youth Hong Kong, 21/F, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, Hong Kong

by See-ming Lee flickr.com/photos/seeminglee/8685039597/

WEB youthhongkong.hkfyg.org.hk

4 Rethinking land use Elaine Morgan INTERVIEWS 6 Demand for land Paul Chan Secretary for Development, HKSARG 10 Small House Policy Alex Lee 12 On the waterfront Nicholas Brooke Harbourfront Commission 15 Stepping stones Leung Wing-sum 16 Land hunger Lawrence Lai HKU Dept of Real Estate & Construction YOUTH WRITE 19 Waking up from a daydream Sammantha Leung Wing-sum 20 Compulsory sales and startups Ling Kong 22 Conflicts for built heritage Howard Chan plus Lee Ho-yin 24 City breathing space Sam Ip 26 Green city Cindy Liu PHOTO ESSAY 28 Then & now Lee Fook Chee YOUTH WATCH 30 Cities today Jennifer Lam ARTS & CULTURE 34 Melting ice Freddy Law & Till Kraemer 36 Frogcesco musical Lee Shau Kee Primary School 37 Inside Out: the movie Ada Chau CITY SPACE 38 Organic farming Phoebe Tong 40 Runners’ journal, running life with Mandeep, Rita & Anthony HKFYG 43 New books from HKFYG 44 Youth Trends in Hong Kong 2015 47 Youth Think Tank 48 New primary school principal: Hazel Tse 50 Youth leadership development 51 Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum 2015 52 Youth Business Award 53 Youth Service Award 54 Gala premiere: The Little Prince 55 HKFYG Christmas Tree

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Editorial

he first image of Hong Kong that comes to mind is a majestic skyline seen across the harbour, with skyscrapers sandwiched together. The second is milling crowds, competing for space. In both cases, the impression is of an entirely urban city, dense, short of land. In fact, according to official statistics, of Hong Kongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 1,104 square kilometres, less than a quarter of the land is developed, with nature reserves and country parks taking up 40% of the land. However, while not short of land as such, land for affordable housing is in short supply, a matter that affects young people deeply. Do we need more land to build more homes? Some would argue for, where others would claim that green spaces and areas for leisure and sports must be conserved. There are those who want more attention paid to revitalization of heritage sites or access to the waterfront. Other groups decry the loss of agricultural land. Given the varying points of view, priorities and choices, Youth Hong Kong has begun a conversation. How can the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s land best be developed and how can it be made sustainable for the future? Write to youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk and let us know your thoughts. Join the conversation on a city rethink.

Dr Rosanna Wong, DBE, JP Executive Director, HKFYG

by B Clarke https://www.flickr.com/photos/19169305@N08/6817833994/

September 2015

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

by Michael Chu flickr.com/photos/aa440/7130745605/

Overview

Rethinking land use for living, leisure and conservation by Elaine Morgan Hong Kong’s landscape is full of contrasts: dense residential and commercial towers beside mountainous country parks; sub-tropical greenery verging on open water; urban renewal rubbing shoulders with built heritage. Bustle, horizons and bulldozers aside, how are urban planners confronting the practical problems of land use? Can they create enough affordable housing while leaving space for leisure and relaxation? Is there scope in the city for children to grow up in more spacious surroundings? Concern is not only about housing, but factors such as traffic flow, revitalizing heritage sites, creating tourist attractions, preserving green spaces and encouraging agriculture. How can everything the community needs and wants be fitted into a territory of 1,104 sq. km. where developed land is less than 25% and country parks and nature reserves occupy 40%?1 Can it be done without encroaching on the city’s green lungs or reclaiming more of its coastal waters?

per sq. km., or four times the overall density of the territory and nearly four times the density of Singapore.3 Where the living space per person is 4.44 sq. m. in Hong Kong's subdivided flats, each Singaporean has about 27.56 sq. m. of space.4 Government-managed housing units in Hong Kong now number about 1.18 million accommodating nearly half of the population, but there is a target of 480,000 new housing units by 2023.5 Whether we really need to massively increase the supply of land to build them depends on a number of factors and primarily the accuracy of population growth projections. If building is to go ahead, the means to create “new land” involve everything from freeing up space by transforming brownfield sites and former industrial premises to flattening hills and islands.

Priority concerns

There are no quick fixes for Hong Kong’s land issues and finding consensus is only the first milestone on the way to solutions. But solutions How does Hong Kong compare? there must be if young people are not to feel Hong Kong is a crowded city with 7.24 million deprived. So what are the priorities? The first is people living at a density of 6,650 persons per clear: everybody deserves a home. The approach sq. km.2 This seems to compare well to Singapore’s of governments since World War II has been a density of 7,615 for a total population of 5.47 massive attempt to provide shelter for succeeding million in a total land area of 687 sq. km. However, waves of immigrants which led to explosive growth only 24% of Hong Kong’s land is built up so if in demand for housing which in turn pushed prices the calculation is confined to the built-up area, up and up. Whether home ownership can be made population density rises to about 25,900 individuals affordable for young people is the real question.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Overview

Social economist Richard Wong, while believing that Hong Kong’s housing strategy has lacked forward-looking goals in the past, thinks it should not be out of the question for 80% of the population to become bona fide home owners in future. The strategy, he says, is threefold: sell public rental housing to its current tenants; make government-subsidized homes cheaper; and reform the public housing programme to follow Singapore’s example of government-built flats which can be resold or leased on the open market.6

Sustainable strategies City planners must also consider infrastructure, commercial and business districts that provide work, land for educational institutions, parks and recreation facilities, and heritage sites which preserve cultural memory. All while bearing in mind the environmental impact of development. How these affect the public interest must always be uppermost in planning. The problems Hong Kong faces today are not new but they do involve some unique paradoxes. The inequitable Small House Policy for indigenous male villagers in Hong Kong’s New Territories is one example. Others are encroachment on the country parks to create new land for housing, debates about reclamation for artificial islands outside the

harbour limits, and providing land for agriculture. At each step, the discussion returns to housing, to the hegemony of developers and their relationship to policy-making. Yet the need for ever more flats is based not only on unaffordable presentday prices. It also reflects demand for property as a form of stored capital wealth as well as statistics for population growth that may be inaccurate. In his new book7, Richard Wong concludes that, “Land, property and housing are the critical nexus for unlocking some of society’s deep contradictions. The solutions are not difficult to execute but they need the political will to build broad consensus.” Gaining that consensus in the face of the controversies and incongruities outlined in the following pages is a hurdle indeed. A rethink and long-term vision are needed to make Hong Kong into a sustainable, liveable city that its people can be proud of 50 years from now. 香港的城市地貌獨特，住宅樓宇建得高而密，旁邊就是高山和郊野公園；新式建築跟歷史建築物並肩排列，而城市規劃要面對的難題又多樣化，除了應付住屋需求，更要考慮交通配套、文娛康樂、旅遊發展及保育等因素。到底怎樣才能滿足各方的需要？香港面積僅1,104平方公里，但當中只有 25%是開發土地，而郊野公園則佔約 40% 。如何保留美麗的郊區，又能增加土地供應，是規劃師面對的挑戰之一。

Sources 1. http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/facts.htm 2.

http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/population.pdf

https://arhitectura2tm.files.wordpress.com/2012/09/understanding-density-and-highdensity.pdf

singstat.gov.sg/statistics/latest-data#14. For more comparative statistics see pages 30-33.

http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/housing.pdf

6. Wong, Richard Yue-chim. Hong Kong Land for Hong Kong People: Fixing the failures of our housing policy. HKU Press, 2015 7.

ibid

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Interviews

Demand for land

controversy not consensus

n this interview about strategy for land use Paul Chan, Secretary for Development, talks to Lee Ka-chun,, student of urban planning. He emphasizes that in future the spotlight will be on Lantau Island.

Lung Kwu Tan

Increasing land supply for housing “Providing affordable housing is our number one challenge and we have a multi-pronged strategy with short, medium and long-term planning,” Mr Chan begins. In the short to medium term there is to be increased development intensity where planning terms permit; land use reviews such as rezoning of government, institution and community sites; property development over MTR stations; urban renewal projects; development at the former Diamond Hill Squatter area and ex-quarries; and, “if in the public interest”, relaxing the moratorium which restricts development in Pok Fu Lam.1 Making land available to meet the current government target of 480,000 new units in the next 10 years will inevitably affect communities near the sites concerned. 11 years are normally required for the whole land and housing development process when opening up new land. So change will be slow. In the long term, new housing is planned for the Northwest, North and Northeast New Territories, in rock cavern and underground space development. For now reclamation in five areas (see red dots on map) is targeted.

Tuen Mun Sunny Bay

Economic & housing development Siu Ho Wan

Hong Kong - Zhuhai Macau Bridge

大嶼山 Lantau Island

Conservation, leisure, cultural & green tourism

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Planning Department Land Use categories

Ma Liu Shui

Northeast Lantau : leisure & tourism

Tsing Yi Southwest

Kau Yi Chau

Five potential reclamation sites

Lantau development areas (Proposed)

New road links

"East Lantau Metropolis: third core business district"

Lamma Island redevelopment

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

by digitonin flickr.com/photos/digitonin/10256858854/

Interviews

p Tung Chung and Chek Lap Kok: more development coming

Country parks and the Small House Policy Fourth, the so-called “East Lantau Metropolis”

When asked about the mooted, highly contentious development of country parks for the purposes of housing, Mr Chan said this had also been put on one side and was not being considered by the current administration. However, he did not rule out the question being raised once more as of 2017, shifting decision-making to the medium term.

is for strategic growth with a new core business district east of Lantau (see map on pages 6-7). A strategic study for this, including a major reclamation project, will start very soon. The concept rests on a more balanced distribution of both job opportunities and housing than has hitherto been achieved in new towns. The new urban area of the “metropolis” would consist of one or more artificial islands to be reclaimed between Lantau and Hong Kong Island. The uninhabited island of Kau Yi Chau (see map and photo below) is a target. 25 hotly debated sites for reclamation outside Victoria Harbour were proposed in 2012 but no unequivocal consensus was reached.2 Fewer of these…

by Yin Cheung "Yogesh" Mar flickr.com/photos/yogicat/4086031926/

In the meantime, a number of other controversial issues related to housing have resulted in deferred decision-making. First, there is the Small House Policy (see pages 10-11) which allows every male descendant of a New Territories indigenous villager to build his own house during his lifetime. Mr Chan believes that there is a need to review this policy, telling Lee Kachun, “There have been significant changes to the rural setting as well as the community as a whole since the policy was introduced more than 40 years ago. But it will be very difficult to build consensus.” He added that the growth in numbers of small houses is being constrained by the limited availability of land. Although the villagers can apply, the queue is already very long, and applications are processed slowly.

Building artificial islands

…and more of this by melanie_ko flickr.com/ photos/14541393@N03/4264369555/

In the long term, Lantau Island and nearby areas take centre stage. Four “themes” are involved: economic growth and housing in northern Lantau; leisure, entertainment and international tourism in the northeast; conservation, cultural and green tourism for Tai O and the central and southern part of Lantau;

p Uninhabited island: Kau Yi Chau – potential reclamation site

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Planning Department, HKSAR

Meanwhile, plans for development on Lamma Island are proceeding

it is encouraging that HKFYG has permission to develop a leadership institute at the Former Fanling Magistracy.4 Mr Chan appeals to professionals and experts “to contribute your skills to the NPOs as far as possible. Your involvement will surely benefit the heritage and legacy of Hong Kong.”

Keeping Hong Kong land for Hongkongers New commercial land use is proposed both in north and northwest Lantau. New roads include the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, and the Tuen Mun – Chek Lap Kok Link connecting northern Lantau with NWNT now under construction. In planning for the East Lantau Metropolis, transport infrastructure linking artificial islands with Hong Kong Island and the western part of New Territories will also be considered. Clearly, infrastructural and engineering issues, massive though they are, are not considered insurmountable.

Adaptive re-use and revitalization On a less controversial topic, Mr Chan speaks of Hong Kong as being “a late starter in the field of built heritage conservation.” So far, there have been over a dozen successful projects, including the Tai O Heritage Hotel on Lantau. Since the Revitalizing Historic Buildings Through Partnership Scheme was launched in 2008 for application by non-profit-making organizations (NPOs), built heritage on 15 sites has been put back into action. “There must be a viable business case so that proposed social enterprises can be selfsustaining,” Mr Chan notes. HKFYG already runs one such fruitful enterprise at the former Police Married Quarters (PMQ) on Hollywood Road.3 However, Mr Chan reminds us, “Success comes with lessons learnt. During the design and renovation stages, NPOs need assistance.” Government building and safety requirements are strict and distinctive features have to be preserved. Completing projects within budget and timeframe “are daunting tasks as they fall outside the expertise of many NPOs.” That said,

Rounding off, Mr Chan tells Lee Ka-chun, “We are keeping a very close watch on the question of Hong Kong Land for Hong Kong People.” This government pilot programme, launched in 2012 to curtail property price rises resulting from speculative buying by non-Hong Kong residents, resulted in only one development being selected. Conditions were written into the sales terms for 1,100 residential flats at Kai Tak, the old airport site near the new cruise ship terminal. They required developers to sell only to Hong Kong permanent residents, with a further 30year resale restriction and were welcomed by local people. “The proportion of non-Hong Kong people buying new properties, both domestic and commercial, is very low,” Mr Chan assures, insignificant enough to affect resident Hong Kong buyers apparently. While not ruling out a re-launch in future it was deemed unnecessary at present.

