Straight Talk presenter Eugene Chan (left) interviews former president of Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Lester Huang on TVB, Aug 1, 2023. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Former president of Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Lester Huang is on the show this week. 

Huang says the government needs to find ways to engage youth who are not in employment, education or training. These so-called NEETs, about 50,000 of them as estimated by the government, are easily left out and not developing their potential. 

"I think it cannot be a formalized program that will draw them out. It will take social workers contacting young people to identify the needs. Let me give you a few examples, I think that there may be some of these who are not going to work or going to school. But they like playing basketball, and they may like engaging in competitive basketball, maybe in a 3-on-3 game and so on. And very often they need to have venues to play. Now identifying what their need is gives the government an opportunity to engage with them. And so, through that that engagement by finding a venue for them and offering this to them, there is already the initial engagement. And we are able to draw these young people out. I think that on that front, government may need to do more."

Check out the full transcript of TVB’s Straight Talk host Dr Eugene Chan’s interview with Lester Huang:

Chan: Good evening! Thank you for joining us on Straight Talk. Our guest this evening is Lester Huang. Huang has served the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups for over 25 years, eight of those as its president, and being the only person in its history to have two presidential terms. He is a solicitor by profession, and was a past president of the Law Society of Hong Kong, and admitted to the role of honor in 2021. Huang is also the chairman of the Council of the City University of Hong Kong, and has held various government appointments, as well as being a steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. He clearly has a passion for youth. And we are going to ask Huang if he thinks our government is engaging our youth effectively. Welcome, Lester!

Huang: Thank you, Eugene!

Chan: Thank you very much for coming. And we often talked about youth, and we had the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak here earlier this year. And she told us if you count them up to the age of 39, which is the mid-age for most people, we have a population of nearly 2 million people that we have to look after. So, how would you classify what we're going to talk about this evening about the youth?

Huang: I think youth of course is a transition stage, you’re transitioning a person from being a child into an adult. And when we mean adult, it's not just an age or a number, it's really bringing this person so that he or she can contribute to society independently, can manage problems, can manage his own finances, and bring up his own family, his or her own family. So, it's a process that is ... that takes a whole scheme that, you know, you don't just attain this status by reaching chronological age, you're looking at developing this person into a responsible citizen.

Chan: Right, when you’re talking about up to 2 million population is a huge population, huge sector of Hong Kong nearly 1/3, or even a bit more. So, in general, I mean, you have been involved in youth for quite a number of years. If I ask a general question, are our youth happy, what will you answer be?

Well, I think that we can look at some data on this front, because, you know, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups has been doing youth trend surveys for over a decade now. And what we saw in the last survey, which was done in 2021, shows that the kids were not very happy. I can't use the word kids, the youth were not very happy.

Huang: I think that generally in Hong Kong, people were not very happy in 2021 because of COVID. There were a lot of … many restrictions on our lifestyle, lockdowns and so on. But for young people in particular, they were really suffering from not being able to express themselves through their activities. And they found it very difficult to contribute to society as well.

Chan: Right. So, when we always want to say we want to nurture the youth, want to guide them. So, what are our aims? Is it as simple as you said, as a good transition to adulthood that they can be acting independently and responsibly? Is that simple?

Huang: Well, I think, you know, when we say we want someone to become an independent contributing citizen. Every person has to have their own dreams. And so enabling young people to realize their dreams is equally important. And I think that when they look at the whole environment, they have many, many challenges. And helping them overcome these personal challenges is also very important. So, the youth development blueprint recognizes these challenges, right? And I think that, from a policy perspective, it's on the right track. And I think that there may still be some things that the government can do better.

Chan: Yes, yes. But we'll get into that later on. Lester, when you talk about dreams, it kind of leads me to think about when President Xi Jinping was here, he actually saying that the four areas that he has identified, such as education, employment, entrepreneurship, but even setting up their own home, I mean, that is … would you call these are the dreams of our young people? Are we too generalized on just four of them?

Huang: Well, I think that's a part of it. These may be important fundamental parts. But I think that in terms of their aspirations, looking at diversity in terms of their career outlets, looking at using their creativity, developing their innovative skills, and applying these, these all are the dreams of young people as well, I think that we have to cultivate the right social, and educational opportunities for them. We have to help them set up their homes in terms of, you know, if they want to set up a family, they need a place to live, they need a steady stream of employment. And so all of this at the same time as wanting to contribute to society, through participation, either at a community level, or at a government level.

Chan: We just mentioned earlier, there's a big population of youth. And if I may ask for your opinion, which sector do you think needs the most intervention? And how successfully have we been engaging?

