(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

The Government today released the Youth Development Blueprint, with more than 160 concrete actions and measures supporting youth development put forward at the initial stage.

Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs Alice Mak told a press conference this afternoon that the blueprint outlines the overall vision and guiding principles for the Government’s long-term youth development work in the future.

“This is the first Youth Development Blueprint of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Inside the blueprint, we have an overview of the various policies relating to youth matters.

“We are doing something to co-ordinate every policy and measure relating to youth development. Our target for this blueprint is every young person in Hong Kong. So we are trying to make good use of this blueprint to let the young people understand and know what the Government is trying to do to help them and to support them.

“We have several objectives. We want to broaden their minds so they understand and have a global prospective. We want to equip them to face every challenge during their growth period.”

The Government’s vision is to nurture a new generation of young people with an affection for the country and Hong Kong and equipped with a global perspective, an aspiring mind-set and positive thinking.

Miss Mak said the Government will designate the Deputy Secretary for Home & Youth Affairs as the Commissioner for Youth.

“This is a very important role for carrying out our youth measures and policies. The commissioner is responsible for liaising with various bureaus and departments and to co-ordinate and ensure that measures in the blueprint are actualised and realised.

“The commissioner will also advise the Government and the Home & Youth Affairs Bureau whether any new measures should be introduced to help our youth.”

To encourage exploration and preparing for the future, the Government will enhance national education, national security education, awareness in the rule of law and national pride.

Enabling young people to capitalise on the opportunities brought by the National 14th Five-Year Plan, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development, the Belt & Road Initiative and integrate into the country’s overall development, the Government will provide young people with more internship, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in different fields and support their diversified career development.

The blueprint also addressed young people’s housing needs by increasing the supply of youth hostel places and relaunching the Starter Homes Project for Hong Kong Residents.

To enhance youth participation in public affairs, the blueprint also proposed expanding the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth.

It will also enhance the platform for communicating with young people, including making use of the Internet and social media to listen and respond to their views more effectively.

Other measures include establishing a platform for youth engagement, including a new youth network and youth-based mobile application.

Separately, the bureau will launch the Youth Dashboard to consolidate youth-related data and trends so that the Government can keep better tabs on the pulse of young people.

Click here for the blueprint.