Paul Chan Secretary for Development 發展局局長陳茂波先生跟我們分享關於香港未來城市規劃的一些長遠計劃。陳局長認為，為市民提供可負擔的房屋，是其團隊最重要的挑戰。為應付香港市民長遠的住屋需求，政府除了制定中、長遠的土地政策外，亦要積極解決短期土地供應問題。故此，當局需要探討各種可能性，例如填海、人工島、檢討郊野公園用地等。另外，陳局長亦希望活化更多古蹟，將保育及商業價值的元素結合起來，為城市面貌添上姿彩。

Sources 1. thb.gov.hk/eng/policy/housing/policy/lths/LTHS201412.pdf and legco.gov.hk/yr14-15/english/panels/dev/papers/devcb1-407-1-e.pdf 2. cedd.gov.hk/eng/landsupply/doc/Report%20on%20Stage%201%20Public%20Engagement%20-%20Executive%20Summary.pdf 3. pmq.org.hk/shop/jade-art/ 4. heritage.gov.hk/en/rhbtp/former_fanling_magistracy3.htm

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Interviews

Comment

The Small House Policy a dilemma for Hong Kong

he controversial Small House Policy was introduced to address housing needs of villagers in Hong Kong’s New Territories. It allows males to build houses at a fraction of the normal cost on scarce land. Alex Lee discusses the complexities involved.

The policy, which protects the traditional rights and interests of indigenous inhabitants, relied originally on government rules based on custom. It has subsequently been enshrined in Article 40 of the Basic Law of the HKSAR. The policy involves wealth transfer based on birth and gender and so raises many questions. For example, the policy applies irrespective of a native villager’s country of abode.

This is a complicated yet highly sensitive issue. To remedy the situation, various measures have been proposed. A moratorium on the resale of small houses is one possibility. Another is strictly enforced residency requirements to prevent longgone emigrants from building small houses only to re-sell them. A third is the establishment of a formal registry of eligibility. At present, a “declaration” of entitlement signed by a Rural

by VasenkaPhotography flickr.com/photos/vasenka/5234539880/

The SHP commitment is open-ended and Hong Kong will run out of land if it continues to fulfil the unlimited demands of indigenous villagers’ descendants. The policy is debatable. Not only is it discriminatory, especially to women − an exception had to be included in the Sex Discrimination Ordinance to allow for it − it is also open to speculative development because these small houses can be resold.

by VasenkaPhotography flickr.com/photos/vasenka/5234539880/

Hong Kong’s Small House Policy (SHP) allows each male descendant of indigenous New Territories (NT) villagers to apply to build a 3-storey, 700 sq. ft. house as of the age of 18. Flats of 500-700 sq. ft. in Hong Kong are considered normal but one of these “small” houses in the NT can be up to 2,100 sq. ft. Unsurprisingly, this policy has become increasingly controversial as the demand for housing has increased.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Comment

History of the Small House Policy

The idea of putting a halt to the policy has been raised and was mentioned in the interview with the Secretary for Development (see previous article). If there were a deadline for the application to build small houses, the commitment to SHP would no longer be open-ended and the dilemma would be resolved. However, it may seem unfair and could stir up strong discontent with disastrous legal consequences. None of these suggestions can truly strike a balance between the stakeholders. The interests of one side or the other will inevitably be sacrificed in the process. The government recognizes the need to review the policy and it should take great care to examine every possible option and handle the problem with delicacy.

Southern Sung Dynasty ancestors of today’s indigenous villagers owned title deeds for land in what became Hong Kong’s New Territories (NT). They and their sons built houses there until the early 1970s when Sir Murray MacLehose, then Governor of Hong Kong, introduced a 10-year housing programme to relieve a serious shortage. Land was needed and complex negotiations with the Heung Yee Kuk, a statutory advisory body representing establishment interests in the NT, led to Executive Council approval of the SHP’s Private Treaty Grant and Free Building Licence. The former states that indigenous villagers with ancestors who had lived in the NT in 1898 when the lease was signed have a once in a lifetime entitlement to apply for a concessionary grant of land to build a village house, subject to certain restrictions and location. The Free Building Licence states that small houses built on this land are exempt from the Buildings Ordinance but have to be in the environs of villages.

1899 年新界勘界 " Wikimedia Commons

Committee official suffices. Fourth, villagers could be made eligible for public rental housing or subsidized home ownership. However, although this could effectively increase land use efficiency and address housing needs, a daunting negotiation process could ensue and neither the general public nor villagers might accept the outcome. Also possible are “vertical villages” with increased density of population per sq. m.

pp Chinese Commissioner Wong Tsun-shin and British Commissioner Stewart Lockhart fixing the first New Territories boundary mark at Starling Inlet in 1899

Two indigenous villagers in their 20s and 30s have their say… Tang (Yuen Long)

Wei (Tai Wei)

“If this policy was cancelled, I wouldn’t ask for compensation but those like me who have already filed an application should get their land. I applied for it in 2011, thinking I would have it within five years. It hasn’t happened yet but it is still a right granted by the government. Those who haven’t yet applied should get a grace period.”

“People like me are not eligible for public housing or the Home Ownership Scheme. Instead I joined the queue for land to build a house when I was 18 and have been waiting for 15 years. In the meantime I have had to rent. If the government had a good reason to take back this right, I think it would be OK but I would expect fast track for public housing.”

Sources and further reading Lai, LWC. “Housing indigenous villagers in a modern society: an examination of the Hong Kong small house policy.” Third World Planning Review, 2000. 22(2), 207-230. Lai, LWC & Ho, WK. “Small is beautiful: a probit analysis of development control of small houses in Hong Kong.” Environment and Planning B, 2001. 28 (4), 611-622. law.lexisnexis.com/webcenters/hk/Blogs--Analysis/Not-Entirely-Legal---Part-52 law.lexisnexis.com/webcenters/hk/Blogs--Analysis/Not-Entirely-Legal---Part-54

Alex Lee Year 3 The University of Hong Kong Bachelor of Science in Surveying Studies

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Interviews

icholas Brooke, Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission, came to Hong Kong nearly 40 years ago via the Middle East. Youth Hong Kong student interviewer Leung Wing-sum asks why he gives so much energy to Victoria Harbour.

People on the waterfront right up close

“For me, the harbour embodies the heart, the history and the future of the city. But don’t forget, this is your harbour,” Nicholas Brooke says to Leung Wing-sum. “It’s a working port, with a thriving maritime community, but it is also a source of recreational and spiritual pleasure. My aim is to connect people with the waterfront so that they can enjoy it in all its diversity and vitality.” “Where today you find signs that say you can’t walk on the grass, you can’t play ball, you can’t To achieve this, requires moving from bring your dog, and you can’t fish, I would like the “can’t do” to the “can do” model, and to see people mixing and mingling. Instead that is exactly what he has in mind for the of railings to stop you falling in I would like proposed Harbourfront Authority (HFA). to see steps right down into the water.”

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Hung Hom

Kwun Tong New Central Harbourfront Wan Chai

Eastern Island Corridor

“The water/land interface is very important. We should share it and we have to be careful not to create sterile areas.” However, given that 50km of the 73km of the harbourfront belong to the government, he is confident that a phased approach will work. “The HFA would provide use of the land and we would seek partners to provide expertise and investment on a public-private model.”

Quarry Bay

progressive district councils on the harbourfront, like Central & Western and Tsim Sha Tsui, want to provide an integrated solution and a series of pilot projects is planned for the first five years of the HFA. I expect to see developments start by mid-2016 and significant changes by 2020.”

There will be nine sites for priority attention, in Central, Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, Quarry Bay The new HFA would have its own bye-laws and the and North Point, Hung Hom, Kwun Tong and executive powers to get things done, he says. “The Kai Tak. They include a walk- and cycle-way under first step would be to remove the main weakness the Eastern Island Corridor. The HFA will directly and increase waterfront activity. That means develop and manage the sites. In effect, ownership getting people to it and along it. Some of the more of harbourfront land would be transferred to it.

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Interviews

An example of a recreational-cum-educational development that Nicholas Brooke has in mind is a permanent home for the Hong Kong Maritime Museum. “It would be part of a maritime centre with provision for historic vessels to berth.” The location in mind is a man-made ‘bay’ west of the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, if the problem of wash caused by shipping can be solved with breakwaters.

How about dreams for further into the future?

This raises the question of reclamation. At present, according to the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance, nothing can be touched unless there is an overriding public need. Even if you cast a shadow it can be deemed to be reclamation. “I see the HFA being the champion for change with the anti-reclamation lobby, perhaps by using a “no net gain, no net loss formula’ with the overall objective of providing a range of facilities for public benefit, largely driven by community aspirations.”

What does he think are the best features of the harbour? “The water itself, and the spectacular views across it.” And the worst? “The rigid straight lines. That’s why I talk about sculpturing sea walls. The areas where there is ongoing reclamation for the CentralWanchai Bypass would be my first target.”

“I would love to put an elegant, elevated footbridge arching across from Chai Wan to Lei Yue Mun. And then we could have a themed underground walkway from central to TST. What an experience, 1,300m long, connecting ferry piers at both ends. At the moment we say ‘West is work, East is play’, but life is never really that simple.”

So far the Harbour Commission has been effective as a watchdog. It has not had the authority to create, but Nicholas Brooke wants to see the Community? But many students feel their voices growth of social enterprise and NGOs as partners are not heard. Perhaps their frustration can be eased of the HFA as well as commercial opportunities. by the openness of the Harbour Commission, and He sees waterfront destinations that will attract subsequently the HFA. Nicholas Brooke says the locals and tourists alike, with a distinctive Hong Harbour Commission has many young people Kong flavour, soft landscaping and greening. on its committees and working groups. When Genuine public representation on the HFA will making decisions, “we have to decide how to reflect be needed. “Creating a master vision out of the the social agenda, and that involves funding.” jigsaw that is now the harbourfront would be the priority and connectivity will be the key.” The Kai Tak Nullah project, with its proposed water sports facilities, is also on the agenda. “Success depends on a pull factor at the end of the old runway. The cruise ship terminal is not enough but the ‘Kai Tak Fantasy’ needs to be a real Hong Kong fantasy. Something homegrown that is world class.” Nicholas Brooke, JP, BBS, PPRICS, FHKIS, RPS (GP), Chairman of the Harbourfront Commission and of Professional Property Services Limited 海濱事務委員會主席蒲祿祺先生（Nicholas Brooke）在港生活接近四十年。對他而言，維多利亞海港不僅是城市的象徵，更代表這城悠久的歷史和未來發展所在。雖然維港海上交通仍然頻繁，但她同時屬於香港市民，是大眾休閒的好去處；故此，他一直希望透過維港連繫人們。然而，持分者的意見各有不同，要平衡各方觀點去繼續發展維港，是有一定難度的。蒲祿祺先生希望市民有更多機會表達自己意見，令海港發展能滿足各界期望。

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Reflections on the water

Maybe these feelings are reflected in Victoria Harbour, to which most Hongkongers are strongly attached. Will there be more reclamation? More forgotten shorelines? Will more buildings be demolished? Will others fade into obscurity and oblivion? When I talked to Mr Nicholas Brooke I asked what the government had in store. Would young people’s ideas be heard? His answer was so positive it made me think that perhaps what is needed is a change in attitude. When we go abroad, suddenly we become beach and sea lovers, spinning on a ferris wheel in Santa Monica, sipping clam chowder on Fisherman’s Wharf, loving the seascapes of Okinawa and Kenting. But when we come back home, suddenly the sea seems so distant. The waterfront is an obstacle, not a destination. A wall of concrete with a fence around it. Not something to be enjoyed. How can we take the first step to knowing it better, a step that takes us out of the box that has packed us so close together in the city and kept us from the water for so long? How can we take better advantage of the natural blessings it offers?

What we need is a strong desire for change and the courage to speak up. After all, as Mr Brooke says, it is our harbour and we will be working for our generation and our future. Action always speaks louder than words and one of the strongest impressions left with me was a passion for action, for transformation. When you love a place, you try everything to protect and preserve it, so instead of taking for granted the stunning views across the harbour, we should get involved, get organized and get things done. We should stop thinking in terms of stumbling blocks and see stepping stones instead.

by Ding Yuin Shan flickr.com/photos/90461913@N00/6720463895/

Like many people of my generation, I sometimes feel insignificant and ignored. Even though I’d like to make a difference to my city, I am not sure I have anything concrete to offer. It seems as if we young people are weak or just absent from the agenda. Despite this, we want change: political, economic and social.

by Leung Wing-sum

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Interviews

Land hunger

how to satisfy it

lanning for Hong Kong’s high-rise, highdensity built environment is an intriguing challenge. Soaring skyscrapers are juxtaposed with dense sub-tropical mountainsides. Orderly new towns rub shoulders with a jumble of low-rise villages. No wonder if it seems like planning never took place. Professor Lawrence Lai talks about making sense of this seemingly chaotic development and how Hong Kong’s planners can create a There are only two logical strategic master plan for the future. options: opening up agricultural “We need forward planning for new land and we need it now. Planning must go well beyond 2030,” Professor Lai begins. At present, 2030 is the expiry date for the city’s planning strategy, a time horizon far shorter than usual, although a framework for a planning extension has been announced. Town planning involves not only professional planners but urban designers, engineers, surveyors, environmental scientists, sociologists, lawyers and finance specialists. Despite this complexity, fundamentally, it is a very local activity. It can only be explained and understood in terms of local conditions and history and those who are fully engaged in it must really care about Hong Kong’s future.

