Mr. Paul Wong Yan Yin, JP, District Officer, Sham Shui Po District Office, Home Affairs Department (first from left), joined by Ms. Susan Kwek, Head of Operations & Technology, Citi Hong Kong, (first from right), presents the award for the fourth “Social Innovation • Community 4.0” Competition to the champion team from HKSYCIA Wong Tai Shan Memorial College for their innovation “Sunshine to Elderly”.

Five award prototypes were showcased at the ceremony.

Each year, a district in Hong Kong is selected as the focal area – Central and Western District in its first year, Kowloon City District in the second, and North District third. Sham Shui Po District was the focus this year. Through experiential learning in the community and comprehensive training in design thinking, technology and making prototypes, as well as interaction with local citizens with the support of the District Office and NGOs in the area, participating students were challenged to identify a community issue and come up with solutions to address it.

15 prototypes and 44 concept boards are now being exhibited to the public at Form Society and Parallel Space on Tai Nam Street until July 18.

Mr. Paul Wong Yan Yin, JP, District Officer, Sham Shui Po District Office, Home Affairs Department, said, “Social Innovation ‧Community 4.0 encourages young people to apply innovative thinking to tackle social issues in Sham Shui Po. It has set out a new paradigm for community building by young people. I look forward to seeing the participants to keep contributing to the community in their future endeavors.”

Ms. Susan Kwek, Head of Operations & Technology, Citi Hong Kong said, “Citi Foundation has been supporting initiatives that improve youth employability and promote sustainability. This program not only enables young people to understand the community and to 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 meaning of team spirt. At the same time, it also helps build a sustainable city by addressing community issues. Young minds are key to shaping a brighter future for all, and Citi Foundation aspires to equip them with the skills and networks, which will contribute to their success in our ever-changing world.”

Mr. Chua Hoi Wai, JP, Chief Executive of HKCSS, said, “The Social Innovation Community 4.0 Competition has launched in its 4^th year. In addition to the genuine support of Citi Foundation, the engagement of the government departments, supporting NGOs and community partners provides a chance for the students to experience a complete journey of social innovation. Through community visit and stakeholder’s interaction, the teams are able to create innovative solutions in response to the specific social problems. The mindset of “thinking out of the box” and breaking through is definitely the collective goals of the society. It is hoped that more creative proposals could be implemented in the community and all students could continue to pursue your passion towards the society by contributing to the well-being of all communities together with the social sector in the future.”

The finalists’ prototypes will undergo four rounds of testing in the community on July 20 and 22 this year. Teams will demonstrate on-site how their prototypes operate in practice, while residents in Shan Shui Po District will be invited to provide user feedback in order to improve the feasibility and practicality of the prototypes.

The fifth “Social Innovation • Community 4.0” Competition will be open for applications in mid-October, and the new cohort will focus on social issues in Yau Tsim Mong District. It is hoped that the competition inspires the students to turn their ideas into action for the betterment of the community, thereby advancing social innovation in our society.

Hashtag: #Citibank

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach (www.media-outreach.com)