Huang: I can't single out any particular sector, to be honest. I think that every young person has challenges. And I think that, starting from the education they receive, as well as the social setting they find themselves in, it's all a process. And everyone needs to have something that society can give them. So, I can't really say, separate out any particular sector.

Chan: So, Lester, when we talk about you being in the youth work for many years in the Federation of Youth Groups have been here for a much longer time in trying to assist our youth. I won’t use the word help but assist. I often ask myself, when you try to talk to young people, which of course we try with our best intention, tell them what we truly believe. But do they want to be engaged or do they want us to guide them or someone said to me, let me make my own mistakes, you have made yours.

Huang: Well, let me say this. For a young person, I mean, both you and I are professionals. You're a dentist, I'm a lawyer. For a young person to join our respective professions today, they are looking at very, very different challenges from what we encountered.

Chan: So true!

Huang: … when we were at their age. And so we can't just cannot simply replicate the same, and hope that they will do well. For a young person to succeed, I think that there is a whole host of factors that we need to take into account. And their challenges are very different from ours. Just looking at the use of social media is one thing. I mean, I see this as an important tool. But it also brings with it challenges.

Chan: Lester, you mentioned that our youth weren't very happy, or in Hong Kong in general, not very happy about COVID in 2021. But before that we had the social unrest and it’s quite a good indication of kind of what we call disconnect between the youth and the government so to say. So, do you think the current government, the new term of government, has anything been changed between them and the youth?

Huang: I think that … Well, as I say, the Federation of Youth Groups, we do surveys every few years. And the data we have collected in recent times, suggests that there is a vast improvement. I think that … first of all, a vast majority, over 70 percent of the young people feel a strong sense of belonging to Hong Kong. And I think that's very, very important. Another 59 percent to 60 percent would like to, in fact, contribute in some ways to the development of Hong Kong. So, young people, you know, will do their part, if given the right opportunity, if given the right circumstances,

Chan: Right, Lester let's take a break now, and viewers do stay with us, we will be right back.

Former president of Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Lester Huang attends the Straight Talk show on TVB, Aug 1, 2023. (PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY)

Chan: Thank you for staying with us. Lester Huang, the former president of Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, is with us, and we have been talking about if our government is engaging our youth effectively. So, Lester, in the first half, you mentioned that our youth are much happier, and I think you said they wanted to have more contribution to the community. And I also asked you if even with the best intention, do our youth need to be helped? You said it very right that they have different challenges, and give them the opportunity, they will do the job for themselves, very encouraging to hear that. So, any more interesting data that you have collected from your surveys?

Huang: I think that another very clear trend among the young people today is they really want the government to listen to public views, not just their views, but views of the public generally. And I feel that engagement on the part of government is very important. I feel that… you know 32 percent of these young people feel that really government needs to respond to their views. You know if their views are not accepted, then why? And why are the government doing things? Why is the government doing things in a particular way, which may not be in accordance with what the public majority views is? So, I think that is something that is coming through very clearly. And I think it is interesting to see how young people relate to themselves and make decisions among themselves. Very often we find young people chatting in groups, but without a clear leader. And they build up consensus through a dialogue among themselves. And I think that the government, they wish to adopt some of these mechanisms because going in on a top-down basis is not going to open up these young people to them. 

Chan: Right. Lester, I mean it is very, actually as a host, I am very excited to listen to your views as well. I mean you said so truly that the youth are actually leading themselves in their own way. But if you talk to in generally, the community will say our youth has issues, we got to guide them, we got to make sure they do this, do that. We listen to that all the time. But do you see this phenomenon in general is applicable worldwide at the moment? Because looks like the young people have, because of the advent of technology, social media, they do have a very different perspective in life. So, do you think Hong Kong is any different to the rest of the world? Or are we leading the world?

Huang: I think young people are very common the world over. And I think that, of course, in different cultural settings, they have different challenges. The opportunities that are available also vary from one place to another. But in terms of the aspirations that young people have, and in terms of their wanting to contribute to society, wanting to build up their own expertise, I think this is universal around the world. In terms of the young people in Hong Kong, I think it is very encouraging that there is a sizable number who really want to participate more in the government’s work.

Chan: Right.

Huang: And I am very happy to see in the youth development blueprint that the government is ready to embrace them into government committees and so on, even on a self-nomination basis. I think that if we can expand that a little more, it will be even better. It is good because young people need to understand what issues the government is dealing with. They may be able to participate and contribute their own ideas, in terms of solutions to any issues. But most important of all, it is engagement. And through that engagement, they gain ownership of the issues as well. And in that sense, they become part of the community and see that their work results in an impact, and in terms of policy or in terms of any working procedures.