However, by the late 1980s, Hong Kong’s forward town planning went only as far as 2010. By then, it was thought that enough provision for housing and the new knowledge economy had

land and brownfield sites in the Northeast New Territories or reclaiming outside Victoria Harbour. been made. “But time doesn’t stop and nobody realized China would grow so fast.” Meantime, while a continuous inflow of migrants from mainland China has taken place at the rate of 150 people a day, the planning time horizon for Hong Kong has shrunk. Today it is just 15 years away. In one of his many works, Town Planning Practice, Professor Lai wrote, “…the physical planner of Hong Kong is confronted with two main problems. The first … is posed by the concept of sustainable development … supposed to resolve not only the perennial problems of immigration and population growth, but also an increasing regional air pollution crisis.” The second challenge is the need to respond to globalization, the growth of the Chinese economy and the revolution in information technology.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

by Dimitri dF https://www.flickr.com/photos/dimitridf/4837487418/

Interviews

“These challenges add up to a pressing need for a clean, sustainable cybercity that can continue to grow while maintaining respect for its ecology, cultural heritage, and private property rights.” Describing a strategic road map for future development, he says that if the country parks are considered untouchable and height restrictions on tower blocks remain constant, there are only two logical options: opening up agricultural land and brownfield sites in the Northeast New Territories or reclamation outside Victoria Harbour. Taking official figures for mainland immigration, the population of Hong Kong could grow by over half a million every decade, although past estimates have been inflated. The latest figures from the Census and Statistics Department lead us to suppose that Hong Kong’s population might grow from the current 7.19 million to 8.47 million by 2041, a rate of 0.6% per annum, but this is perforce a rough estimate.

development controls.” However, he stresses that this does not mean drawing straight lines and just filling in natural bays along the territory’s coastline. Nor does it mean losing the scenic value of the skyline or the landscape. Instead, it requires vision. “We should start with reclamation in the Northwest New Territories, west of Tuen Mun in Deep Bay (Shenzhen Wan). Artificial, landscaped islands of sufficient scale should also be created,” says Professor Lai. There is plenty of space for these within Hong Kong territorial waters and, intelligently sited, they would minimize adverse effects on the ecology, marine fauna, tide and currents. Looking at the map, he points at the area northwest of Peng Chau, as well as the Soko Islands, south of Lantau Island. “If population projections turn out wrong then reclamation projects would be easier to scale back than projects involving rezoning.”

Reclamation in the Northwestern New Territories (NWNT) was in fact proposed by the government in the early 1990s. That was on the basis of No piecemeal, ad hoc short-termism projected high tech industrial growth at the time. Whatever growth rates turn out to be, piecemeal, Even though there were no objections, actuality ad hoc short-termism will not work. Instead, what’s fell short of those projections and the proposal needed is a comprehensive plan. “There is no doubt was dropped. More recently, other controversial in my mind that reclamation is the best strategy to reclamation projects have also been dropped in the accommodate the city’s growing population. It can face of widespread public protest and the enactment bypass the complicated webs of local interests and of the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance.

Short timeline: major strategy documents post-1980s 1984 First Territorial Development Strategy (TDS) 1989

The Port and Airport Development Strategy (PADS)

1991

Hong Kong Government Planning, Environment and Lands Branch, Comprehensive Review of the Town Planning Ordinance

1998 TDS Review Final Report 2007 'Hong Kong 2030: Planning Vision and Strategy' 2014

'Hong Kong 2030: “Hong Kong 2030+: Towards a Planning Vision and Strategy Transcending 2030” [announcement]

香港到處都是高樓大廈，人口密度高，城市脈搏急速。驟眼看來，似乎難於規劃。香港大學建築學院黎偉聰教授跟我們分享如何為瞬息萬變的城市規劃未來，以及當中涉及的策略。他認為政府現在必須尋找可發展的新土地，而計劃亦應以長遠計。任何城市規劃，最少要預視未來 30 年以後的需要，更要結合規劃師、設計師、工程師、測量師、環境科學專家、社會學家、律師及財務師等跨專業的知識。雖然難度甚高，但專家必須配合城市的歷史，了解市民需要及社會發展等因素，才能好好作出規劃。

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Interviews

However, reclamation would mean no compensation to be made to indigenous villagers, no relocation of occupants, and no compulsory land sales. Concerns about engineering and the stability of the reclaimed land would be far fewer than in the past because of advances in geo-engineering. Both ecological and aesthetic issues are solvable, looking at recent projects in the Middle East and Australia. A realist, for all the scope of his long-term vision, he concludes, with a hint of irony, by pondering a name for the future Hong Kong. He asks, “Shall we call it Utopia?”

Professor Lawrence Lai Wai-chung, now at the Dept of Real Estate and Construction, Faculty of Architecture, University of Hong Kong, has been a Specialist Advisor to the Planning Department of the Hong Kong Government, a Town Planner with the Hong Kong Lands & Works Branch, and an officer of the Environmental Protection Department. He is qualified both in the law and in town planning and his PhD was in land zoning.

Reclamation stopped in the harbour... More than 60 sq. km. of land - an area almost as big as Hong Kong Island – was reclaimed before the Protection of the Harbour Ordinance was enacted in 1999 as a result of lobbying by the Society for the Protection of the Harbour, founded by Christine Loh, now Under Secretary for the Environment in Hong Kong, and Winston Chu, former Town Planning Board member. Several major reclamation projects were blocked as a result, but interpretation of the Ordinance meant that minor works, such as new public piers and harbourfront promenades were blocked as well. In fact, any structure that casts a shadow on the harbour can be blocked. In response, Chu introduced the so-called “Proportionality Principle” to serve as a new guideline, but to date, it has not been used. It allows for reclamation that is justifiable in terms of enhanced value in the public interest. Source legislation.gov.hk/blis_pdf.nsf/6799165D2FEE3FA94825755E0033E532/ A6F680241E02ADBD482575EF00152C69/$FILE/CAP_531_e_b5.pdf

... but not outside harbour limits

Works by Prof Lawrence Lai Wai-chung incude Town Planning in Hong Kong: a critical review. City University Press, 1997. Town Planning Practice. Hong Kong University Press, 2000. [Co-authored with Ki Fong] The Prospect of Town Planning in Hong Kong. Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly. August 2011, pp 6-8. [In Chinese.] Beyond 2047: [Artificial islands in Hong Kong.] Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly. April 2012, pp 130-132. [In Chinese.]

Further reading Abercrombie, Patrick. Town and Country Planning. Oxford University Press, 1933. Barron, William F & Steinbrecher, Nils. Heading towards sustainability? University of Hong Kong. Centre of Urban Planning and Environmental Management. 1999. Bristow, Roger. Land Use Planning in Hong Kong. Oxford University Press, 1984. Home, Robert. Of planting and planning the making of British colonial cities. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2013.

by Geographer at English Wikipedia

Pryor, Edward George, Housing in Hong Kong. 3rd ed. Oxford University Press, 1983.

p Reclamation coming here one day soon

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth write

Waking up from a daydream

by Ethan Chan HC Flickr.com/photos/icathome/2254979895

by Minghong commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kwun_ Tong_Town_Centre_1.jpg#/media/File:Kwun_Tong_ Town_Centre_1.jpg

by Wing1990hk commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kwun_ Tong_Town_Centre_Redevelopment_Site_201407.jpg#/ media/File:Kwun_Tong_Town_Centre_Redevelopment_ Site_201407.jpg

hile some Hong Kong people dream of new land for the future, Sammantha Leung reflects on the disappearing past. Government projects like “Energizing Kowloon East” aim to change the old industrial environment of places like Kwun Tong but as their original communities decline, the gentrification leaves young people with lingering doubts.

I remember when my parents took me wandering around Kwun Tong. Back then, I could get a taste of old Hong Kong. I remember the factory buildings standing out like faceless soldiers. I seemed so small, walking along the congested steets while they seemed to watch over us. At the time it made little sense, but the place left an indelible impression.

Slowly but surely, the old industrial community of Kwun Tong is being diminished. In its place, luxury housing is likely to emerge and many older inhabitants will have to move. The small shops they ran will also be driven out by rising rents and high land prices. Within a few years the old culture will vanish.

The government wants to build yet one more prime office location, but I am aware of the distinction between urban renewal and urban redevelopment. People like me want the former, which should inject energy into old districts. The second means removing historical colour. It creates empty building sites, bereft of social capital and traces of intangible culture.

When I travel abroad I like to experience another side of urban life and understand how history has changed cities I visit. Most of us forget that “travelling in time” like this can also be done at home. Urban renewal is inevitable but it should remind us of the beauty and character of old districts and teach us about Hong Kong’s history. It should not obliterate it. Sammatha Leung Wing-sum Year 1 The University of Hong Kong Master of Science in Urban Planning

For more about industrial land use in Hong Kong’s past visit these websites: Go to

Industrial History of Hong Kong ︱ Hong Kong Heritage Project ︱ Hong Kong Memory ︱

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

by IQRemix flickr.com/photos/iqremix/19383443413/

Youth write

Compulsory sales

a threat to young startups

riting about the adaptive reuse of Hong Kongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shophouses, tong lau in Cantonese, Ling Kong describes the disappointment of young startups who move in, renovate and then have to move out because of redevelopment. Imagine the best appointed boutique in Sham Shui Po, one of Hong Kongâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest districts. A narrow door in pristine white with dyed wooden handles opens onto a brick tiled floor leading into a shop with polished cherrywood showcases. With an embroidered silk sofa in the centre of the small atrium, it has a spacious feel with high ceilings.

The stunning design belies its location. Instead of being in a huge modern shopping mall, it is on the ground floor of a pre-war tong lau, an old shophouse with a history of over 60 years. The owners are three post-80s youngsters. They chose to buy here simply because the sale price was low and by renovating they have transformed it, from a dilapidated old place into a beautiful boutique.

Old shophouses â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a way out?

by Annon Chang flickr.com/photos/cankilolo/9643676229/

Land is terrifically costly in Hong Kong. With the rapid growth of property prices over the past few decades, young people can hardly keep up with the rise in the cost of living, let alone housing and starting up in business. Both renting and purchasing are unaffordable for the majority and so opportunities seem limited, even for the most passionate young entrepreneur. But then, someone saw a glimmer of hope in the low price of old tenements. Most of the traditional Hong Kong tong lau in low-rise buildings are primarily residential, with the ground floor used for trade. Many are dilapidated, so sale and rental prices are usually far lower than for new buildings. This makes them very attractive to small businesses. The monthly rent could be less than HK$30 per sq. ft. compared to over HK$100 per sq. ft. for the average modern unit in a large shopping mall. What a difference! In fact, some young newcomers in the retail trade prefer them. They refurbish, open a shop and quickly start trading.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth write

No protection from compulsory sale However, there is a snag. As shopkeepers, these young peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rights may not be fully protected. For old tong lau there may be a risk of forced sale under the Land (Compulsory Sale for Redevelopment) Ordinance (Cap. 545 of the Laws of Hong Kong). The Ordinance allows majority owners, or those who hold a large proportion of shares in the building, to legally apply for orders which require all other owners to sell.

Some may argue that compensation will be paid to affected owners so that they can resume business elsewhere. However, it may not be easy to find a similar unit in the same district and the same problem could arise again, leaving them furious and hopeless. It is ironic that what was perceived as an urgent necessity for redevelopment when the compulsory sale Ordinance was enacted has proved to be substantially ill-conceived.

The Ordinance came into force in 1999 and encouraged redevelopment of dilapidated buildings. At the time it was considered to be the solution to cases involving defective titles. Formerly, to make an application for an order to sell, the majority had to own not less than 90% of undivided shares. Then, in 2010, the threshold dropped from 90% to 80% for old buildings which fulfilled certain conditions.

It is also unfortunate that the government relies increasingly on the rulings of the Lands Tribunal, even when the public advantage brought about by compulsory sale has proved illusory. For example, when land is sold for housing the middleclass, but not to provide affordable housing or infrastructure for the majority of the community.

The Ordinance was enacted ostensibly for public benefit â&#x20AC;&#x201C; land redevelopment. But has the intention survived in reality? Possibly not. Although the Ordinance has taken a crack at protecting property owners from forced land acquisition, its terms are wantonly invoked, ostensibly for taking over land for redevelopment but then leaving property idle.

