Stop talking down to Hong Kong’s disengaged young, regain trust by letting them lead community projects, expert says
- Young Hongkongers feel marginalised and ignored, says academic who led six-month trust study
- Keen to make an impact with innovative ideas, young need support to show what they can do
Hong Kong officials should let high school students take charge of creative plans to upgrade their communities to help young people regain trust in the government and society, a team of experts has said.
It also urged bureaucrats and community leaders to work alongside and guide young people in such projects, instead of creating new public bodies or engaging them in a top-down manner.
“Young people want opportunities that allow them to create an impact on the community,” said assistant professor Angel Lai Hor-yan, a social work researcher and developmental psychologist specialising in youth issues at Chinese University (CUHK).
She led a six-month study on social trust among young people last year.
Top officials, academics and youth experts sat up and took notice after Lai and University of Hong Kong (HKU) Professor Terry Lum Yat-sang revealed on a radio programme on January 3 that a survey had found that 87 per cent of students had no confidence in the government.