To put wind back in Hong Kong’s sails, youth outreach must go full speed ahead

The government’s youth development blueprint is a good start and paints a positive picture, but its implementation must steer clear of top-down dogma
This would be an opportune time to do more to integrate the city’s ethnic minorities into the wider population

Vijay Verghese

Published: 8:15am, 18 Jul 2023

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As Hong Kong grapples with steering its youth, it is encouraging to see Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu moving with speed to tackle fundamental issues. The government’s intent is articulated in its youth development blueprint unveiled in December last year and the creation of the new position of commissioner of youth. The contours of engagement and accountability are immediately discernible.

The document’s foreword opens with a quote from President Xi Jinping’s speech on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China: “Hong Kong will prosper only when its young people thrive; Hong Kong will develop only when its young people achieve well-rounded development; and Hong Kong will have a bright future only when its young people have good career prospects.”

Central to the blueprint’s four areas of engagement – exploration, hope, empowerment and contribution – is the nurturing of “a new generation of young people with affection for our country and Hong Kong”.

The recurring leitmotif is national education which, revolutionary terminology aside, is unexceptional. All countries take pride in their achievements. The frequent underlining, however, reveals unease in dealing with the city’s youth.

There is a real danger of this exercise slipping from useful multi-channel dialogue into shrill top-down dogma. As history shows, patriotism is imbibed over time with growing awareness, participation and a sense of belonging.

Chinese history must be part of the curriculum as fact rather than emotive prodding and education must focus on both Mandarin and English as twin tools for international advancement without in any way diluting Hong Kong’s rich Cantonese heritage.

Hong Kong’s flag flutters in the foreground as a public housing estate is flanked by the Lion Rock in Wong Tai Sin on October 19. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong has meandered listlessly after the turbulence of the past few years, and some of its younger residents are still chaffing at the political reorientation. As with teens anywhere, coming of age means challenging authority, seeking answers and stretching boundaries.

The events of 2019-2020 then were a collision of ineluctable history – the absorption of the territory by China – and a naive if sincere teen passion for the “homeland”, sharply defined as just Hong Kong. Presciently, in 1976, a book by Australian journalist Richard Hughes described Hong Kong as a “borrowed place living on borrowed time”.

It falls now to the Hong Kong government to galvanise the youth. There are considerable tools at its disposal. The blueprint outlines career options, some in the Greater Bay Area, adventure training, vocational education, and internships and student exchanges, internationally and on the mainland. It plans to offer more affordable housing and an expanded youth hostel scheme. And it hopes to encourage community service and the spirit of volunteering while also fostering an understanding of national identity, the Basic Law and the Chinese constitution.

A youthful city evokes visions of energy, optimism and vitality. Xi is right. Hong Kong, like China, is ageing. Youth outreach and motivation is not just a social nicety, it is essential to putting the wind back in Hong Kong’s sails. Steady migration from mainland China will eventually bring youthful job-seekers across to help rebuild that can-do attitude.

Hong Kong’s young talent is a strength that must be strategically nurtured

Outlining plans last year, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said the idea is to create a “positive mindset”. Plans included launching a youth network and app for young people to plug into opportunities.

Importantly, there appears to be some give for the disgruntled rump. “I believe that once [the youth] understand it, of course, they can continue their criticism, but at least they will have the message,” Mak said. It appears the government is willing to listen and engage, something the previous administration failed to do.

Painting a positive future and providing tools for “upward mobility” is the right way to proceed rather than a heavy-handed approach. Law and order eruptions are often symptoms of a deeper disconnect.

On the leadership side, teachers have a freshly defined code of conduct requiring them to act as role models, working with probity, integrity, and adherence to the rule of law.

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Hong Kong students mark National Security Education Day with nunchuck martial arts performance

This is an opportune time for minorities, be they of Indian, Pakistani, Filipino or Indonesian descent, to be integrated into the broader population. Their histories are closely intertwined with the city. As traders, merchants, labourers, domestic helpers, investors and members of the constabulary, they have all played a part in the making of Hong Kong. Cultural diversity enriches and strengthens a “world city” which, by definition, cannot be monocultural.

Yet, whereas Singapore has done much to weld its Chinese, Malay and Indian populations with cheery campaigns and artfully mixing communities in public housing, Hong Kong has little to show in this regard. Many Hongkongers are still mystified by turbaned Sikhs, unaware of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, and quite oblivious to the culinary delights of the Muslim Eid celebrations.

These minorities are the ones most threatened by the city’s language policy. They require access to vocational training and an education system that does not favour those who speak Chinese as a first language.

They are a bridge to South and Southeast Asia. India was Hong Kong’s eighth-largest trading partner last year. Singapore ranked fourth, Malaysia ninth, and Thailand tenth, with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations accounting for 13.2 per cent of all merchandise trade.

The government cannot afford to lose talent. The brain drain must be reversed and Hong Kong’s youth encouraged to see themselves as impactful stakeholders.

Vijay Verghese is a long-time Hong Kong-based journalist and columnist