"Blueprint Will Help HK's Youth Unleash Potential"

Commissioner for Youth Wallace Lau said on Wednesday that Hong Kong's first ever youth blueprint would help lift the aspirations of young people and equip them with a positive mindset to contribute to the SAR, the nation and the world.

The blueprint, announced on Tuesday, includes measures and performance indicators to nurture younger generations. Authorities say they will promote national education, provide more career opportunities, and address housing needs.

Speaking on RTHK's Backchat Programme, Lau said: "We hope that by means of publishing this document, we'll be able to nurture a new generation of young people with an affection for the country and Hong Kong, and also equip them with a global perspective, aspiring mindset and positive thinking.

"We also would like to provide an enabling environment for young people to unleash their full potential in society and contribute to Hong Kong, to the country and also to the world."

Lau said his own change of title reflected the focus on youth affairs. He previously served as deputy secretary for home and youth affairs.

Speaking on the same programme, Paul Yip, a professor of population policy at the University of Hong Kong, welcomed the administration's renewed emphasis on involving young people.

However he said he was disappointed by what he described as a lack of innovative policies in the blueprint.

"In the end, I think the core matter is how to really change the mindset of our young people," Yip said. "I think Hong Kong is a place where they can feel a sense of belonging, a sense of hope.

"I think with these measures, if they can implement effectively, that definitely will happen. But at the same time, how to win the hearts and the minds back, I think, is still a very hard battle."

Yip also noted that the blueprint covered people up to the age of 39. He said that people in their thirties were likely to have different priorities than younger people.