Lindsey McAlister, founder and artistic director, Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation (HKYAF), always knew that she was destined to do something arts-related - even though the school she went to did everything it possibly could to put her off such a direction.
'Theatre is my life, my passion, it consumes every waking hour. When I am not making theatre, I am depressed and feel ill,' she says.
Arriving in Hong Kong from Britain as a 20-year-old on a backpacking trip, McAlister immediately fell in love with the city. 'Within two hours, I had decided to stay in Hong Kong and give up the job waiting for me in Britain. It was the best decision I ever made in my life,' she says.
Not long after settling in Hong Kong, McAlister was struck by how little community art there was for young people, so she decided to create a platform - HKYAF - for youngsters to share their creativity.
'At that time, I was very naive, I had little experience in administration. My first attempt at fundraising was a joke. I pulled out my Yellow Pages and started cold-calling companies. Things did not work out, so I thought I'd better seek advice. Eventually, I was introduced to the head of DHL (Asia), a wonderful entrepreneur named Po Chung. He had founded a group called Business for Art, which gave seeding money to new projects. That got me started,' McAlister says.
HKYAF is about providing high-quality, non-competitive and free arts experience for young people. McAlister firmly believes that, with encouragement, young people can excel. 'I remembered my music teacher barking at me to stop singing because it made her ears bleed, and my dance teacher said I danced like a baby elephant, but I persisted down the arts road.