Forced closure of noodle shop One case was the decades-old traditional noodle shop. It faced closure because a private developer won a bid for compulsory sale for redevelopment. At first the shop owner refused to give in. The developer then combined three flats on each floor, thus raising the percentage of his undivided shares and fulfilling one of the requirements for a compulsory sale. The plan worked, although the shop owner alleged that the developerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s action exploited loopholes.

On the one hand, the government encourages young people to be innovative and to start up in business. On the other hand, the cost of land, the use of property as a form of stored wealth, and land use policy in general push them out of affordable locations. Their hopes are gradually dimming. Where else can they look? Can space be found to help them survive? These are big questions for young people today and they are questions that the government should answer.

Ling Kong Year 3 The University of Hong Kong Bachelor of Science in Surveying Studies

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Youth write

Conflicts for built heritage

he preservation of built heritage has won widespread community approval. Howard Chan, an intern on the HKFYG Cultural Heritage Ambassador programme, looks at how it is currently used. Questions arise about whether commercialization on such land can be justified. Revitalization projects in Hong Kong have often been accused of incorporating overwhelming commercial elements and a conflict between comprehensive preservation and commercialization in such projects is common. Even if the external structure of heritage buildings and monuments is well maintained, it does not necessarily remind the public of the original function of the buildings nor of their historical value. What can be done?

In fact, the only solution that has been found so far is a compromise, where revitalization projects actually become commercial premises in order to meet the goals of developers.

• Urban renewal projects in Hong Kong are usually conducted by developers whose top priority is profit-making, not the preservation of historical value. Although they must follow regulations for monument preservation, they prefer to go no further than is strictly necessary. • There is an urgent need for land in the central business district in order to sustain economic growth. For new structures to be built, old buildings need to give way. Heritage buildings are no exception. • Hong Kong is a metropolis and development in the city continues non-stop. Over the years, most, if not all the land in the urban area has been redeveloped at least once.

• The government has repeatedly emphasized that shortage of land is a major concern. Urban areas in the New Territories and on Lantau Island have great development potential.

1881 with rabbitsby Ricky Chan flickr.com/photos/fung1981/5485444931/

Perhaps we should begin by analysing the problem.

1881 Heritage, the Former Marine Police Headquarters, originally built in 1884, is a typical example. It was a declared monument but its renovation seems disproportionately commercial. Located in the centre of Tsim Sha Tsui, part of Hong Kong’s main business area, it was transformed from a typical old colonial building into a hotel, restaurant and shopping mall.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth write

Without doubt, we need to balance the costs of complete preservation and commercialization. Nonetheless, the balance should favour preservation. This is, after all, the ultimate purpose of revitalization. For this, the government should take active responsibility.

History should not be destroyed. It should be preserved. Classified heritage buildings should be upgraded not degraded. This should always be the top priority in any revitalization project and the concept needs public support if it is to receive serious government consideration. It is time to call for a change in the fundamental principles behind revitalization and it is the responsibility of us youngsters to fuel the debate and rally public support.

Further restrictions should be placed on private developers handling any revitalization project. For example, all requirements for such preservation should be clearly detailed in tender documents. Continuous official monitoring of projects is also needed, to ensure that specifications are met. To increase incentives for developers, specific financial subsidies could be considered to encourage the retention of historical features.

A beautiful example of a Grade I listed building is a tong lau shophouse called the Lui Seng Chun building in Mong Kok. Designed by architect WH Bourne before World War II and originally a Chinese medicine shop, it reopened after renovation as a traditional medicine and health care centre belonging to the Hong Kong Baptist University. Its original role in the community was intact. Dr Lee Ho-yin, director of the University of Hong Kong’s Architectural Conservation Programme, comments, “When you enhance the value of the building through use, it adds heritage value to the building. However, the Hong Kong development approach is high land property prices and big development ... We have to change people's thinking so that [renewal projects] do not just cater to big developers.”

Howard Chan Year 3, University of Hong Kong Social Sciences, (Government and Laws) and LLB

by Eugene Lim flickr.com/photos/eugenelimphotography/7550328866/

Despite the fact that the façade and some of the interior of the building has been well-preserved, the hotel section is effectively closed to the public. Guided tours provide public access to the rest of the building in limited numbers but in fact it is difficult for visitors to see the historic importance of the building now the revitalization is complete.

p Lui Seng Chun

scmp.com/lifestyle/arts-culture/article/1296139/bring-past

Dr Lee Ho-yin

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Youth write

City breathing space

by Matthew Klein flickr.com/photos/kleinmatt66/1272958460/

he annual government Sport for All Day each summer promotes sports and encourages people to lead healthy lives. Most public facilities run by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) are free of charge that day and the event is welcomed by many. However, Sam Ip says that many people are also dissatisfied. Recreation and sport are always spoken of as essential for quality living but limited land is used as an excuse for failing to provide more sports facilities and I think that policymakers could strike a better balance in their provision.

day in 2014/15, reflecting the sportâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s high profile. Furthermore, given the alleged reports of growing numbers of mainland visitors coming to Hong Kong to swim because the pools are better here, it can be foreseen that pressure will continue to grow.

Increasing demand

Booking system

Swimming is recognized as one of the most popular sports in Hong Kong and according to LCSD, attendance at swimming pools increased 20% from 2012 to 2015. 1 There are currently 43 public pools. Most are open 180 days a year and on average there were nearly 1,700 people at each of them every

Another cause for concern is the booking system for LCSD facilities. At present, individuals can make bookings 10 days in advance on a firstcome-first-served basis.2 Since facilities such as football pitches and badminton courts far from satisfy needs, a so-called black market has been

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

by Rod peutscher flickr.com/photos/bobarc/6806008665

by Matt Paish flickr.com/photos/mattpaish/7864489590/

Youth write

The first Victoria Park swimming pool opened in 1957 and had 360,000 swimmers in its first year. Today, Kowloon Park is probably the busiest, with equivalent numbers. It has indoor and outdoor pools with the latter linked by waterfalls. A new Victoria Park swimming pool opened in 2013. Eight other new pools have opened since 2011 and five more are currently on the drawing board. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_swimming_pools_in_Hong_Kong

by Ricky Tang flickr.com/photos/rickytang/5753397899/

created. For example, booking of football pitches is done online for over HK$600 per session, compared with the standard LCSD rate of HK$144. Faced with the “black market”, people give up trying to make conventional bookings. However, according to the Census and Statistics Department, 65.7% of respondents are satisfied with booking arrangements for government sports facilities, whereas the satisfaction level for private organizations or clubs is 80%.3

Elite facilities Some professional sportsmen say Hong Kong has good facilities, but feedback varies. “There have been positive signs for the professional rugby player in Hong Kong,” says Bryan Rennie, General Manager of Hong Kong Scottish. “In England there are 12 premiership clubs with world-class facilities and around 10 championship clubs which also have very good facilities. As Hong Kong is only catering for one international team and around 40 professional players, there should be enough facilities for them.” Rugby is lucky, but professional training facilities far from satisfy needs for sports which are not designated as elite. The Hong Kong Sports Institute has been redeveloped and became fully into operation in 2013. Now the government should put more effort into turning Hong Kong into a worldclass city for sport. Our city has produced many top-class sportsmen and women in recent years and it would be a big thing for the community to have more encouragement. The Kai Tak sports hub, still waiting for approval at the Legislative Council, is just one example.

Sam Yip Year 3 Hong Kong Shue Yan University Economics & Finance Sources and notes 1. LCSD: Statistics Report. Retrieved from csd.gov.hk/en/aboutlcsd/ppr/statistics/leisure.html 2. There are 230 hard-surface soccer pitches in Hong Kong and 605 badminton courts. 3. C&S Department, HKSAR, Public Views on the Provision of Sports Facilities (2011). statistics.gov.hk/pub/B11302472011XXXXB0100.pdf

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Youth write

Green city

lthough Hong Kong is often thought of as nothing more than a bustling metropolis, in fact more than 40% of its land consists of country parks. The government department in charge of them notes that few countries have even 10% of their land protected in parks. Now, as Cindy Liu explains, they are under threat. Establishment of the 24 country parks began in the 1970s and the Country Park Ordinance was enacted in 1976. They are intended specifically for nature conservation, countryside recreation and outdoor education. Rainfall catchment areas around reservoirs, considered of low development potential, were also drawn into the country park areas to protect and preserve Hong Kong’s water sources.

by 流璃 flickr.com/photos/bluuepanda/14710252770/

No. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Designated Country Parks in Hong Kong Location Area (ha) Shing Mun 1400 Kam Shan 339 Lion Rock 557 Aberdeen 423 Tai Tam 1315 Sai Kung East 4494 Sai Kung West 3000 Plover Cove 4594 Lantau South 5640 Lantau North 2200 Pat Sin Leng 3125 Tai Lam 5412 Tai Mo Shan 1440 Lam Tsuen 1520 Ma On Shan 2880 Kiu Tsui 100 Plover Cove (Extension) 630 Shek O 701 Pok Fu Lam 270 Tai Tam (Quarry Bay Extension) 270 Clear Water Bay 615 Sai Kung West (Wan Tsai Ext) 123 Lung Fu Shan 47 Lantau North (Extension) 2360 Total Area 43455

The country parks cover a total area of 440 sq. km. of hills and mountains, woodlands, reservoirs and coastline. Records put the number of visitors in 2014 at about 11.2 million, mostly taking exercise, camping or having picnics and barbecues. The New Nature Conservation Policy, formulated in 2004, included a plan to partner non-government organizations to work to protect designated areas of high ecological value that remained unmanaged. These areas were promised protection in the 2010-2011 Policy Address. In May 2011, the Convention on Biological Diversity was formally extended to include Hong Kong. It signifies a formal commitment by the HKSAR to uphold conservation principles.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth write

Nearly 40 years later, the Secretary for Development, Mr Paul Chan, began a public discussion on the possibility of developing country parks for housing. This opened a Pandoraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Box, starting a heated argument over the question of rezoning. Now, facing an acute shortage of land for housing, the government has country parks in its sights, triggering a lively debate over the conflict between private developers and public interest. The debate continued until it was announced in July this year that no part of any country park would be developed for either residential or commercial purposes in the coming two years.

Looking for alternatives

by Ricky Chan flickr.com/photos/fung1981/3971317489/

The potential encroachment on the green belts reflects the level of government ambition in addressing the lack of land supply. Yet it is important to think carefully about whether this

cityu.edu.hk/hkhousing/pdoc/LTHS_Implementation_Milestones_2014.12.16_e.pdf

is the best solution. The question remains about what will happen in two yearsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; time. For now, the country parks remain under the protection of the Country Parks Ordinance. Even if the government did have plans, development could not take place quickly because a change in use of green belt land involves lengthy legislative procedures and public consultation. There are alternative ways to solve the problem in the short run which would involve no destruction of country parks. Changing the use of brownfield sites and abandoned industrial buildings to make them available as temporary housing is one example. Urban renewal is another.

Save them for recreation and tourism The country parks are the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s green garden, forming a backdrop to our hustle, bustle city. For many people in Hong Kong, they are the best recreational facilities the territory has. They also serve as an educational medium by raising awareness of the need for environmental conservation. They have even gained a reputation as a popular tourist destination in recent years and many hikers from other countries come to visit our precious green places so close to the concrete jungle. No other city in the world has such a high proportion of land preserved as natural countryside in a green belt. Hong Kong is unique in the way it shows off well-developed cityscapes beside large areas of natural landscape. Other cities like Singapore and Shanghai are learning from us, making larger areas of greenery in their city, even if they are artificial. Our quota of natural green is precious, something that every one of us should cherish and be proud of.

Cindy Liu, Year 4 The University of Hong Kong, BSc in Surveying

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Photo essay

Land Use on Hong Kong Island Crowds & Spaces

Then & Now

Compare the black and white 1950s photos to the colour ones taken this year. What’s changed? The visible skyline, the size and density of buildings, people, traffic, but in most places there are also more trees.

p D’Aguilar Street: today more cars than people…

…then, more people than cars

p Statue Square: today’s big banks…

…even then one bigger than the rest

p Causeway Road: trams, buses, taxis and trees …

… then, trams, and sky above

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Photo essay

p Hennessy Road: Then, three people crossing …

by Maureen Diddle flickr.com/photos/maureendidde/12686550395/

…now crowds beneath huge hoardings

p Repulse Bay: Then, the old hotel backed by hills …

… now obscured by luxury flats

Lee Fook Chee was a young entrepreneur when he took his black and white photos. At the time, the city’s population was 1.2 million, the average unskilled wage was about HK$2 per day and monthly rent for a shack in Tai Hang was HK$25. These images, redolent of change in the city, teach us to “Treasure the past, treasure Hong Kong,” as Lee’s nephew says in this new book. HKFYG acknowledges with thanks images from

LEE FOOK CHEE’S HONG KONG Photographs from the 1950s Published by The Photographic Heritage Foundation & The Commercial Press 2015 1950s photographs by Lee Fook Chee © Estate of Lee Fook Chee 2015 photographs by Rogan Coles © Rogan Coles Available in Hong Kong bookstores especially The Commercial Press, Joint Publishing Company and Chung Hwa Book Company stores. ISBN 9789620756573 Purchase online at superbookcity.com/9789620756573.html Researched and written by Patricia Chiu in collaboration with Edward Stokes Foreword by Bernard Charnwut Chan

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Youth watch

City liveability

s most of the world’s cities become more crowded but more conscious of liveability, Jennifer Lam looks at ratings for ten of them, plus Hong Kong. These ratings include population density, green space per person and environmental quality. Data from two Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) 1 2 indexes and assessments from ECA International form the basis for comparison. Hong Kong § Ranks 3rd in Asia and 46th in the world according to the 2015 EIU liveability index. § Rates 33rd according to ECA International’s global ranking.

