The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) announced today (21 October 2024) the launch of the Equal Opportunity Youth Ambassador Scheme (Scheme) for another year, under which 50 tertiary students will be recruited to become Equal Opportunity Youth Ambassadors. These students will engage in a series of experiential learning activities, including anti-sexual harassment training, to cultivate their understanding of the values of diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI), as well as deepen their awareness of sexual harassment. Applications for the Scheme are now open, with the enrolment deadline being 17 November 2024.

To promote the values of DEI among the younger generation and rally young staunch supporters for equal opportunities, the EOC organised the Scheme in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years respectively, which received favourable response. In order to sustain the positive impact of the Scheme, the EOC is organising the Scheme again in the 2024/25 school year to further promote the DEI values to young people.

EOC Chairperson Ms Linda LAM Mei-sau said, “This is the third consecutive year for the EOC to organise the Scheme. The tertiary students who participated in the previous rounds all found the Scheme very meaningful, which enriched their understanding of equal opportunities and broadened their horizons. Through the experiential learning activities, the Youth Ambassadors not only had the opportunity to interact with different communities and cultures, but they could also put DEI values into practice.”

Ms Lam continued, “During last year’s Scheme, we introduced anti-sexual harassment training and requested the Youth Ambassadors to organise activities to promote anti-sexual harassment messages on campuses through online and offline platforms after the training. The Youth Ambassadors expressed that their knowledge on sexual harassment was enhanced through the training and the organisation of promotional activities. To continue equipping the tertiary students with the necessary skills and knowledge to create respectful and inclusive campuses, we have retained the anti-sexual harassment element in this year’s programme. We hope to increase the sensitivity of the Youth Ambassadors towards sexual harassment and make them become ‘active bystanders’ to help prevent incidents of sexual harassment.”

The EOC will arrange for the Youth Ambassadors to participate in various experiential learning activities from January to June next year. In addition to anti-sexual harassment training, other activities include learning how to serve as a guide runner for athletes with visual and hearing impairments, participating in a multicultural tour to experience the cultures of local and ethnic minority communities, visiting a company to gain insights into DEI in the workplace, and exploring barrier-free facilities and experiencing the difficulties faced by people with disabilities and their caregivers in daily activities, etc.

To apply for a chance of joining the Scheme, interested tertiary students can submit an application form together with a short article or video expressing their views on equal opportunities via the Scheme’s website on or before 17 November 2024. For more details, please visit the Scheme’s dedicated website: www.eoc.org.hk/youth.

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