The First Community-based Social Innovation for Youth Program in Hong Kong “Social Innovation · Community 4.0” Competition Public Exhibition and Prize Presentation Ceremony

HONG
KONG, CHINA – Media OutReach – 15 July 2019 – The  “Social Innovation · Community 4.0”
Competition, supported by Citi Foundation and organized by the Hong Kong
Council of Social Service (HKCSS), held its Prize Presentation Ceremony today
at City Gallery. We were honoured to have Mr. Anson Kwok, Managing Director and Head of Commercial Bank, Citi Hong Kong and Mr. Chua Hoi Wai, Chief
Executive of The Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS) officiating at the
ceremony. Also attending were the representatives of the competition’s partners
and supporting organisations. The exhibition, showcasing 15 prototypes and 27
idea boards from the competition will be open to members of the public until July 23, 2019 (Tuesday).

 

The winning entry is “We Community” from
Ying Wa Girls School which is a combination of walkapanel and E-steps which is designed to tackle the challenge of low mobility of elderly encountered while using ubiquitous steps in the district, and as a result to promote social participation and cohesion.  Public engagement can be encouraged through
the use of E-steps, featuring energy conversion from motion of residents to
electric energy required for operating the walkapanel. The winning team will join a HKCSS-organised tour in France at the end of July to
visit the latest innovative start-ups and social enterprises focusing on social
innovation in France.

 

The “Social Innovation · Community 4.0″ Competition was open to all
secondary schools in Hong Kong and was the first such competition to encourage
students to design prototypes to address identified issues and needs of the
community. The pilot competition focused on Central and Western district.
Through experiential learning in the community and comprehensive training in
city planning, technology, design thinking, etc. as well as interaction with
local citizens in Central and Western district, participating students have
been able to articulate the needs of the citizens and design corresponding
prototypes. 67 participating teams from 41 secondary schools submitted their
proposals, and the 15 finalists were invited to create prototypes. The Central and Western District Office and NGOs in the area were
acknowledged for ensuring that students’ ideas would be put into
practise in the community.

 

Said Mr.
Anson Kwok, Managing Director and Head of Commercial
Bank, Citi Hong Kong, “This program not only enables young people to understand
the community and care about society but also provides them with a platform to
unleash their creativity, learn problem-solving, equip themselves for future
career development and comprehend the team spirt. At the same time, it also
helps build a sustainable city by addressing community issues. Enabling young
people to make economic progress, enhancing their employability and building sustainable
cities are key community focuses of Citi Foundation.”

Mr. Chua Hoi Wai, Chief Executive of The Hong
Kong Council of Social Service said, “There are numerous social innovation
competitions available for students at the moment. However, ‘Social Innovation · Community 4.0′ is not only a competition but also an experiential learning opportunity
in social innovation corresponding to concrete community needs. Social
innovation hinges on empathy and creative thinking. More than 50 hours of local visits, training, and
technical support from different professionals, and two Community Pitching
exercises to collect views from local residents and district officials were
offered to the students who were able to get a clearer insight
about the community, and hence, design practical
solutions utilising creativity and STEM.”

 

Some of the prototypes will be tested in the
community in September and October this year. Residents in Central and Western
district will be invited to participate, and their comments and views will be
collected after the prototype trials. The second “Social Innovation · Community
4.0″ Competition will be open for applications in this October, and the focal
district will be Kowloon City district. The aim of the competition is
to spread the concept of community-based social innovations to every corner of
Hong Kong.

About HKCSS

The HKCSS is an
umbrella organisation of 450 agency members that provide over 90% of the social
welfare services in Hong Kong.  HKCSS launched the Caring Company Scheme
in 2002 to build a cohesive society by promoting strategic partnership among
business and social service partners and inspiring corporate social
responsibility through caring for the community, employees and the
environment.  HKCSS puts much effort in building capacity for social
enterprises through the Social Enterprise Business Centre (SEBC) to advance
social entrepreneurship and mobilize social innovation.

Additional information may be found at www.hkcss.org.hk | Facebook: www.facebook.com/hkcssfans

About Citi Foundation

The Citi Foundation works to
promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income
communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial
inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to
building economically vibrant cities. The Citi Foundation’s “More than
Philanthropy” approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people
to fulfil our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more
information, visit www.citifoundation.com