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Education
harmonious society, instilling core civic values, and promoting understanding of the Basic Law and the Mainland. Those core values - 'Respect and inclusiveness, 'Responsibility' and 'Love' - are promoted to encourage mutual respect for people with different cultural backgrounds and points of view.
In 2016, the committee promoted the message 'Respect the Rule of Law, Embrace Different Voices. It also rolled out a pilot Funding Scheme for Exchange in Belt and Road Countries to enable in-depth exchange between young Hong Kong people and their counterparts in the Belt and Road countries to foster 'people-to-people bonds!
The committee's Civic Education Resource Centre at the Youth Square houses reference materials on civic education and youth development. It is equipped with audio-visual facilities for use in training courses, seminars, sharing sessions and film shows about civic education, as well as videos and interactive games that help visitors experience and explore different aspects of civic education. The resource centre offers guided tours and periodic thematic exhibitions.
Commission on Youth
The commission's main tasks include advising the government on youth matters, initiating studies on youth, promoting youth development, enhancing communication between young people and the government, and providing young people with internship opportunities on the Mainland and exchange opportunities on the Mainland and overseas.
The commission invites senior government officials, representatives from advisory bodies and renowned speakers to attend Youth Exchange Sessions so they can communicate directly with young people. In addition to these sessions is the Youth Summit, held every two years as a platform for principal officials to exchange views with young participants.
In 2016, the commission approved sponsorship under a Large-scale Youth Programme Funding Scheme for 10 youth programmes run by qualified organisations.
The commission also sponsored 265 exchange tours run by community organisations to enhance young people's awareness and understanding of the Mainland, strengthen their sense of national identity and foster exchanges with Mainland people. It sponsored another 95 internship projects run by community organisations to foster better understanding of the Mainland employment market, work culture and development opportunities. Youth delegates visited Ireland, Japan, Poland, Australia and Singapore under an International Youth Exchange Programme to broaden their outlook and world perspective. The commission also hosted young people from Ireland, Japan, Singapore and Australia on reciprocal visits to Hong Kong.
During the year, the Home Affairs Bureau and the commission set up a Youth Development Fund. The fund offers a matching grant to help NGOs support young people in starting their own businesses with mentorship programmes. It also subsidises innovative youth development projects not covered by existing funding schemes.
The commission works with the 18 District Youth Programme Committees to run cultural, arts, sports and general development activities for six- to 29-year-olds. Citywide projects include the Outstanding Youth Commendation Scheme and Outstanding Youth Activity Commendation Scheme. The Home Affairs Department also coordinates district-level youth activities. About
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