§ Population density is 6,650 people per sq. km. but built up areas account for iii only 24% of total land area. Total population 7.24 million. iv

§ Official figures for living space per capita in public housing is 13 sq. m. However, the average living v space per person in subdivided flats is 4.4 sq. m. according to a recent independent study. § Ranks above average according in the EIU Asian Green City Index with 105.3 sq. m. of green space per capita.

CHINA Beijing

Shanghai

§ The EIU liveability index rates Beijing 69th.

§ Rated 78th by the EIU for liveability 7 and 13th in Asia by ECA.

§ The EIU’s Asian Green City Index says it 4 has serious air quality challenges. § In 2012 population density was 1,069.4 people/sq. 5 km. Total population estimated at 17.6 million.

by Nicolas Raymond Flckr.com/photo/80497449@N04/8280671002/

§ There is a legal 10 sq. m. minimum for a unit and the overall average housing area per capita is 28.8 sq. m. per 6 person, but many people live in much smaller spaces.

by Ib Aarmo flickr.com/photos/aarmo/15595908568/

§ Beijing has 88 sq. m. of green space per inhabitant.

§ The EIU’s Asian Green City Index 8 rates Shanghai as average. § In 2013, population density was 3,700 people/sq. 9 km. Total population estimated at 23.9 million. § Shanghai offers 18 sq. m. of green space per person. § A 2015 survey found Shanghai’s per capita living space 10 was 24.16 sq. m, with average flats of 71 sq. m. byFanghong commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ShanghaiMinxang11. jpg#/media/File:ShanghaiMinxang11.jpg

§ Beijing is one of the most liveable cities 3 in China according to ECA.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

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Tokyo § Ranks 15th in the EIU liveability index.

§ The EIU Green City Index says it has highly efficient energy consumption and strong policies on energy and climate change. § Tokyo ranks above average overall in the EIU Asian Green City Index. § The population density is 5,946.9 people per sq km. Total population 12 13 million. Greater Tokyo has a population of about 36 million 13 and is the most populous metropolitan area in the world. 14

§ The city has 11 sq. m. of green space per person. § One-bedroom flats vary from 18-60 sq. m.

by Goki commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ryogoku_Kokugikan_ Tsuriyane_05212006.jpg#/media/File:Ryogoku_Kokugikan_ Tsuriyane_05212006.jpg

JAPAN

SOUTH KOREA

PHILIPPINES

Seoul

Manila 15 § Ranks 104th out of 140 cities on the EIU most liveable cities list for 2014.

§ Ranked 58th in the EIU liveability index.

§ In 2015 ECA rated it 37th in Asia and globally 178th.

§ The EIU’s Asian Green City Index rates it above 25 average but air pollution is causing health problems.

§ Rates 10th in Asia according to ECA.

§ The EIU’s Asian Green City Index rates Manila as below average.

§ In 2013, Seoul had a density of about 17,000 26 people per sq. km. Total population 10 million.

§ Metro Manila has a population density 16 of 18,165 people per sq. km. and is the world's most densely populated city. Total 17 registered population 12 million.

§ Seoul's green space accounts for 27% 27 of the metropolitan area. § Seoul is the world's most wired city. 18

§ The size of an average apartment is 45 sq. m.

by Ville Miettinen flickr.com/photos/wili/360658396/

by Emmanuel DYAN flickr.com/photos/emmanueldyan/5748612650/

§ Manila provides 5 sq. m. of green space per person.

§ Ranks 49th in the EIU liveability rankings.

§ ECA rated Singapore as the world's and 20 Asia’s most liveable location. § The EIU Asian Green city index estimates Singaporeans have 60 sq. m. of green space each.

§ In 2014 population density was 7,615 per sq. 21 km. Total population was 5.47m. § In 2014 living space per capita was around 27.56 sq. m.

by Calvin Teo commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/ File:Chinese_New_Year_market.jpg#/media/ File:Chinese_New_Year_market.jpg

SINGAPORE

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

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VIETNAM

THAILAND Bangkok § Ranked 102nd out of 140 cities in the EIU index.

Hanoi 30

§ The EIU’s Asian Green City Index says it has a relative lack of green spaces, with 3 sq. m. per person across the metropolitan area. It rates Bangkok as average.

§ 32nd in the ECA liveability rankings th for Asia and 159 worldwide. th

§ Rated 118 by the EIU for liveability § Overall the Asian Green City Index 34 rates it below average. 35

§ In 2014 the population density was 3,607 people/ 31 32 sq. km. Total population 8.5 million.

§ Population density is 1,935 per sq. km. Total 36 population 6.5 million, expected to triple by 2020.

§ The biggest share of the housing market consists of 33 one-bedroom apartments of approx 60 sq. m.

§ 30% of Hanoi’s population are living in very crowded conditions with living space per capita under 3 sq. m.

§ Bangkok is among the world's top tourist destinations.

§ The government aims to raise Hanoi’s per capita average housing area to 23.1 37 sq. m. by the end of 2015.

by Aimaimyicommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wat_Phra_ Sri_Rattana_Satsadaram_07.jpg#/media/File:Wat_Phra_ Sri_Rattana_Satsadaram_07.jpg

Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Liveability Index 140 cities (2014)

by Nicolas Raymond Flckr.com/photo/80497449@N04/8280671002/

The ranking provides scores for lifestyle challenges and asks participants to give “relative comfort” marks ranging from “acceptable” to “intolerable” over 30 indices in 5 sectors: stability,healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.

ECA International 450 locations worldwide (2015)

EIU Asian Green City Index 22 Asian cities (2011) This measures and rates environmental performance in eight categories: energy and CO2, land use and buildings, transport, waste, water, sanitation, air quality and environmental governance. The cities are placed in one of five performance bands, from well below average to well above average.

ECA produces annual ratings system evaluating factors including climate; availability of health services; housing and utilities; isolation; access to a social network and leisure facilities; infrastructure; personal safety; political tensions and air quality. Sources: Hong Kong i.

edition.cnn.com/2015/08/17/travel/most-liveable-city-2015/

ii. scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1689476/hong-kong-falls-out-top-30-annual-liveability-rankings?page=all

by Abai2k commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Motorcycles_ in_Hanoi.jpg#/media/File:Motorcycles_in_Hanoi.jpg

§ Hanoi’s green space per person is 1 sq. m.

iii. gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/housing.pdf iv. housingauthority.gov.hk/en/common/pdf/about-us/publications-and-statistics/HIF.pdf v. scmp.com/comment/insight-opinion/article/1833252/hong-kong-must-do-more-ensure-adequate-living-space-its vi. sg.siemens.com/city_of_the_future/_docs/Asian-Green-City-Index.pdf

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

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AUSTRALIA Melbourne

CANADA Vancouver

§ Top of the list in the EIU’s index of livability across 140 cities.

§ Rated 3rd in the EIU’s 2014 liveability index and among the top five for five consecutive years.

§ In 2013, population density was 440 people 39 per sq. km. Total population 4.35 million.

§ Population density is more than 5,249 people/ per sq. km. Total population 2.4 million.

§ Melbourne’s open spaces were set aside from 1842 onwards on the outskirts of the central city as part of a green belt of parks. Over 14% 40 of the total municipal area is open space.

§ Vancouver is one of the most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities in Canada, with 52% of its residents having a first language other than English.

§ Melbourne is working to reduce greenhouse gas 41 emissions across the municipality to zero by 2020.

§ Vancouver has approximately 1,300 hectares of parks, which represents 11% of the city's total area, 43 the highest for any major Canadian urban centre.

§ Typical new one bedroom flats are 42 between 45-50 sq. m.

§ In 2010,Vancouver announced plans to reduce 44 greenhouse gas emissions by 33% by 2020.

by tdlucas5000 flickr.com/photos/ tdlucas5000/15070603679/

by Tim Serongcommons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_ park_aerial.jpg#/media/File:Albert_park_aerial.jpg

§ In downtown Vancouver some flats are under 65 sq. m. 45 but the bulk of 2-bedroom condos average 93 sq. m.

Sources: other cities 1. EIU Liveability Index 2015. media.heraldsun.com.au/files/liveability.pdf

23. english.seoul.go.kr/get-to-know-us/the-ranking-of-seoul/city-competitiveness-index/2-liveability-eiu/

2. eca-international.com/myeca/surveys

24. liveablecities.org.au/asian-city-liveable/

3. china.org.cn/top10/2015-01/26/content_34646204.htm

25. countriesquest.com/asia/south_korea/land_and_resources/environmental_issues.htm

4. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

26. worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/seoul-population/

5. ibid

27. english.seoul.go.kr

6. lincolninst.edu/pubs/PubDetail.aspx?pubid=2466&URL=Hidden-City--Beijing-sSubterranean-Housing-Market&Page=2

28. travel.cnn.com/seoul/life/50-reasons-why-seoul-worlds-greatest-city-534720

7. liveablecities.org.au/asian-city-liveable/

30. bangkokpost.com/print/427613/

8. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

31. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

9. worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/shanghai-population/

32. worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/bangkok-population/

10. gbtimes.com/china/capita-living-space-24-square-meters-shanghaiLiving space

33. propertydata.asia/portfolio/bangkok-q2-2013-property-market-survey-apartment-rent/

11. bobinoz.com/blog/15440/the-worlds-top-five-most-liveable-countries-2014/

34. sg.siemens.com/city_of_the_future/_docs/Asian-Green-City-Index.pdf

12. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

35. vietnamonline.com/az/hanoi-population.html

13. worldpopulationreview.com/world-cities/tokyo-population/

36. siteresources.worldbank.org/INTEAPREGTOPURBDEV/Resources/vietnam-Urbanisation.pdf

14. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cultural_Property_(Japan)

37. en.hanoi.vietnamplus.vn/Home/Hanoi-plans-to-raise-per-capita-average-housing-area/20146/3595. vnplus

15. bworldonline.com/content.php?section=Property&title=Manila-climbs-one-place-in-EIU%E2%80%98Livability%E2%80%99-ranking-for-2014&id=93152

29. yourultimateapartment.com/korean-apartment-size/

38. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

16. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

39. abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/3218.0~2012-13~Main+Features~Victoria?OpenDocument

17. manilatimes.net/smart-green-and-livable-cities-of-the-future/162443/

40. melbourne.vic.gov.au

18. economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Asian%20GCI%20FINAL.pdf

41. ibid

19. news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/spore-fourth-most-liveable-city-asia#

42. news.domain.com.au/domain/architectural-styles/apartment-sizes-shrink-as-prices-soar-20140514zrbhg.html

20. eca-international.com/news/press_releases/8127/Gap_with_Singapore_widens_as_ Hong_Kong_falls_on_global_liveability_index#.VaTOdPmqpBc

43. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_parks_in_Canada

21. singstat.gov.sg/statistics/latest-data#14

44. siemens.com/press/pool/de/events/2012/corporate/2012-06-rio20/gci-report-e.pdf

22. teoalida.com/singapore/hdbstatistics/

45. rew.ca/news/2-bedroom-condo-prices-biggest-bang-for-buck-1.1341716#sthash.nHxsGAvX.dpuf Note: Where per capita living space is not available the size of the median popular sized flat is given.

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Arts & culture

Melting ice

CE, or InterCultural Education, helps people of varying backgrounds communicate better. The company holds workshops, camps and skills programmes for schools with a team of international trainers from around the world. Founder Freddy Law and General Manager Till Kraemer, who joined ICE in 2011, talk about their work.

ICE offers a range of learning programmes for young people. To secondary school Intercultural Learning Workshops, they bring a team of young trainers from different countries. They can be Chinese, German, Singaporean, Korean, Japanese, Cameroonian, Nepalese, South African, Yemeni, Pakistani or Australian. This wide range of nationalities means they can effectively offer interactive activities in the school environment for students to learn face to face about different cultures. As Freddy explains, “On the one hand, the students’ perspective gets broader so they see the wider world more clearly. On the other hand, they are learning through the medium of English and this increases motivation, providing an authentic context for using English.

High Flyer sessions for students take the process a step further with themes related to worldwide problems and self-discovery. “The students explore, interact with trainers from multiple nations and begin to understand better who they are, what they like and what they want to do in the future,” says Till. “We usually recruit and mix participants from Hong Kong, mainland China and Taiwan so the interaction can be quite interesting. By confronting youth with issues such as identity within both a Chinese and a global context, we help them understand themselves and their role in society and the world.”

