Inheritors of the Earth

The progress towards sustainability is an arduous journey that needs the participation of people from all walks of life. It is not just academics who change the world with their decades of research and wisdom. Across the planet, young people are stepping up to the plate, and advocating for the causes they hold dear. In this article, we have collected the stories of four students from CUHK, three of them recent graduates and the fourth in her final year of study. With their vitality and passion, they have led the way in calling out for change and more understanding; and along the way, they have picked up years of experience that demonstrate that youth is no barrier when it comes to claiming a seat at the table.

Connie Siu (Year 4, Biomedical Engineering)

When she was only fifteen, Connie Siu got on a plane on her own for the first time in her life. But this was no ordinary trip: she was going halfway across the world to Mexico, to participate in a United Nations forum. ‘Sending a fifteen-year-old child on a 26-hour-flight to Mexico was pretty scary for my parents, but they were like, “just be safe” .’ It was a key step in her journey of youth advocacy, a journey that has taken her to places as far-flung and diverse as Rwanda and Switzerland.

Growing up in Hong Kong, Connie was exposed to different people and places from a very young age, and her curiosity has continued unabated. Her work in telecommunications, a field which connects different cultures with technology, provided her with an entry point to youth advocacy, and since then her interests have grown to encompass subjects such as the intersection of health and technology. ‘I think the Covid-19 pandemic has actually presented this pretty clearly: it could be health services or more advanced things like conducting remote surgeries.’ She is most interested in how technology helps solve social issues, such as digital inclusion and inequality.

Connie at the ITU’s Plenipotentiary Conference 2022 in Bucharest, Romania

Although she is still an undergraduate at CUHK, Connie has already accomplished a lot during her years here. ‘I’ve been going to different countries, attending conferences and creating a network,’ she says. ‘For example, this year there have been a lot of UN conferences, surrounding their strategic plans. They wanted to include our voices, and I’ve been invited to some of these to provide my input, and also just to talk with the different world leaders.’ She credits the ‘global perspective’ found at CUHK with furthering her understanding of global challenges and providing her with an international context. Courses on communication, too, helped sharpen her speaking skills in preparation for talking to international dignitaries.

Asked about her future plans, she muses about continuing with advocacy as a career, but adds that this is not her responsibility alone. ‘I feel like anybody can be a sustainability advocate,’ she says. ‘Sustainability involves a lot of different aspects, and you can have a field or profession which you specialise in, and you can think about how that profession or field can impact sustainability as a whole or intersect with other fields.’ Although many might feel that it would be difficult to balance their studies with other extra-curricular activities, Connie — who has herself juggled her advocacy with an internship at the UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU) — firmly believes that the two are not mutually exclusive. ‘How you use your knowledge to make an impact — I think that is more important than just getting good grades.’

Matthew Kwok (17/Law) (left) and Raymond Yang (17/Government and Public Administration) (right)

When we meet up for our interview on Zoom, co-founders of JUST FEEL Matthew Kwok and Raymond Yang are sitting in front of a huge banner that reads ‘Connection Before Solution’ . This short and simple motto, says Matthew, summarises their whole approach. ‘When people have arguments or differing views, is it possible for them to empathise with each other’ s feelings and emotions in addition to staking their claims?’

Both co-founders learnt about the value of communication while growing up, particularly during their undergraduate studies at CUHK. Raymond mentions traumatic experiences he had as a child, which made him understand the importance of communicating about emotions; while Matthew credits the happy environment of hostel life, where many hours were spent in discussion with his hostel mates, as a catalyst. Despite having studied Government & Public Affairs and Law respectively, their stint as teachers in a Teach for Hong Kong programme opened their eyes to how ‘the education system in Hong Kong — perhaps even the world — did not have a very effective or all-rounded approach’ in teaching students how to handle their emotions while dealing with interpersonal relationships. As a result, shortly after graduating in 2017, they joined hands with another CUHK alumnus, Anthony Ngai to set up JUST FEEL, an organisation that provided school-based materials for schools to promote ‘Compassionate Communication’ , such as interactive curriculum and toolkits, Feelings and Needs Cards and emotions tracking diaries. This technique, developed by psychologist Marshall Rosenberg, emphasises ‘connection before solution’ , and hopes to facilitate the development of empathy and positive relationships in students.

