SHYA: Highlights Key Areas of Work of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) in 2026-27

Opening remarks by SHYA at LegCo Finance Committee special meeting

Following are the opening remarks (English translation) by the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, at the special meeting of the Legislative Council Finance Committee today (April 14):

Chairman,

I would like to brief Members on the key areas of work of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB) in 2026-27.

The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB), Photo by Bastille Post

On youth development, the HYAB has been co-ordinating with various bureaux to implement at full steam some 160 measures set out in the Youth Development Blueprint. The bureaux have also introduced more than 130 new measures subsequently, such that the Blueprint evolves with the times.

This year, we are launching a Young Talent Training Programme to better equip our young people, broaden their international horizons and cultivate a holistic outlook. We will also continue to take forward various exchange and internship programmes outside Hong Kong, helping young people to explore our country and the world. Moreover, the new round of youth entrepreneurship projects funded by the HYAB have been rolled out successfully to offer full support to our aspiring youth entrepreneurs.

Following the success of previous years, we will also organise the third edition of the Youth Development Summit in the second half of 2026 to facilitate exchange among youths from different regions.

To expand spaces and network for the youth, the HYAB is developing several youth development facilities. The Kai Tak Community Isolation Facility has converted into a "Youth Post" hostel and spaces for youth cultural, arts and sports exchanges. It has commenced operation last year. We have set up a physical interactive platform for "Youth Link" members at the Nam Cheong District Community Centre and the Tung Chau Street Temporary Market, namely "Youth Link · Nam Cheong". In addition, the Government has established a new interactive space at the Youth Square, which includes a video studio for rolling out the "Good Stories of Hong Kong Youth" Programme. The first phase renovation works of these facilities were completed for soft opening in end-2025, and the works for the remaining phases will be completed within 2026.

On the aspect of women, to advance women's development, the annual funding for the Women Empowerment Fund will be increased to $30 million in 2026-27, and a Programme on Women's Career Development, which focuses on providing employment-related support to women, will be launched with the aim of empowering them to re-enter the workforce, transform in the job market, and start their own career.

As regards civic and national education, in 2026–27, the HYAB will continue working closely with the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education to promote civic education and national education.We aim to help the general public develop positive values, stronger civic awareness, a deeper sense of patriotism, and greater respect for the rule of law through a wide range of channels and diverse activities, including quiz competitions, seminars, thematic exhibitions, interactive drama, and more.

On district governance, the seventh-term District Councils have continuously refined their operations over the past year on the foundations of the institutional reforms, and have continued to deliver its "consultation + service" functions, materialising a new form of governance that is district-oriented and with members of the public at heart. District Council members have performed well, not only providing service to residents through their ward offices, but also proactively reaching out to the people through the Mobile Meeting Room to stay close and responsive to public sentiments.

To further support the integration of ethnic minorities (EMs) into the community, the Home Affairs Department set up one additional EM Care Team in each of the Support Service Centres for EMs serving North and Islands Districts respectively, and established a "Youth Network" and a "Women's Network" in all 10 Support Service Centres across the territory in April this year.

The first-term District Services and Community Care Teams have fully met their service targets, while teams have even over-achieved key performance indicators. The total expenditure for the overall service plan of the first-term Care Teams was $444 million, of which $411 million was covered by government funding disbursed in accordance with the funding agreements, while the remaining expenditure was met by resources from the community gathered by the Care Teams. This reflects the Care Teams' effective mobilisation of resources from the community and their prudent use of public funds. The second-term services of 455 Care Teams in 18 districts have commenced in Q3 2025 upon the end of the first term to deepen and broaden their services.

The Government is committed to promoting good building management. We launched a one-year Pilot Scheme on Joint Property Management in four districts in June last year to help "three-nil buildings" and old single-block buildings engage the same property management company to jointly manage the buildings. In view of the results, we will consider extending the pilot scheme to other districts. The Government has earmarked $7.25 million for the purpose.

The HYAB consulted the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Home Affairs, Culture and Sports on February 9, 2026, regarding the five major proposed amendment directions to the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344) and is currently following up on the views raised by LegCo Members.The Government has commenced exchanges with the property management sector and will conduct public consultation at a later stage.Views will also be collected from the districts through the Working Groups on Building Management established under the District Councils, with the aim of finalising the concrete legislative proposals as soon as possible for submission to the LegCo for scrutiny.

My colleagues and I are happy to answer questions from Members. Thank you.

The Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, Photo by Bastille Post

LCSD to present classical music lecture series "Paganini 24 Caprices" and "Romantic Piano Concertos"

The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will present two classical music lecture series from May to July, hosted by seasoned music practitioner Jimmy Shiu. Through appreciating the "24 Caprices" for solo violin by early Romantic period musician and Italian violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, alongside a selection of Romantic piano concertos, the lectures will explore the pursuit of virtuosity among musicians and the musical ingenuity embedded in these works.

The first series, "Paganini 24 Caprices", comprises four lectures. In addition to an overview of Paganini's life and musical style, the series will delve into his virtuosic masterpiece, "24 Caprices" - a work revered as a cornerstone of the violin repertoire and regarded as a precursor to 19th-century Romanticism. Each lecture will examine the technical demands of individual caprices, with violinist Wang Liang to present live demonstrations of the complete set. Excerpts will be performed at varied tempos and with different interpretive approaches, offering audiences deeper insights into the musical imagination contained in the entire work.

The second series, "Romantic Piano Concertos", consists of six lectures. Beyond examining the Romantic musicians' pursuit of virtuosity in piano concertos, the series will guide audiences to appreciate representative works composed between 1810 and 1940. It will also provide an overview of the development of the piano concerto, its general framework and new features introduced during the Romantic period, while also touching upon the development of the piano, orchestra and concert hall in the 19th century, and the rise of piano virtuosi as public figures.

Details of each lecture are as follows:

Classical Music Lecture Series 1: "Paganini 24 Caprices"

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Lecture 1

Date: May 20 (Wednesday)

Compositions: "24 Caprices": Nos. 1 - 6

Lecture 2

Date: May 27 (Wednesday)

Compositions: "24 Caprices": Nos. 7 - 12

Lecture 3

Date: June 3 (Wednesday)

Compositions: "24 Caprices": Nos. 13 - 18

Lecture 4

Date: June 10 (Wednesday)

Compositions: "24 Caprices": Nos. 19 - 24

Classical Music Lecture Series 2: "Romantic Piano Concertos"

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Lecture 1: Introduction and the Early Romantics

Date: June 17 (Wednesday)

Compositions: Beethoven's "Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat, 'Emperor'" and Mendelssohn's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in G minor"

Lecture 2: Two Charismatic Pianists

Date: June 24 (Wednesday)

Compositions: Chopin's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor" and Liszt's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-flat"

Lecture 3: The Two A minor Concertos

Date: July 8 (Wednesday)

Compositions: Schumann's "Piano Concerto in A minor" and Grieg's "Piano Concerto in A minor"

Lecture 4: Two Symphonic Concertos

Date: July 15 (Wednesday)

Compositions: Brahms' "Piano Concerto No. 1 in D minor" and "Piano Concerto No. 2 in B-flat"

Lecture 5: Bravura East and West!

Date: July 22 (Wednesday)

Compositions: Tchaikovsky's "Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor" and Saint-Saens' "Piano Concerto No. 2 in G minor"

Lecture 6: Romantic of the 20th Century

Date: July 29 (Wednesday)

Compositions: Rachmaninov's "Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor" and "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini"

Shiu graduated from the Hong Kong Baptist College, where he majored in Composition. He then pursued further studies at the University of Sheffield, the United Kingdom, where he earned a double Master's degree in Composition and Vocal Performance. He has been invited to give lectures and serve as master of ceremonies at concerts, and is also an arranger and choral conductor. Shiu has published several works related to music appreciation, and recently served as the writer of Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra's 50th anniversary publication.

Wang is currently the second associate concertmaster of the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra. He has served as soloist and leader at the Young Musicians European Orchestra's summer festival in Italy and Music in the Summer Air in Shanghai. He currently teaches at both the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts and Hong Kong Baptist University, and serves as visiting professor at Shenyang Conservatory of Music.

All lectures will be conducted in Cantonese and will start at 7.30pm at the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Space Museum. Each lecture will run for about one hour and 30 minutes. Tickets of "Paganini 24 Caprices" priced at $120, and "Romantic Piano Concertos" priced at $80 (for each lecture, with free seating), are now available at URBTIX (www.urbtix.hk). For telephone bookings, please call 3166 1288. For programme enquiries, please call 2268 7321 or visit www.lcsd.gov.hk/CE/CulturalService/Programme/en/music/programs_1950.html.