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Arts & culture

On Social Innovation Learning Trips, the concept used by ICE involves finding effective solutions to pressing social problems like poverty, environmental issues and discrimination. “We bring students together to explore what is possible in the urban environment, teach them tools for social innovation and let them discover how to innovate for the sake of society,” says Freddy. “We introduce them to social enterprise managers and by interacting with them the students gain inspiration and motivation.” Most of the non-Hong Kong students at ICE come from the Greater China region. “Sometimes we serve international schools like the Li Po Chun World United College but we also serve local schools in Tuen Mun with classes of ethnic minority South Asian students, some of whom were born in Hong Kong, speak fluent Cantonese and yet suffer widespread discrimination in daily life,” Freddy continues.

UNESCO framework used by ICE to teach cross-cultural competencies

Till describes how students with ICE learn. “In one training project we had a mix of local and ethnic minority students. They worked with each other, learning about their differences and finding that they developed respect for each other’s strengths. Self-awareness can be much enhanced in this way, especially, we have found, when Hong Kong, Taiwanese and mainland students form mixed teams at our camps to work on socially innovative projects together.” ICE also runs workshops for Hong Kong secondary schools in its Global Engagement Programme. Its international team of trainers uses methods which echo the intercultural competence theme of the UNESCO model for respect, self-awareness, seeing from another perspective, listening, adapting and relationship building. In conclusion, Till points out that, “Experiential learning activities and interaction like this stimulates and motivates people. As far as we know, there is no other enterprise in Hong Kong that works in the way we do.”

•• Respect —valuing of others •• Self-awareness/identity —understanding the lens through which we each view the world •• Seeing from other perspectives —how perspectives are similar and different •• Listening —engaging in authentic intercultural dialogue” •• Adaptation —being able to shift temporarily into another perspective •• Relationship building —forging lasting cross-cultural personal bonds •• Cultural humility —combines respect with self-awareness

(left) Freddy Law, Cantonese, 30, Founding Chairman of ICE, graduate in English and Business, Hong Kong Polytechnic University (right) Till Kraemer, German, 28, General Manager of ICE, Masters in Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Oxford More on ICE at http://www.icehongkong.com/

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

Arts & culture

Frogcesco A

a morality musical

new partnership puts 80 children from the HKFYG Lee Shau Kee Primary School on stage to perform in a charming fairytale musical with a message produced by Theatre Noir.

“The musical serves as a fantastic platform, giving students the chance to integrate a combination of skills while learning in a fun way.” says cocodinator of Performing Arts, Peggy Hui, Pelly Ng. After months of practice and rehearsals the pupils have the confidence to perform in English, sing and dance in public. “They can now act with a rich variety of facial expressions and body language that bring this show alive.” Frogcesco is full of the usual mix of ingredients of a fairystory fable, with a special Hong Kong twist that points a gentle finger at overdemanding parents. It opens with the King and Queen holding a birthday party for their 3-year-old son. An evil witch then casts a spell on the little prince, turning him into a frog.

When he is 13, the prince has a one-and-only chance of breaking the spell at a contest over a magic sword. If he fails to win, he will be a frog forever. As the plot develops, the little frog prince discovers an unusual talent. He can talk to plants, succeeding in making them grow when nothing else can, and when he seems to be failing at everything else…. Ten years pass and the frog prince gets ready for battle. At a desperate moment, all turns out well. He is transformed at last!

Frogcesco: Don’t Miss It! § § § § § § §

Date Sunday 27 September 2015 Venue Yuen Long Theatre Producer and partner Theatre Noir Admission free Enquiries Celia Ho 2448 1011 More details lskps.edu.hk/15th_web/web(10)/02.htm More about the school pages 48-49 and at lskps.edu.hk

Theatre Noir offers drama education in the community. Pisa, Theatre Noir's production manager for Frogcesco, says, “We hope our young people learn in ways they seldom do in a classroom setting. Not only do they find out about discipline but also they use creativity to develop unique stage characters.” More details theatre-noir.hk/about-tn

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

Arts & culture

Inside Out

emotions on your sleeve The recent Disney hit Inside Out is not only a movie for kids. It’s for adults like you and me. The film is really about how the brain works and it uses brightly coloured cartoon characters to portray the emotions of the main character, a girl called Riley. What effect did it have on me? It made me think about my own emotions. How sometimes they are all mixed up together and sometimes one of them is dominant, like the five in this movie: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust and Fear. Each one looks the part. You would recognize the stereotypes instantly. Anger is red. Disgust is slimy green. Fear is tall, thin and purple. Joy is petite and yellow. Sadness is blue. But there’s more to the story than this. 11-year old Riley is a happy girl with loving parents. She is cheerful and friendly so Joy is in control to begin with and Riley thinks that Joy is the most essential part of life. Indeed, life looks good, until she finds out that her parents are moving, and she has to go with them, from her beloved Minnesota to San Francisco.

film review by Ada Chau

Suddenly, her life and emotions are in turmoil. She will have to leave everything behind. First, blue little Sadness tries to take control but the other emotions find Sadness annoying, unhelpful and unnecessary. So Joy, in control most of the time as usual, puts Sadness out of reach of Riley’s “control panel”. As soon as Sadness surfaces in Riley’s mind’s eye, Joy comes up with something distracting. Then Anger, Fear and Disgust take over and both Joy and Sadness get sucked away into the recesses of Riley’s mind while Anger makes Riley steal her mother’s credit card to pay a bus fare back to Minnesota. Joy and Sadness battle it out for a while on the journey until Riley realizes how important Sadness is for coming to terms with losing her family. She returns to San Francisco, in a see-saw journey of exhilaration and exhaustion, all the emotions giving her a rough ride. But eventually, with both Joy and Sadness back in the “headquarters” of Riley’s mind, she learns that both are essential, that it’s crucial to recognize your emotions. Throughout the movie the “inside” of Riley’s mind is far more vivid than the “outside” and it is the universality of the film which will probably make it a classic.

City space

Organic farming finding land for agriculture

rganic farming has become popular as the trend for healthy eating has taken off. Demand has also increased because of scandals about tainted food supplies from mainland China. Phoebe Tong, whose mother grows organic vegetables on a 72 sq. ft. plot, looks at the pros and cons.

by Alvin Wong flickr.com/photos/viofiddler/3360596082/

Although some people say that organic food seems to be mainly for foreigners or vegetarians who prefer raw food, in fact, more and more local people prefer natural, healthier organic food with minimal chemicals. However, supplies of organic food are inadequate for local needs and imported produce is too costly for some people. The average price for most organic vegetables in the market is about HK$24 per catty, anything with a “certified organic” label is more expensive and imported, branded organic vegetables are two or three times higher than average. As such, “real organic food” is seen as a luxury which only the more affluent can enjoy, unless you grow your own.

In contrast to traditional New Territories farmers, most organic farmers in Hong Kong have daytime jobs for whom farming is a hobby. They take genuine organic farming seriously, planting organic seeds in plots of land where no chemical fertilizers are added to the soil and no poisonous chemical pesticides are used. Most of their little farms are in Sai Kung, Sheung Shui or Yuen Long, where natural agricultural land has been abandoned but is available for rent. There are also rooftop and balcony organic gardens in the city because of the limited supply of flat land in greenbelt areas. Despite the health benefits of environmentally friendly organic farming and its support from local consumers, its sustainable development is uncertain. Open farmland is threatened by development, especially the proposed new towns in the Northeast and Northwest New Territories. The vested interests of stakeholders are big challenges, farmland itself being valuable but rental being low. As a result, owners of farmland might sell their land to major developers. In addition, quality control of organic farmland can be contentious. Neighbours may not use organic methods and can contaminate your soil with runoff containing chemicals. On the other hand, they may object to organic fertilizer from animal waste such as manure or guano. You also have to remember that the strictly organic farmer would not use mosquito repellent containing chemicals.

by go elsewhere flickr.com/photos/elsewhere/95344793/

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

City space

Try your hand at the HKFYG Organic Farm

Wanted: gardens and gardeners You can rent a gardening space through organizations such as the Produce Green Foundation. Plots ranging from 60-100 sq. ft. cost about HK$12 per sq. ft. for three months. This includes free organic farming training, technical support, tools, seeds, seedlings, fertilizers and environmentally-friendly pest control chemicals. Another possibility is the government’s Community Garden Programme which runs courses lasting four months. The fee for each course is HK$400 but places are allocated by lucky draw. Sources http://www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/green/garden/index.html http://www.producegreen.org.hk/eng/index_e.htm

Land for Agri-Park for Hong Kong As of 2013, about 4,500 hectares of land were zoned for agriculture in Hong Kong but only 729 hectares were being actively farmed by approximately 4,400 people or 0.11% of the workforce. Now there is news of an AgriPark being set up by government at a cost of HK$7 billion. The news was welcomed by representatives of the Heung Yee Kuk, the powerful official body that represents indigenous villagers and rural interests in the New Territories. Several other groups questioned it. Up to 80 tenants will be selected for five-year leases in the park. It will be on privately-owned land, probably in the northeast New Territories and the price of farmland in rural areas is likely to surge as a result according to the Hong Kong Economic Journal. At present, developers or individual buyers are paying HK$500-HK$600 per sq. ft. in rent for farmland with direct road access to the urban area. Farmland in remote areas costs much less. Sources afcd.gov.hk/english/whatsnew/what_agr/files/consultation_on_agricultural_policy.pdf scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1728781

Phoebe Tong, 28 Assistant Curator, Hong Kong Maritime Museum

The farm sells fruits and vegetables and provides a wide range of education programmes for schools and businesses. Participants learn about organic farming while escaping from hectic city life.

Crops for Winter and Spring Italian lettuce, romaine lettuce, red lettuce, Indian lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, red cabbage, shanghai cabbage, flowering cabbage, long cabbage, white cabbage, carrot, celery, potato, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, beetroot, radishes, strawberries Crops for Summer and Fall pumpkin, cucumber, hairy

gourd, wax gourd, water melon, sweet corn, taro, eggplant, French beans, yard long beans, bell pepper, chili pepper, water spinach Year-round crops cactus, papaya, herbs

Christmas hampers Order early December Free delivery (except to outlying islands)

Join the HKFYG for special membership deals § One-off subscription fee: HK$200 § Rebate of HK$120 for first purchase § Discount of 20% on all subsequent purchases § Free delivery for a purchases worth over HK$300 at regular prices Deliveries:

Mon and Fri (Kowloon and New Territories) Wed (Hong Kong Island); Sunday (Sai Kung)

Opening hours

Mon-Sun, 9am-5pm

Address

1 Family Walk, Ho Pui Reservoir, Pat Heung,Yuen Long, NT, HK

E-mail/ facebook

organicfarm@hkfyg.org

Web

organicfarm.hkfyg.org.hk

Tel

2838 4808

E-mail/ facebook

organicfarm@hkfyg.org.hk

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

City space

Runners’ Journal, M

any people run for pleasure or health but some run because they have a specific goal or mission. In a new best-seller from HKFYG, runners of all types tell their stories. Runners’ Journal, Running Life, released for the 2015 Hong Kong Book Fair, features Indian teen Mandeep Singh, youth worker, Rita Fan, and lover of sea creatures, Anthony Leung. Mandeep Singh — running free Mandeep, a locally-born Indian teenager, started to run for the sake of his health in junior secondary school. However, now he says, “Running is not just for my health. It’s also for the sense of freedom it brings. I also play basketball but for that I need to find teammates. I can run whenever I want to.” Mandeep’s school is mainly for ethnic minority groups and he used to find it very difficult to make Chinese friends and learn Cantonese. Undeterred, he joined a weekly community sports training programme. “I made many friends there and they always invite me to go out with them. That means a lot to me. They taught me Cantonese slang too! Even though I never have much time because of school work, I treasure the time I spend with them.” Next, Mandeep started to enter competitions and set goals for himself. “I have just run a 5 km. race in Shatin. It was difficult but I still enjoyed it because it meant running somewhere new. Now I am planning to do a 10 km. race and one day perhaps a full marathon… ” “For the future my dream is to be a pilot.” he says, knowing this won’t be easy, but he is still very young and very positive. He doesn’t think being from an ethnic minority background will make any difference as along as he keeps his goals firmly in mind. He will run to meet them, whether they are on the ground or in the sky. PS Mandeep received a scholarship for a 15-day novice pilot study tour in Australia this summer. The first step towards his next goal.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

City space

Running Life Rita Fan – running for fun It’s hard to believe a gentle looking lady like Rita has just finished her first full marathon but she says, “A sport like running is very important for young people. If you are like me it will give you willpower and help you persevere.” Her father is a sporty person and always told Rita and her three younger sisters how important it is to exercise. “We played squash with him and my mother every week since we were little. Then one day we saw the marathon advertisement. My father was keen and when he retired he started training. That’s when our weekly family activity changed from squash to running.” First they tried 10 km. and half marathons but Rita set her mind on doing a full marathon before she was 30. “I always like to take on challenges. My family laughed at me and said I wouldn’t make it, but they gave me the support I needed and my dad helped me to train. He gave me a programme with training runs.” Getting up at 5am to run is no easy task, but Rita knew how important it was to build up fitness and endurance. In the process she built her confidence as well. Eventually, she could run for hours without a break and decided she was ready for the challenge. Her father’s support was still vital though. He went with her. “I can never sleep the night before a race but my dad always makes sure we are well-prepared. Running with him makes me feel safe and confident. I know I can get to the finish line.” With a martahon behind her Rita is looking for another challenge. “Maybe the Oxfam Trailwalker or a 100km race in the Gobi Desert,” she says. One thing is certain, she knows her family will back up all her efforts.

