At the Yan Oi Tong Youth Space expo, we saw young innovators turn their ideas into reality. Social enterprises incubated by us showcased their passion and success with community partners. I'm proud of the board's decision to continue this program with its own resources post-government funding. Thanks to generous private donations, we're reviving our incubation scheme to kick start more social enterprises. The next round will be even more participatory, engaging the local community to find innovative solutions for urban problems. Let's make a difference together!
Six or seven years ago, a group of young friends and I, who were in our late twenties and full of ideas, published a report proposing participatory budgeting and suggested that the government allow citizens to choose the public services they want. A certain district council was somewhat interested, but nothing happened after detailed discussions. Later, a private think tank partnered with another district council to conduct community experiments, which was a step further than ours, but it was not easy to maintain it. Yan Oi Tong is one of the six major charitable organizations in Hong Kong. This time it has built a progressive participation and development framework and obtained three years of resources from the family foundation. It has a more mature idea and a longer-term vision. In addition to allowing young people to experience the power of fellow practitioners, it may also help me It’s a dream factory where you can practice what you want to learn.
