Empowering Women: 'She Inspires' Mentorship Program Celebrates First Graduation and Launches Second Cohort

2026-09-05 13:53 Last Updated At：14:08

"She Inspires" Mentorship Programme First Cohort Graduation cum Second Cohort Kick-off Ceremony held successfully

The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau's "She Inspires" Mentorship Programme held its First Cohort Graduation cum Second Cohort Kick-off Ceremony today (September 5). The Chief Secretary for Administration, Mr Chan Kwok-ki, and the Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Miss Alice Mak, officiated at the ceremony.

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"She Inspires" Mentorship Programme First Cohort Graduation cum Second Cohort Kick-off Ceremony held successfully Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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"She Inspires" Mentorship Programme First Cohort Graduation cum Second Cohort Kick-off Ceremony held successfully Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

Mr Chan noted in his speech, "The achievements of the first cohort had been encouraging. The Chief Executive had therefore announced in last year's Policy Address that the mentee quota would be increased by 50 per cent to 120 in the second cohort, enabling more students to benefit. The second cohort has successfully brought together over 70 women leaders as mentors and received over 430 mentee applications, which fully reflected the recognition of and expectations for the Programme."

Mr Chan encouraged mentees from both cohorts to dare to dream, dare to try and dare to take on responsibility. He called on them to set goals boldly, explore different industries and opportunities, and embrace their responsibilities towards family and society, so that the power of women can truly shine on the broader stage of Hong Kong's and the nation's development.

Miss Mak expressed her heartfelt respect and gratitude to the mentors of both cohorts. She noted that, over the past year, many mentees had shared that the Programme had strengthened their aspirations for career development and helped them rediscover their own potential, which is a true testament to the power of mentorship.

Miss Mak stated, "Despite your busy schedules, you were willing to devote your time to generously sharing with the younger generation the professional knowledge and life experience you have accumulated over the years. This is where the spirit of passing the torch begins, and it lies at the very heart of this Programme." She also introduced the Buddy Programme arrangement newly added this year, under which graduates of the first cohort will serve as buddies to the new cohort, with a view to passing on the strength of women from one cohort to another.

The Programme matches local female university students with women leader mentors, and provides relevant training and activities to help them enhance their skills, build confidence and network to thrive in their future career, nurturing the future strength that "hold up half the sky". For the first cohort of the Programme, 53 women leaders participated as mentors and were matched with more than 80 mentees. The second cohort has brought together over 70 women leaders as mentors and 120 students as mentees.

Also officiating at the ceremony were the Chairperson of the Women's Commission (WoC), Dr Eliza Chan, and the Permanent Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Patrick Li. The Under Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs, Mr Clarence Leung, members of the WoC, mentors and mentees participating in the Programme as well as representatives from local universities also attended the ceremony.

LegCo Transport Delegation Concludes Beijing Visit, Gains Insights on Smart Transport and Traffic Management.

LegCo Panel on Transport concludes duty visit in Beijing

The following is issued on behalf of the Legislative Council Secretariat:

The delegation of the Legislative Council (LegCo) Panel on Transport concluded its duty visit in Beijing today (September 5), and will depart for Hong Kong in the evening.

In the morning, the delegation visited the headquarters of Amap to receive a briefing from representatives on how traffic big data analysis is utilised to assist the Government in real-time monitoring of highway traffic flow and road congestion, enabling precise traffic diversion and enhancing traffic management effectiveness.

Members noted that Amap integrates map, navigation and real-time traffic information to enable users to plan efficient travel routes. Members also explored with representatives on how to use artificial intelligence to deepen traffic data analysis, in order to effectively alleviate road traffic load and promote smart transport development.

Concluding the four-day duty visit, the delegation leader, Dr Chan Han-pan, stated that the duty visit was fruitful and of great significance. He said, "The visit has deepened Members' understanding of Beijing's ride-hailing platforms, smart transport applications, autonomous driving and urban road planning, and we were deeply impressed that local developments are very mature and advanced. The experience gained from this duty visit will help Members provide precise recommendations to the Administration in the future regarding the development of the Northern Metropolis and overall transport policy, thereby facilitating the implementation of relevant various transport measures in a more efficient and grounded manner."

The delegation, led by the Chairman of Panel on Transport, Dr Chan Han-pan, visited Beijing from September 2 to 5. A total of 13 members and non-members of the Panel participated in the duty visit. The Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, has also led a government delegation to join the duty visit.

Empowering Women: 'She Inspires' Mentorship Program Celebrates First Graduation and Launches Second Cohort

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