Under globalization, there is an inseparable relationship between different regions; global issues, whether they are geopolitics, economic development, climate change, or even public health, require cooperation from all regions to solve; young people have an overall view and understand the world's development trends. It is crucial to take a broad view of things.
Looking around the world, the issue of cultivating young people's world vision has attracted much attention. An international survey conducted in 2017 showed that 57% young people interviewed saw themselves as global citizens. Some overseas studies have even pointed out that the ability to operate globally is one of the conditions that future talents must possess. Local governments and international organizations have no shortage of plans and resources to encourage young people to understand and get in touch with local cultures.
Hong Kong is known as an international city. The country's "14th Five-Year Plan" has further established Hong Kong's positioning as one of the "Eight Major Centers"; the President of the People's Republic of China delivered a speech in Hong Kong last year, mentioning the need to guide young people to have a deep understanding of the development trends of the country and the world, and to enhance national pride and sense of ownership. A global perspective is crucial to the future development of Hong Kong youth. It will not only help them cope with new trends in the general environment, develop personal ideals and explore new directions, but will also help them play a more active role as global citizens in the long run.
The current SAR government mentioned in the Youth Development Blueprint the vision of cultivating young people to become a new generation of people who love the country and Hong Kong and have a global perspective. At a time when Hong Kong society is reconnecting with the mainland and overseas after the epidemic has eased, how can the authorities and all sectors of society further seize the opportunity and grasp the demands and expectations of the younger generation for broadening their horizons?
This study aims to use the above background to explore from the perspective of youth what kind of world-view cultivation the young generation in Hong Kong needs, and to provide important reference on how to promote more effective and effective cultivation work from a forward-looking perspective.
This study collected information from February to April 2023 through several aspects, including literature reference and on-site youth opinion survey. A total of 522 young people aged 15 to 34 were interviewed, and 18 young people with experience at home and abroad were interviewed. , and exclusive interviews with 6 experts and scholars.
Research main discussion
1. Young people have a global perspective, which helps to establish a positive attitude and helps society and the world move towards sustainable development.
2. The young people interviewed have close ties with the world. Most of them consider themselves citizens of the world. Appreciating/respecting different cultures from different places and understanding the current situation of the world are the most important values and abilities of world vision. Some interviewed cases believe that they are no longer part of the world. bystanders of development.
3. Important elements to effectively cultivate young people’s world vision include curiosity, daily attention to international news, peers, and elements of in-depth experience and reflective learning.
4. As young people go out into the world, they face many challenges, including lack of resources to experience other places, biliteracy and trilingualism that may not be enough, and family recognition.
5. As the world becomes diverse and multi-polar, Hong Kong youth need to strengthen their personal identity to enhance their cross-cultural abilities.
Research recommendations
1. Make good use of the resources of different ethnic communities in Hong Kong and regularly organize famous festivals in the region to open up opportunities for young people to contact different cultures and understand the world locally, and further bring Hong Kong young people closer to the world.
2. Establish a proposal platform for young people to provide solutions on global issues, realize young people's global thinking, and practice their ideas locally, so that more ambitious young people will have the opportunity to participate in the world's sustainable development work in the long run.
3. From a development perspective, consider providing scholarships to encourage aspiring young people to study in countries along the “Belt and Road”, which will help further broaden the horizons of Hong Kong young people in the long run.
4. Promote youth-oriented in-depth participation exchange projects, allowing young people to have more room for leadership and participation at different stages such as itinerary design, activity formats, and post-activity experience reflection, and deepen their quality in world vision.
