Help to Create and Nurture a Spirit of Entrepreneurship Among Young People

Hong Kong, according to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, is one of the least entrepreneurial places in the world. (See Youth Statistics Highlights for more details). This might sound surprising for an economically dominant and vibrant city like Hong Kong, however this is in

fact the reality. Now, as Hong Kong faces worrying levels of un- and under-employment among young people, the Government, along with the business sector and the NGO community have joined hands in launching a number of training and placement programmes to enhance the employability of young people.

One such initiative is to promote youth entrepreneurship. Under the aegis of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, there is a plan to establish Youth Business Hong Kong (YBHK). YBHK will base itself on the model of Youth Business International, whose mission it is to bring together members of the Government, corporate sector and civil society and to provide access to finance, mentoring and support to young entrepreneurs as they help start and develop their own businesses.

We believe very strongly that youth entrepreneurship is one way to help create decent work for young people, while also greatly contributing to the economic prosperity of an entire community. From the experiences of Youth Business International, it has been proved that mentorship and start up funds have had a 60 per cent success rate, well into at least three years of young people starting a business.

We call upon all our partners to join in this initiative. We need the financial resources to get the programme going. We need business mentoring and support. We need your skills, expertise, talents and facilities to help the young people of Hong Kong become entrepreneurs today, in order that they might be the financial stalwarts of tomorrow.

Please call the Partnership Office on 21239598 for more details.

section on Youth Statistics Highlights). Therefore, there is a strong belief that the encouragement of entrepreneurship among young people might be one way to emerge from this difficult employment situation in Hong Kong.

Promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship among young people, while also providing them with the assistance to help kick start their own businesses, are proven ways to provide life skills, self-esteem and employability among this vulnerable group. There is also no doubt that the cultivation of young entrepreneurs will provide a new impetus for future economic development in Hong Kong.

Fully realising the importance of promoting youth entrepreneurship, ever since April 2002, the Federation has joined hands with Shell Hong Kong Limited to launch the LiveWIRE programme in Hong Kong. This programme provides training and guidance activities for young people aged 18 to 30 who are interested in business. Despite the success of LiveWIRE, experience indicates that lack of start-up finance and proper mentoring prevents many young people realize their entrepreneurial dream.

Staff at the Federation's Youth Employment Network have seen quite a number of young people who, although equipped with a developed original business idea, as well as having had some training, could not put their plans into action because of a lack of financial support and professional advice. One young person, aged 23, had developed the idea of creating animations and products of cartoon figures with positive characters. Facing enormous difficulties in both accessing business loans, as well as finding business partners with whom to develop products, has had to put his dream on hold.

This true incident is widely repeated throughout Hong Kong and illustrates the importance and urgency to set up a new programme, which provides financial support and expert advice to young people. With this background, the Youth Business Hong Kong Programme has been initiated. The Federation call upon all its partners to lend a hand. Please contact Ms. Yolanda Chiu of the Partnership and Resource Development Office on 2123 9598.

Entrepreneurial Participation
According to statistics from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, published in November 2002, Hong Kong has one of the lowest entrepreneurial prevalence rates in the world. This is measured by The Total Entrepreneurial Activity index and clearly indicates that youth entrepreneurship needs to be urgently promoted in Hong Kong.

Hip-Hopping to Employment!
A partnership between the Home Affairs Bureau and the Federation resulted in the biggest hip-hop dancing competition in Hong Kong. Entitled, "Soul Hit 2004", the competition was held on February 1, 2004. The event provided a golden opportunity for young people to show off – in a unique way – their creative side to prospective employers! The competition is part of a joint project on youth self-employment, which helps young people to turn their interests into a possible career. Recapture the great moments here.

Cross-sectoral Collaboration in Easing Youth Unemployment
With the support of nearly 60 employers, the two-day Youth Career EXPO jointly organized by the Home Affairs Bureau and the Federation closed on 9 February with everyone calling it a great success. The support from the employers was overwhelming, with nearly 900 job positions offered by approximately 60 corporations.

Learning about Industries
"Towards Self-Enhancement: A Career Oriented Programme for Youth" has now moved into its next phase. In February and March 2004, this joint project of the Federation, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) and JUMP will introduce another new and hot industry to young people. The focus this time will be the Logistics Profession, an industry that comprises a

variety of functions including, freight forwarding, trucking, distribution, warehousing and storage. Through talks, firm visits and seminars, young people can learn how the logistics industry really operates and what is required to forge a career in this area. The Federation is extremely grateful to Dairy Farm Group, Exel Hong Kong Limited, FedEx Express Corporation, Hong Kong Logistics Association, IDS Groups and Modern Terminals Limited. Without their support, the organization of seminars and visits would not have been possible. Check out the schedule of events here.

Lunar New Year Reunion Dinners – an event not to be missed!
Nearly 80% of young people said that they would rush home for the traditional Lunar New Year's Eve dinner, because it was such a strong family tradition. In early February 2004, The Democratic Party released an interesting survey about young people's activities during the Lunar New Year. The survey also found that young people expressed great interest to visit the Lunar New Year Flower Market with their friends. This was especially so as they got older. Around 500 young people, aged between 12 and24, were interviewed.

Unbalanced Diet affects Overall Well Being
The University of Hong Kong and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology jointly conducted a research in 2003 to investigate the dietary habits of Hong Kong people. 3282 people, between the ages of 18 and 80, were interviewed by phone. It was found that 14.3% of interviewees claimed to suffer from constipation, as it was defined by the survey. What was most worrying about the finding was the fact that one in