Chan: Lester, our discussion so far, we know that our youth have their own style and they are moving along in their own way, but we must give them the opportunities. But from the government’s point of view, before we go into the government’s youth blueprint, they must have some sort of classification or they try to stratify the different groups of youth. Will you say using school results is a good one to do that?

Huang: That is one way, but it should not be the only way. Let me tell you, the group that this blueprint perhaps does not address are those we called NEETs. They are youth that are not in employment, not in education, and not in training. And therefore NEETs. This group very seldom becomes engaged with even NGOs. So, they are not engaged with… where engaged in institutions which deal with youth matters, and therefore are easily left out. They also display some other characteristics. In other words, they probably want to do their own thing, and their families probably can support them financially. So, they do not really need to engage in the employment market. But because of this rather secluded way in which they exist, they choose to live, they are not really developing their fullest potential. And it is drawing out this group of people, who I would say, would number at least in the tens of thousands. The government itself, I think, estimated that they are over 50,000 of these young people. And that goes back to say 2021. And, so, these young people need to be drawn out. And right now, the blueprint does not really have a plan to draw these out. Speaking to government, I know that they identify this group as well, and want to do something for them. But it is locating them that is difficult. 

Chan: Right. Lester, I mean as you rightly mentioned the youth development blueprint, which has been launched 6 months ago, is kind of the first since the handover. And the chief secretary is actually being the head of the Youth Commission. All that shows our government placed a very high emphasis on the youth group. So, it has over 100 initiatives, such as, as you said, self-recommendation to serve in committees. You see the 18 districts are having more young people serving. Youth hostel, even setting a good community network amongst the youth. All that are new initiatives. From your point of view, have they done enough? Or a lot more should be done?

Huang: Well, I think that the 160 initiatives will keep them very busy. But again, it is that group of NEETs that we really need to work on. And I think it cannot be a formalized program that will draw them out. It will take social workers contacting young people to identify the needs. Let me give you a few examples, I think that there may be some of these who are not going to work or going to school. But they like playing basketball, and they may like engaging in competitive basketball, maybe in a 3-on-3 game and so on. And very often they need to have venues to play. Now identifying what their need is gives the government an opportunity to engage with them. And, so, through that that engagement by finding a venue for them and offering this to them, there is already the initial engagement. And we are able to draw these young people out. I think that on that front, government may need to do more.

Chan: Right. So, Lester, on that time, I realized there is a 2023 Youth Fest at Hong Kong that was just been launched last week. And the Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the sponsors. Can you tell us briefly what it is all about? Is it something new? And how is this going to engage our youth?

Huang: Well, this again is outlined in the blueprint, and I think that the government plans to have this on an ongoing basis and annual basis. I think the most important thing that comes out of the Hong Kong Youth Festival is engagement and positive energy. So, through engagement in different activities during the Youth Festival, young people are given an opportunity to mix with each other, to learn new skills, to do things which they would not otherwise do. And through that, it really is building up their positive vibes. And I think that this is an excellent move. I think that sustaining it is important.

Chan: Right.

Huang: Sustaining the spirit behind it is also important. If we allow it to become just another program and we do it for doing its sake, then it will not be the best use of resources. 

Chan: Right.

Huang: So, keeping it fresh, keeping it relevant to young people, is very important.

Chan: Lester. Nearly coming to the end of the show, I have got the last question for you. It is that … you know that the government is trying to integrate with mainland and the GBA, the Greater Bay Area is one area that we have to look at. From your experience in your … if I were to ask you, what would be your advice to the youth? Of course we hear about all these leaders saying we must go into the GBA to actually develop, that is where our future is. So, what will you say to them so that they can make that move?

Huang: Well, I think that young people have very mixed feelings of … relating to China. And there are a good number who want to do more in China and can do more in China. But there is also a sizable number of young people who see China as a threat. You know, they see their Chinese counterparts as taking away their opportunities. And they don’t really feel able to compete with their Chinese counterparts. Now, for these young people, having them go into China is an excellent initiative. But it may not be something that brings out their best strength. I feel that they need to understand the motherland, they need to understand how to live with their counterparts. But in terms of progressing a career, they may be better off in Hong Kong. 

Chan: Right.

Huang: Still it should not deter them from looking into it or trying. I feel that they need good mentorship and open opportunities to be able to engage.

Chan: Right. Thank you, Lester, for sharing your valuable perspectives on this crucial topic of the youth engagement. All stakeholders need to work together to empower and engage our youth effectively, as the future of Hong Kong is in their hands. Thank you all for joining us and see you again next week.