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China is reopening borders to bring its economy back to life after the devastation of COVID-19. The 19th Annual Conference of CUHK-Fudan Shanghai-Hong Kong Development Institute looks into this stage of revival from fiscal, financial and social perspectives. In addition to an open call for academic papers, distinguished scholars and young experts also exchange views on a post-pandemic future. With everything slowly returns to normal, we truly hope to meet international participants face-to-face later this year!

Before students met two LegCo councilors who shared their everyday life as a politician, we did a few exercises to find out strengths and limitations of different voting methods and constituencies in our legislature. "Who gets what, when, how" is a simple yet effective starting question to understand politics

Sharing stories about the history of One Country Two Systems 🇨🇳🇭🇰 and the birth of the Basic Law with students from a few secondary schools. We did a live poll about what fundamental rights they treasured most. All fell into the private sphere: protection of personal safety, equality before the Law and right to privacy. Next time they should get prepared for a Mencius' debate on righteousness and individualism.

As youth advocates, we feel sad to see the learning opportunity on public affairs reduced amid diminishing civil society and growing political apathy. This is why some friends and I are organising a new training programme for high schoolers to offer a first taste in civic engagement. Let's make things happen!

The Hong Kong Academy of Politics and Administration has held its fifth session and has accumulated many graduates. Although the old students are of different ages and work in different industries, we firmly believe that "moderate rationality" is the best way to develop Hong Kong's political system. We all have similar values and naturally resonate with each other. The Old Student Association regularly organizes policy workshops in response to the current government’s promotion of the “red team concept” to help the government complement each other from multiple perspectives. We hope that future HKAPP graduates will participate more.

Attended Youth Association AGM with many young faces. Intergenerational poverty is a big issue, and we certainly don’t expect the government’s “Teen Together” to solve all problems at once. This mentorship program is led by the Secretary for Home Affairs, implemented by the Labor and Welfare Bureau, and chaired by the Youth Association. It starts from broadening their horizons so that disadvantaged junior high school students will not limit their imagination of the future because of poverty. As Director Sun Yuhan said, each generation has its own problems to solve, and we must also believe that today's young people have the ability to solve their own problems.

Because of CLP’s “New Generation, New Power” award program, we listened to a group of high school students who have made themselves stronger in adversity and told us their stories about how to overcome life adaptation, personal growth, family environment, etc. Everyone encounters setbacks, but what makes them unique is their perseverance to make progress in the midst of hardship and their courage to accept their past. We hope that the scholarship can help them realize their dreams, and that their experiences can inspire all young people and adults in difficult situations.

Xi Jinping listed 4 musts and 4 hopes during his visit to HK. Think tanks from Guangdong, HK and Macau gathered at once to discuss how will these national directives apply to us. I shared with think tank leaders that thought leadership is one of our key functions. Facing changes "unseen in a century", think tanks should tell the HK story with new narratives. As members of the civil society, we are also compelled to do things that the govt cannot or refuse to do. We can reach out to other groups, initiate policy consultation platforms and listen to aspirations of the youth.

Recently, everyone is paying close attention to pulp mills and sawmills. This time, a group of friends from the Youth Association who are determined to contribute to sustainable development visited Weee Park, which recycles four electrical appliances and one computer, and O Park, which recycles food waste. In the Tuen Mun Eco Park, we saw a waste paper mill site that had been on the market for several years, and a food waste plant site that had left the market early. I just feel that the story of recycling the industry is not picked up in some places, and those who are willing to do it cannot do it. After the belated garbage levy was introduced, we all wanted to come up with some ideas to change everyone's behavior and habits and increase the amount of recycling.

It should be the 15th "Hong Kong 200", and we will continue to help select scholarship winners this year. In the coming year, 200 high school students will be equipped with future skills and practice their willingness to serve Hong Kong through social experience. Almost half of middle school life has been spent amid the epidemic, and the growth experience is not as diverse as before. However, outstanding campus leaders can still grasp international social issues within limitations and cultivate the ambition to serve Hong Kong.