JUST FEEL provides school-based materials such as interactive curriculum and toolkits, Feelings and Needs Cards and emotions tracking diaries for schools to promote ‘Compassionate Communication’

Despite this, the duo still see promising signs. For instance, Matthew is encouraged by how emotional well-being has become an important part of the conversation, and how the importance of empathy in emotional education has been acknowledged. ‘I think there’ s been a change in recent years, which is a joy to see.’

Having worked with over thirty schools in less than five years, Matthew and Raymond are eager to widen the scope of their advocacy for emotional education. Mindful of how they still find CUHK a ‘therapeutic’ place, they have returned to the University with their knowledge and skills, and are currently teaching a course at Lee Woo Sing College that focuses on ‘Compassionate Communication’ . ‘I see it as going back to share my experiences, like I used to do with my hostel mates as an undergraduate at CUHK,’ says Matthew.

Hermia Chan (23/Global Studies)

When talking about the people who inspired or motivated them, most people might reach for a famous visionary, a politician or some other public personality. But the most revelatory moment for Hermia Chan came from a friend’ s Instagram feed. The friend was attending a climate event in Milan, and whereas most people in this position might have been awed by the mere presence of prominent figures, her friend expressed only indignation at being relegated to participant status. ‘That was the point where I realised that “youth advocates” often underestimate their own position, which we don’ t need to: if we’ ve been invited to this event, then we have a reason to be there and speak.’ It was there that she realised the possibilities offered by youth advocacy, of being a proactive player in her quest for climate awareness.

Hermia has been pursuing a more sustainable relationship with our environment ever since she started looking up information on vegetarianism. ‘I learnt about the problematic relationship between the food industry and resource allocation. We put loads of resources into growing feed for animals, but these resources could be used so much better.’ She learnt more from online communities about this issue, and that was the first step in a trans-continental journey that has seen her become one of the most active young advocates for climate, culminating in her attendance at the COP26 climate summit, held in Glasgow in 2021.

Hermia served as an MoCC Ambassador during her studies in CUHK, where she embarked on her journey of climate advocacy

Outside the school, she has been an eager participant in climate advocacy. She played an important role in the founding of Network of Environmental Student Societies (NESS) as a way of drawing together like-minded people across the world, and ‘gathering their energies together’ to accomplish certain goals, including a climate emergency summit. They have also successfully held a Green Jobs Fair aimed at demonstrating the variety of green jobs and sustainability programs available in Hong Kong. This year, NESS and Business Environment Council teamed up again to launch its second edition, bringing together about 200 participants, speakers and workshop facilitators.

Now in Germany studying a master’ s degree, Hermia says that she wants to broaden her knowledge base. A social sciences student during her time at CUHK, her interests now lie in policy-making, especially how environmental policies can benefit the general public, and she wants to work for think tanks and do policy research after her graduation. Hermia has recently started working part-time at the International Carbon Action Partnership, an international forum for governments and public authorities that have implemented or are planning to implement emissions trading systems (ETS).
‘As to my advocacy directions, I’m still looking for answers there,’ she says. ‘But Europe is full of convenient opportunities one can participate in, and since I’ m here…’ She breaks off with a chuckle, the possibilities blossoming in her mind.

Like Connie, Matthew, Raymond and Hermia, many young adults are eager to further their aspirations for sustainable development. The lack of institutional support and visibility in the community, however, has always proved an obstacle. To support young climate enthusiasts in their quest for creating positive social change, CUHK’s Jockey Club Museum of Climate Change (MoCC) launched in December 2023 a unique and prestigious climate leadership and youth engagement initiative, ‘MoCC Scholars’. The initiative aims to help alumni who have served as MoCC Ambassadors during their study in CUHK build the necessary networks that can further empower them to be role models for younger generations. Launched during the 10th anniversary of the MoCC and the 60th anniversary of the University, this initiative showcases our distinguished MoCC Alumni and create more pathways to success, so that they can continue to make a positive impact on our ever-changing world. Natalie Chung (19/Geography and Resource Management), former MoCC Ambassador, was inaugurated as the first MoCC Scholar during the MoCC 10th anniversary celebration, marking her as a trailblazing leader in the field of climate action and sustainable development.

Natalie Chung, the first MoCC Scholar