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

City space

Anthony Leung – running to protect sharks Once a workaholic, Anthony found that his health was getting worse so he joined hiking groups and then started running in the mountains. It brought relaxation and he felt refreshed. The stress of work disappeared. But later he found much more than release from stress when he went running. “A few years ago, I ran too much and my knees hurt so I went diving instead. The undersea world fascinated me but I realized that many people don’t treasure it enough so I started to think what I could do to help.” He discovered a group of people in Hong Kong wearing shark costumes when running marathons. What an extraordinary sight! Their messages were “No To Shark’s Fin” and “Save Marine Life.” Anthony joined them without a second thought. “Wearing a shark costume to run a full marathon is really quite difficult. It hurts your forehead, and feels a bit like being bitten! You can imagine how it is hard to drink as well. You certainly need friends to keep you company.” By running a marathon dressed in the shark costume each year, Anthony is sending a message to everyone: protect nature and don’t eat shark’s fin. “It’s not just for one year, or one marathon. We are raising awareness and we will keep on reminding people. Now, I hear them cheering me on, ‘Thanks so much!’ they call as they run, ‘I’ve given up shark’s fin too!’”

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Publications

New books from HKFYG in 2015 A fantastic selection of new books has been published by HKFYG this summer. Topics range from love affairs to running, from playgroup tutoring to travel. Discounts:

Students and u21 members: 30% off

Schools and NGOs: 1-29 copies 30% off, 30 copies or above 40% off

Runner’s Journal - Running Life 跑步誌──當跑步成為生活 ISBN: 978-988-12446-1-1 Price: $100

Other readers: 1-29 copies 10% off, 30 copies or above 30% off Happy Childhood: Where Did It Go? 尋找．快樂的童年 ISBN: 978-988-12446-3-5 Price: $90

Teen Romance

Know-how for Playgroup Tutors

青春戀事

智在兒戲── 幼兒playgroup導師必讀十堂課

ISBN: 978-988-12445-6-7 Price: $80

ISBN: 978-988-12446-2-8 Price: $90

Risky Sex: Talk and Tell 談情說性──探討青年性危機 ISBN: 978-988-12445-9-8 Price: $90

Travelling Fulltime: Making It Happen 全職旅人── 成為全職旅人的＿＿個方法 ISBN: 978-988-12444-6-8 Price: $100

SchooLike – Creative Inspiration from Schools

Putting NeighbourHood First – Volunteering to Help

讚好校園──30個教育心

鄰舍第一．青年帶動關愛社區的故事

ISBN: 978-988-12446-0-4

ISBN: 978-988-12445-7-4

Price: $90

Open Heart, Open Road

Youth Trends in Hong Kong 2015

心寬．路更寬

香港青年趨勢分析2015

ISBN: 978-988-12445-5-0

ISBN: 978-988-12445-3-6

Price: $90

Price: $100

Felix Wong Youth Award series

See page 44-45

More details hkfyg.org.hk/page.aspx?corpname=hkfyg&i=5662

Enquiries Ada Chau 3755 7108

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

HKFYG

Publications

Youth Trends in Hong Employment

Poverty

Youth unemployment continues to be 2-4 times higher than in the overall population (See Figure 1). In early 2015, unemployment rates for 1519 year-olds and 20-24 year-olds were 13.9% and 8.2% respectively, equivalent to 29,200 unemployed. 28,000 15-24 year-olds in the labour force have only junior secondary education or below. With little work experience they find it difficult to get jobs. Official data in 2013 gave the median wage for 15-19 year-olds as HK$4,000 for females and HK$6,000 for males.

After government cash transfers there were still about a million people living below the poverty line in Hong Kong in 2013, including 210,000 people or 20% of those under 18. According to a HKFYG studyâ&#x20AC; in 2014, the number of working poor aged 15-34 was 104,300 or 10.3% of the young working population. Figure 2 shows that 21.6% of young people* aged 15-24 are among the working poor. Their monthly income is below HK$8,500.

Figure 1 Youth unemployment

Figure 2 The young working poor

15 - 19yr

20 - 24yr

Aged 15 - 34

Aged above 15

25%

25 quarterly unemployment rate (%)

Aged 15 - 24

overall labour force

21.6%

20%

20 15%

15.0%

15 10% 10

11.0%

10.3% 8.5%

5.4%

0% 2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

Source HKSARG Census and Statistics Department

2013

2014 2015

Below HK$7,000

Below HK$8,500

Note Excluding full-time students and foreign domestic workers Sources povertyrelief.gov.hk/eng/pdf/poverty_report13_rev2.pdf

HKSARG Census and Statistics Department â&#x20AC; HKFYG Youth Research Centre. Youth Studies: A Study on Young Working Poor in Hong Kong (YS52), 2014.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Publications Figure 3 Cross-border students

Kong 2015

Kindergarten

Primary School

Secondary School

Total 20,871

9,286 9,081

9,000 8,000

4,575

2,504

6,749

7,454

15,000

2,153

5,708

3,786 1,538

1,267

1,780

2,681

5,276

4,090

9,899

8,038 6,768

1,078

1,456 937

962

733

799

4,498 4,474 797

3,803

2,000 1,000

3,466

5,859

538

3,000

2,589

5,000

2,878

2,998

6,000

3,910

7,000

4,000

20,000

12,895

10,000

Total number of cross-border students

25,000

16,356

481

Permanent residency rights are granted by the Basic Law to Chinese citizens who are born in Hong Kong and until 2013 children born to mainland mothers could legally live and study here even if their parents were not permanent Hong Kong residents. A â&#x20AC;&#x153;zero delivery quotaâ&#x20AC;? policy for mainland mothers whose husbands are not Hong Kong residents was imposed in 2013 because of the resulting pressure on medical, education and other services. Nevertheless, the number of mainland children crossing the border daily to go to schools at all levels has continued to climb, from 3,803 in 2004-2005 to 20,871 in 2013-2014. (See Figure 3.)

Number of cross-border students in HK kindergartens, primary and secondary schools

10,000

1,881

Cross-border students

5,000

2004/ 2005/ 2006/ 2007/ 2008/ 2009/ 2010/ 2011/ 2012/ 2013/ 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 Source HKSARG Census and Statistics Department,

Housing Most unmarried young people in Hong Kong live with their parents. They find property prices and rents unaffordable because their income remains low relative to the cost of accommodation. Consequently, the number of young people applying for public housing is on the rise, with non-elderly single-person applicants aged 18-29 more than quadrupling in six years, from 14,600 in

2008 to 67,800 in 2014. (See Figure 4.) The average age of young applicants for public housing has been decreasing and it will continue to be very difficult for young people to live independently of their parents. Although they are eligible, they have very little chance of being allocated a flat, a given a Quota and Points System that is weighted in favour of age and time on the waiting list.

Figure 4 Single applicants for public housing up to 59 years old Age

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Under 30

14,600

16,500

21,000

29,100

45,700

60,400

67,800

(38%)

(41%)

(46%)

(52%)

(54%)

30 or over

24,100

26,600

30,600

34,700

42,600

51,800

58,500

(62%)

(59%)

(54%)

(48%)

(46%)

Total

38,700

43,100

51,600

63,800

88,300

112,200

126,300

(100%)

Average age

Source Hong Kong Housing Authority

Published in Chinese by the HKFYG Youth Research Centre, Youth Trends in Hong Kong 2015 compiles and analyzes statistical data and research findings about Hong Kong youth. It includes a survey of Indicators of Youth Values and International Youth Values Comparison in an attempt to reveal trends in Hong Kong young peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s values.

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

HKFYG

Publications

New think tank key findings A new platform has been established by the HKFYG Youth Research Centre where young people can meet to discuss current issues and share ideas. The think tank is called Youth I.D.E.A.S. It brings together 110 young professionals, entrepreneurs and post-secondary students with eight academics and professionals as advisers. Within this environment they look at evidencebased research and explore policy solutions to address concerns.

Society and Livelihood

Youth I.D.E.A.S. stands for Ideals, Dedication, Engagement, Aspirations and Service. The think tank will publish monthly reports and four groups have been formed with nine convenors, deputy convenors and members:

techno-entrepreneur and Project Director, Marvel Digital Ltd

Employment and Economic Development

Convenor Henry Keung:

Convenor Jess Yeung: founder of the GinZeng product brand

scout leader and Hong Kong regional programme leader, Enactus

Deputy convenor Cheney Cheng:

Deputy convenor Arnold Chan:

co-founder of Dotkids and Teach4HK.

Convenor Justen Li: solicitor and founding member, Soap Cycling

Deputy convenors Carew Chan: founder and president, University-Student China Internship Association Peann Tam: founder, Eco-Greenergy Ltd

Governance and Constitutional Development Convenor Richard Cheng:

Deputy convenor Yuri Hung: consulting analyst, Mercer

Education and Innovation

co-founder, Teach4HK.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Publications

The first piece of evidence-based research from the think tank was published by the HKFYG Youth Research Centre in the summer. It reports findings of an online survey about vocational training and the value it offers compared to that of an academic education for employment. 950 people aged 14-25 were interviewed.

Key findings on vocational training Lack of confidence 32% thought that vocational

training was for those who failed to get a place at university or were “academic losers.” 44.8% thought that if they pursued vocational training their opportunities for further studies would be worse.

Negative attitude to technical work 58.8% thought jobs in the construction industry, aircraft maintenance, or care of the elderly were “not meaningful or not suitable.” 86.2% thought that the hard work involved was the main reason for labour shortage in this field. Vocational training good for job/career prospects 41.9% thought that employment and career

prospects were better with vocational training than with a purely academic education, but only 18.2% believed that vocational training educational credentials received enough recognition in Hong Kong to make them a worthwhile pursuit.

Recommendations • Set up a matching fund for vocational education to encourage employers to subsidize enrollment of employees and provide technical work practitioners with paths to further study. • Provide secondary school students, parents and teachers with more diversified information on all forms of education and employment. • Devote more resources in government, industrial and training sectors to enhance the professional image and improve professional quality in fields such as primary care and mechanical maintenance. • Promote the Qualifications Framework which to date has received insufficient attention from employers, making its adoption in various industries unpopular. • Accelerate the development of Specification of Competency Standards and the implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning mechanism and encourage employers to include such qualifications in job advertisements. • Provide incentives for tertiary institutes to offer vocational education programmes and extend the coverage of disciplines and levels of programmes subsidized by the Study Subsidy Scheme for Designated Professions/Sectors.

Full report: Serial No 1 (in Chinese)

yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/page.aspx?corpname=yrc&i=9528&locale=en-US

Next report

What can the younger generation do for an aged society? When 15% of Hong Kong’s population is 65 or older and the number is growing, this timely survey reports on the attitudes and opinions of the younger generation about ageing.

Enquiries HKFYG Youth Research Centre tel +852 3755 7022 email yr@hkfyg.org.hk web http://yrc.hkfyg.org.hk/page.aspx?corpname=yrc&i=9528&locale=en-US More information yrc.hkfyg.org.hk

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

HKFYG

Education

Positive values and personal vision M s Hazel Tse Wai-lok, the new principal of HKFYG’s Lee Shau Kee Primary School, talks about her aspirations for the school, its staff and students.

Could you tell us about your personal vision for the school? I have always been passionate about using my skills and experience to build a school which is full of love, wisdom and positive values. I hope it will be an active, positive, good quality school which encourages creativity. I want it to be a healthy school full of concern and care, where the staff actively develop their potential, think critically, work collaboratively as a team, and see themselves as a valuable asset.

In what ways do you think the school can achieve whole-person development when expectations for academic achievement are so high?

