The Cultural Affairs Bureau and General Association of Chinese Students of Macao organises the participation of a group of 30 local students in the annual MaD (Make a Difference) Forum, a large-scale youth exchange event in Hong Kong.
The Cultural Affairs Bureau (IC) and General Association of Chinese Students of Macao (AECM) are organising the participation of a group of 30 local students in the annual MaD (Make a Difference) Forum, a large-scale youth exchange event, to be held at the Kwai Tsing Theatre, in Hong Kong, from 22-24 January 2016. The event aims at inspiring MaD participants to develop their potential, view society from multiple perspectives and explore creativity, ultimately building a better civil society. MaD 2016 is themed “Village Reinvented”, prompting participants to explore their imagination in practical ways in a spirit of change. More than 1,000 youngsters in the fields of art, theatre, architecture, design, media and social innovation from over 170 Asian cities, will be engaged in cross-sector creative collaborations, as well as interacting with innovators and change makers, thereby broadening their international horizons while experiencing creativity. The 3-day event features a rich programme with renowned speakers from different areas from UK, USA, Hong Kong and Taiwan who were invited to share their experiences, as well as creative workshops and special programmes aimed at inspiring young people to practise brainstorming at an individual, economic, social and environmental level. Activity highlights include thematic exchanges at the three Villagers’ Assemblies, namely “Civic Interventions”—designed to engage citizens in their sense of belonging, to bring bottom-up innovation, and to inform the government with concrete examples and possibilities of improvement; “Open-source Inventions”—designed to explore the development of civic science across cultures, and also to work with environmental groups in Mainland China to obtain a rippling impact; and, “Land Story Writing”—in which, through writing, land and community art, endearing memories of the villagers and the land are recollected and registered, reflecting genuine indigenous values. Other interactive programmes include Open Studios, Chatrooms, Excursions, Cinema, Ripple Forum and The Free Market. Since 2011, IC has been co-operating with the AECM organising the participation of local students and youths in the annual MaD Forum managed by the Make A Difference Institute, in order to provide learning and exchange opportunities for young Macao talents and encourage them to explore their creativity.