IF YOU WANT something done, Lindsey McAlister - founder and artistic director of the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation - is just the sort of person to turn to. With her steely determination and a brand of enthusiasm that becomes contagious, she has an uncanny way of making the seemingly impossible happen.
In fact, she is living proof that you can achieve almost anything, provided you have a clear guiding vision and the necessary resolve.
Proof of this is the fact that she oversees the foundation, which is recognised as the world's largest arts programme for young people, with 800,000 members aged between five and 25.
To honour her commitment to education and her contribution to British arts overseas, Ms McAlister was made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire earlier this year (she was previously made a Member of the most Excellent Order of the British Empire or MBE in 1997).
The enterprise began in 1993 as the Hong Kong Youth Arts Festival - an annual event running on a shoestring budget. It was her brainchild and has since evolved into a fully fledged, year-round scheme offering quality instruction and non-competitive art experiences for children and young adults.
The original inspiration sprang from the observation that the arts environment for children in Hong Kong had the wrong focus: it allowed only limited opportunity for self-expression and true creativity.
'Everything was so competitive and kids were under pressure to always be the first or the best,' Ms McAlister said. 'I thought what a pity [it was] that they couldn't just immerse themselves in the fun of the arts and feel free to express themselves however they liked.'