Lau was among 20 people, mostly university and high school students, who took part in a young commentators' training programme organised last year by the Roundtable Community. Its success has encouraged the group, which was set up in 2004 to promote social awareness among young people, to run a second three-month programme at the end of February.

Roundtable began as a project by academic Simon Shen Xu-hui to study the local electoral process, but evolved into a network of people from different sectors with an interest in social science.

'We wanted to form a network where members can contribute to society,' says Ian Li Chi-fai, its general manager. Activities are funded mainly by donations from patrons and its 900 plus members, who come from fields as diverse as education and finance.

Roundtable organises regular Chinese-writing workshops but decided to devote a session to commentary when young participants showed interest in the field, says the group's communications officer Alan To Pui-hong. 'The young generation tends to be politically apathetic so we try to get them to engage more with society,' he says. 'And since our members showed interest in commentary we figure the written word is a good medium to introduce different topics.'

Lau and her fellow participants appreciate the chance to meet like-minded people through the Roundtable Community. Few friends share her interest in social issues, she says, and it wasn't until a teacher submitted one of her essays for a Roundtable writing competition that she learned about the group. 'Since then I've been taking part in their activities.'

Her voracious reading - everything from local gossip rags to international journals - fuelled a passion for commentary. 'It's incredible to see how a film review can relate to so many levels - history, an actor's personality and social currents - unlike many local reviews,' says Lau, who cites US political activist Noam Chomsky as her favourite commentator. 'He's a linguist but also writes brilliantly about topics from politics to media. He's a rarity and a consummate public intellectual,' she says.

She signed up for the workshops because schools offer little opportunity to develop critical thinking although liberal studies have now been introduced to engage students in current affairs. 'Many students just study it for exams. They seldom take the initiative to reflect more on issues,' she says. 'The reality is that academic results are still uppermost and critical thinking is not encouraged at schools.'

The young commentators programme combines seminars with mentoring by veteran writers and editors. Participants are asked to submit writing for appraisal, and the best works are selected for publication in Ming Pao and other publications. Big geopolitical issues aside, this year's workshop will extend to topics such as pop culture and heritage conservation.

Bottle Shiu Ka-chun, a social work lecturer at Baptist University who served as a mentor last year, reckons this diversity relates to how many issues are inextricably linked. 'There's no point in calling yourself a political commentator when a discussion about food can evolve into an exposition on politics,' he says. 'Politics exist in all dimensions.'

Shiu views the programme as part of a drive to stimulate awareness in society. 'Commentary in Hong Kong is generally short and very superficial, and most writing has as much impact as a shopping guide. It entertains but does nothing to stimulate the mind,' he says.

'We've become progressively hostile to reading, and newspapers aren't helping by making the text smaller and pictures bigger. This perpetuates the attitude that everything has to be brief.

'Nowadays, when people describe a film or a book, they just say it's OK. But how OK is it? They can't clarify or elaborate their ideas.'

The workshops also help address a dearth of new blood as most people writing regular commentary in Hong Kong are already quite elderly, says Tsang Fan, former chief editor of the cultural monthly City Magazine.

'It was exciting when I was growing up; many people contributed to the public dialogue, including what they learned overseas,' says Tsang, who gave talks for last year's programme. 'But times have changed. Because access to information is so easy, you have to apply yourself to produce material with originality.'

Lau, who posted a selection of commentaries on her blog, has been disappointed by the response. 'The comments I've received so far are less than sincere. Constructive feedback helps keep writers going,' she says.

The lukewarm response isn't surprising when the most popular blogs feature fancy pictures and mundane details about one's life. 'It can be frustrating and lonely to find there aren't many like-minded individuals out there,' says Tsang.

For one of last year's participants, Wong Kai-chung, the workshops gave a rare opportunity to have his work assessed by writers who he's admired for years. 'It's good to get their advice on how I can improve my writing. I look up to them and it was surreal meeting them at the workshops,' he says.

Wong, 22, became a compulsive reader while studying public administration at City University and now regularly contributes book reviews to local newspapers and journals. There's little money in it, but he enjoys introducing books to others. 'I feel lucky that books are both my passion and work now,' he says. His interest in writing criticism has since encouraged him to take up a second degree in cultural and media studies.

The workshops have helped him develop different perspectives about a situation, he says. 'Writing commentary provides an effective outlet for my discontent.'

Protests over the Star Ferry pier demolition and July 1 marches may show heightened civic concern among residents, but the editorial director of cultural magazine Muse, Perry Lam Pui-li, says that has yet to translate into better-reasoned debate or commentary.

Local commentators are often reluctant to offend and many have personal agendas, says Lam. 'There's a difference between giving an opinion and commentary. There are many platforms for people to express what they think, but few can write with depth and insight.'

Still, that may change as the commentators' workshops nurture young people such as Lau and Wong.

For information about the workshops, tel: 2111 5882 or go to roundtable.com.hk