A good school is a place full of colour and happiness and to achieve whole-person development, a principal should manage school resources well. I believe that a broad curriculum with diversified activities and a platform for students’ talents can create a positive and open

learning environment. Motivation to learn and passion for life can be awakened as students gradually become active, independent learners who explore areas of knowledge spontaneously. Teachers nowadays not only indoctrinate, they are also mentors, advisers and facilitators. The teaching content they use should be in line with students’ individual characteristics as well as their needs and the learning environment. Teachers should employ authentic, meaningful, stimulating tasks. In this way, students’ skills in collecting and analyzing information grow. Problemsolving skills can also be enhanced through collaborations, communication and presentations. I believe in vibrant, interesting teaching methods and a balanced curriculum with the emphasis on six important values that lead to healthy development: love, honesty, respect, discipline, determination and generosity. In addition, parental support is essential for children’s growth, so teachers and parents should cooperate closely and complement one another.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Education Since it is essential for pupils to be confident in English and Putonghua as well as Cantonese, how do you think the school can best encourage them to use these languages outside the classroom? Cantonese is the mother tongue of most Hong Kong students and they do not have enough opportunities to practice second languages such as English and Putonghua. There are four ways to tackle the issue. First, all language teachers should speak the language they use in the classroom when they communicate with students outside the classroom and students should respond likewise. Second, teachers should provide students with more opportunities to use second languages authentically. This can be, for example, by staging plays in English, reading stories in Putonghua and making trilingual announcements at lunchtimes. Third, teachers can set up independent learning platforms where students can access learning materials which match their abilities and interests. Fourth, teachers can optimize students’ exposure to languages by organizing more interaction with non-Cantonese speaking students, as in online chatrooms and exchange programmes. Language is acquired through application. When children are exposed to a rich language learning environment, they become confident in using different languages.

In an era when IT is essential, do you think that the school can enhance home school co-operation by helping parents understand e-learning modes? Today, learning takes place without borders. Teaching with information technology is not only effective, it also provides students with platforms to extend interactive and self-directed learning. They can learn and acquire higher-order thinking skills as well as master the art of searching, evaluating, organizing and presenting information.

If parents fully understand e-learning and teaching modes used in their children’s classrooms, they can co-ordinate with teachers to encourage, facilitate and supervise, so that their children become more active and independent. If they also understand more about their children’s learning process and outcomes, they can help children develop their talents. By taking part in their children’s learning progress, assessment and evaluation, parents can help support and implement school reforms and development, leading to closer home school co-operation.

In this anniversary year, what do you see as being the milestones of change in the school’s past and how do you expect the school to change in the years to come? In the past 15 years, the school has built an enjoyable learning environment with a team of caring professionals. In the coming years, we will work on three aspects to strive for excellence. First, we will emphasize the core values of the school. We will work together, learn together and grow together according to the school’s vision and mission, establishing a positive learning atmosphere among the team. Second, we will establish an effective structure to maximize the use of resources. Working closely with external resources and constructing a good network in the community will surely benefit the school’s development. Third, we will refine the current curriculum and strengthen teachers’ professional training to enhance learning and teaching effectiveness. We will provide every child with all-round development and support according to their needs. Thanks to an open, quality learning environment, our children will be well-equipped to pursue their dreams in the future. More on the HKFYG Lee Shau Kee Primary School, at lskps.edu.hk

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

HKFYG

Leadership

Youth Leadership Development at HKFYG recognizing changemakers

nfluential programmes organized by Leadership 21 encourage students to become responsible citizens who see the world from a global rather than a purely local perspective, and offer recognition to those who have shown significant effort and commitment to serving Hong Kong. Hang Seng Leaders to Leaders Lectures The Hang Seng Leaders to Leaders Lectures, jointly organized by the Federation and The University of Hong Kong, are supported by Hang Seng Bank. They serve as an exchange platform where student leaders meet community leaders. Prominent people from various sectors are invited as guest speakers who interact with students, sharing insights on global trends. Upcoming guest speakers Prof Roland T Chin President and ViceChancellor of Hong Kong Baptist University Prof Francis KL Chan Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Youth leaders will learn from them about current issues in education, public health and leadership. Prof Chinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lecture on education is in September and Prof Chanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lecture on public health will follow in November. More details leadership21.hkfyg.org.hk/page. aspx?corpname=leadership21&i=1616 Enquiries William Chung 2169 0255

vo! Bra

UNV - Hong Kong University Students Volunteer Scheme

Since the Leaders to Leaders lectures began 11 years ago, participants of its programmes have done voluntary service overseas. A fine example is Vanesse Lai who has become the first local Hong Kong university volunteer in the UNV - Hong Kong University Students Volunteer Scheme. This programme is funded by the Home Affairs Bureau and was launched by the Hong Kong Agency for Volunteer Service (AVS) with support from the Hong Kong Volunteers Association and Peace and Development Foundation on a pilot basis in 2015 for two years. AVS cooperates with the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) and seeks to promote international volunteerism. The scheme allows 10 local university undergraduates each year to participate in a six-month assignment serving with UN field units/ agencies in Southeast Asia. Vanesse Lai will soon begin work at the United Nations Office in Myanmar.

An online classroom will be launched by Leadership 21 in October 2015. Students will be able to access learning resources anytime, anywhere. It is expected that at least 5,000 students will use it for insight into global issues and trends and effectively develop awareness and perspective while learning at their own pace.

More details ltl.m21.hk/news.php

New!

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Entrepreneurship

Second Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum participants from around the globe

or the past two years, the Federation has brought together young entrepreneurs and experienced professionals for the Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum. Over 1,000 participants from 20 parts of the world got together in Hong Kong and Qianhai to meet and listen to expert speakers and build stronger networks.

Feedback from participants “The forum provided a fantastic platform to meet like-minded young and bright entrepreneurs from a wide range of sectors.”

Elizabeth Lai

"I left the global forum feeling invigorated. The panel speakers’ honesty was refreshing and I've already begun putting their advice to good use."

Keisha L Siriboe

Reconnect Ltd, Environmental Education (Hong Kong)

"I was really inspired by Mr Wei-ning Zheng, founder of the Shenzhen Canyon Group. He trains disabled people to use a computer to earn a living. It’s an amazing vision to see the value and worth of those people, empower them and help them regain their dignity.That’s a great dream for anyone.That’s the spirit I admired most!"

PhD student, University of Hong Kong "The forum gave me the opportunity to connect with distinguished entrepreneurs who were disrupting existing systems through innovation.They gave practical advice in areas such as equity distribution and team building. I was inspired by their passion and commitment."

Amanda Lam

NYC teaching fellow, special education teacher, (United States)

William Ho

Industrial designer, Union Sports Co., Ltd. (Taiwan)

" I heard about the differences in terms of the culture, working environment, background, government, and financing when doing business in Hong Kong compared to New Zealand. I was able to greatly improve my understanding of entrepreneurship and innovation."

Peter Ngan

Business analyst, Greater Wellington Regional Council (New Zealand) "Being with so many young but already successful entrepreneurs plus tycoons and innovators or inventors was truly overwhelming. The two-day forum gave me a renewed appreciation of new things, new knowledge, and building relationships and networks."

Joahna Goyagoy

Student, University of the Cordilleras (Philippines)

Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum 3-4 August 2015 Venues

} Hong Kong Exhibition and Convention Centre } Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Youth Innovation and Entrepreneur Hub (E Hub) Major sponsor Victor and William Fung Foundation Ltd Sponsor The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust More details globalforum.hkfyg.org.hk Enquiries Miranda Wong 3956 8003 globalforum@hkfyg.org.hk Facebook Global Youth Entrepreneurs Forum

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

HKFYG

Entrepreneurship

Congratulations to HSBC Youth Business Award Winners

he aims of this programme, organized annually by HKFYG with HSBC Commercial Banking as the sole sponsor, is the promotion and recognition of youth entrepreneurship.

The five finalists in the HSBC Youth Business Award 2015 were selected from an entry list of 126. They were IKINGS Group Ltd, LAAB Ltd, PhotoGIFT.hk,Takon Product Development Ltd, and Unlimited Power Production and Training Ltd. As well as appreciation for their efforts, they received cash prizes valued at a total of HK$190,000, plus trophies and free advertising.

Gold Awardee LAAB Limited established September 2013 by Ricci Wong, Otto Ng & Yip Chun-hang The company combines experimental art and architecture, turning creative ideas into reality. Apart from architectural and art-related projects plus interactive art, it focuses on interior design, home furniture design, brand building and event planning.

Silver Awardee Takon Product Development Limited established August 2011 by Jerry Lee & Joe Wong With fine Chinese paper craftsmanship of modern design encapsulating Hong Kong culture, Takonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s product line includes bookmarks, greeting cards, dioramas, and photo frames. The company also works with a local sheltered workshop to give job opportunities to the needy.

Bronze Awardee IKINGS Group Limited established August 2010 by Yolanda Ng & Josh Wong Seven KINGâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Rhythmic Gymnastics Ballet Academy Schools have now been founded and offer a comprehensive, progressive appraisal system for enrolled tutors with strict evaluations and appraisals. The company also sells equipment for gymnastics and dance.

Merit Awardee and Most Favourite Youth Business Award Online PhotoGIFT.hk established October 2013 by Sam Sio PhotoGIFT.hk developed PhotoBOOTH which is popular at weddings and parties and with large corporations to increase interaction with customers. PhotoGIFT.hk also provides photography and video production services, offering clients a one-stop consultancy.

Merit Awardee Unlimited Power Production and Training Limited established May 2012 by Amanda Fok & Yoee Leung UPPT offers professional Master of Ceremony (MC) services for business events and comprehensive training courses for talented, high-potential people who want to become professional MCs. The company received ISO9001 certification this year. Organizer HKFYG Sole sponsor HSBC Commercial Banking More details ybhk2.hkfyg.org.hk/ybaward2015/en/about/introduction.php Enquiries Karen Ho 3595 0945

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Coming soon

The Hong Kong Youth Service Award This award, set up by the Federation in 2013, acclaims outstanding young people whose commitment, dedication and integrity exemplify the core values and true spirit of community service. The award is made to those whose service goes beyond individual achievement. It gives them due honour and encourages them to become role models for others.

A Presentation Ceremony for the awards will be held in the Federationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s headquarters in the autumn. Mrs Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for the Administration, and Prof Frederick Ma Sihang, GBS, JP are members of the Selection Panel. Mrs Lam will be the Guest of Honour.

Over 100 nominations from diverse sectors were received for the 2015 awards. Nominees included social entrepreneurs, professionals, founders of service groups and student leaders. Each of them had demonstrated compassion EP_School_Directory_197x144.pdf 1 3/3/15 11:41 AM for others and for society as a whole.

ysa.hkfyg.org.hk/en/home/index.html

More details about The Hong Kong Youth Service Award Enquiries Johnson Cheung 2169 0255 Media Partners

Youth Hong Kong | September 2015

HKFYG

Coming soon

The Little Prince

a Charity Premiere

Being premiered for charity by The Dragon Foundation in December, this event will raise funds for flagship programmes such as Dragon 100. The Little Prince is a computer-animation and stop motion fantasy movie that looks at the world through the hopeful eyes of children. It follows the lyrical story of friendship between a pilot and a mysterious young voyager from outer space. The Dragon Foundation was set up in 2000 by HKFYG with the Home Affairs Bureau. It brings together young Chinese people from around the world, with the aim of building networks between them and helping to develop leadership potential. More details dragonfoundation.net/indexe.htm The Little Prince adapted from a charming story by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Directed by Mark Osborne Tickets Please contact Amy Cheng tel 2811 2779

Hong Kong distributor Edko Films Limited

Diamond, Gold and Silver Sponsorships available Date Monday 7 December 2015 Ceremony and screening Broadway The One, 100 Nathan Road, Tsim Sha Tsui

Official website lepetitprince-lefilm.com/

celebrating 55 years together The Federation is 55 years old this year and an invitation is going out to all members and colleagues, current and former, to celebrate the occasion together.

Saturday 10 October is party day and 21 HKFYG Youth SPOTS and service units will celebrate. The Jockey Club Shau Kei Wan Youth SPOT is the main base for a kick-off, a tea reception, a youth performance and sharing session.

5,000 participants are expected but don’t worry if you can’t make it to the party in time, you can always take part in the 55th anniversary celebration. Dig out old photos, upload them to Facebook (香港青年協會會員專區 / www.facebook. com/HKFYGSYP) and tag your friends! HK$5 will be donated by a local corporation for each photo uploaded. Contact Monica Mok tel 3755 7072 for details.

September 2015 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Making a Christmas Tree

Coming soon

his autumn, while Christmas approaches, young people and professional designers, artists, architects, engineers will be getting together with HKFYG to make a big Christmas tree for sharing with all the community. This eye-catching art installation will be unveiled in December to the sounds of a Music Marathon with over 1,000 young people, plus overseas and local performers, making music together for five hours for an anticipated audience of around 5,000. We believe in bringing young people together and working towards a shared goal for a common purpose, so this partnership also involves workshops and training by professionals for young people. Partners include The Hong Kong Institute of Architects and the Hong Kong Design Centre. Stay tuned for more news from HKFYG about the tree. It will reflect the true meaning of Christmas and send a message of hope, neighbourliness and caring, but most of all of the enjoyment to be found in a sincere sense of community.

Teamwork, Renewal, Engagement and Enjoyment with the HKFYG

Hong Kong Christmas Tree Enquiries Fanny Yu 3755 7088

The Hong Kong Youth Service Award was launched by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups to honour, acclaim and encourage outstanding young people aged 18 to 35, who through their commitment, dedication and integrity, exemplify the true spirit of service to the community, brushing colour to Hong Kong’s future.

Publisher : The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

香港青年協會

hkfyg.org.hk．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

Soy-ink is made from soybeans and is both environmentally friendly and sustainable. Soy-ink is biodegradable and non-toxic.