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38 / Our Community

In Dialogue

with Youths

Government’s attempt to bring youths’ voices into

policy discussion

By Ariel Lai

ith a strong interest in Hong Kong environmental policy Under the MSSY, people aged between 18
design, fresh graduate Natalie Chung Sum-yue, applied to and 35 can self-nominate themselves to join
Wjoin the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth specified government advisory committees.
(MSSY) in June 2018. “I joined the scheme because I want to work on The recruitment is held twice a year. Suc-
environmental policy,” Chung, who is now serving a two-year term as a cessful applicants will serve in the respec-
member of the Council of Sustainable Development says. tive advisory committees they applied to.
Chung, who studied Geography and Resource Management at the
Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is also a co-founder of V’air Increase Youths’
Hong Kong, an environmental organisation which advocates low-car- Engagement
bon lifestyle. Chung agrees that the MSSY can increase
The MSSY was launched by the Home Affairs Bureau in 2017. The youths’ involvement in various policy as-
scheme aims to “scout for talent more widely and encourage participa- pects that they are specialised or interested
tion of young people in policy discussion and debate”, according to the in. “During my first year, I mainly worked
bureau’s website. on education and promotion of carbon re-