History

The Young Members’ Council (YMC) of the Chinese YMCA of Hong Kong was founded in 1969, right after The Hong Kong Council of Social Service actively encouraged all youth service providers to set up regional youth councils for fostering the friendship among local youths, serving the society and raising discussions and suggestions related to social issues.

At the time of establishment, YMC gathered 11 Youth Councillors from different centres of the Association, with the core mission of voicing out and advocating on behalf of youth members after thorough discussions on feedback collected from members. YMC also primarily focused on assisting in the coordination of major events and programmes of the Association such as the annual Athletic Meet, Aquatic Meet and Youth Ballroom Banquet.

In the face of the ever-changing needs of youths and society, YMC has undergone numerous changes. Since 1988, to further promote youths’ awareness of the local constitutional development and importance of democracy in elections, YMC has revised the election procedures in accordance with the Legislative Council. Rather than being elected by a small committee of members of his or her affiliated centre, every Youth Councillor is now elected through direct votes from all members of the centre.

Over the years, YMC has continuously strived to contribute to the development of youths and society, which is manifested in the recently-revised constitution that outlines the following mission and endeavours of the YMC:

1) To provide suggestions for services of the Association;

2) To express opinions towards social issues and affairs;

3) To promote the YMCA movement through facilitating the Association in the coordination of mass events and programmes;

4) To foster the communication between members and the Association; and

5) To strengthen the team spirit among Youth Councillors.

Recent Development

The YMC has been playing a key role in the local and global communities. First, Youth Councillors are invited to sit in important committees of the Association such as the Social Service Committee, Hong Kong Council of YMCAs, etc. Further, in recent years, YMC has organised a series of researches and forums to collect youths’ feedback on social issues that are of concern to them such as employment, social welfare, etc. At the same time, they also bridge youth members with opportunities to engage in fruitful dialogues with leaders in society and representatives from different government bodies and industries. All these initiatives help encourage youths to become aware of the society and to voice out their opinions.

At the global level, Youth Councillors are empowered to attend and speak in various international conferences and meetings on behalf of the Association, thus fostering their participation in the YMCA movement. Youth Councillors extend such global exposure to the youth members of the Association and nurture them into global citizens through coordinating periodic study or service trips.