The Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (DSEJ) announced yesterday that it will be launching a youth commendation scheme to encourage young people to share their inspirational stories and spread “positive energy”.
The scheme will be hosted by the bureau, organised by the Macau Youth Federation (MYF) in conjunction with government-owned broadcaster TDM.
Addressing a press conference about the scheme at the bureau, Chan Iok Wai, chief of the bureau’s Training and Support Division for Youth Associations, said the scheme aimed to collect inspirational stories about how to overcome difficulties and thereby spread positive energy to young people.
The inspirational stories must consist of a maximum of 500 words in Portuguese or 500 characters in Chinese.
According to Chan, it is the third time the bureau will host the scheme, noting the first and second times were in 2012 and 2014. Last year’s scheme was postponed for a year because of a schedule clash, Chan said.
Chan underlined that the jury, which comprises members of the Youth Affairs Committee and DSEJ officials, will select up to 10 winners, each of whom will receive cash prizes of 3,000 patacas and a trophy. There will be no out right winner.
He said the jury would evaluate each story based on several criteria, such as the impact it has on society and its level of inspiration to young people.
According to an email from the bureau to reporters yesterday, 41 young residents applied for the event in 2014.
Chan also said the budget for the 2014 scheme was about 500,000 patacas, while this year’s was expected to reach 730,000 patacas, adding the rise in the budget was due to inflation and the increase in advertising costs.
In order to encourage young people to face the struggles they may be encountering in a positive way, Chan said the bureau had
invited previous winners who shared their stories in six sessions with secondary school pupils and other young people in 2015 and last year.
According to Mok Chi Wai, president of the Macau Youth Federation, who co-presided over yesterday’s press conference, Macau ID card holders aged between 18 and 29 who have been nominated by a registered non-profit organisation or a resident aged at least 21, are eligible to apply.
According to a statement by the bureau yesterday, applications for the scheme will be accepted from today to August 25. Information on the event is available on the bureau and the federation’s websites: www.dsej.gov.mo and www.myf.org.mo.
Chan Iok Wai, chief of the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau’s (DSEJ) Training and Support Division for Youth Associations, addresses yesterday’s press conference about the bureau’s youth commendation scheme. Photo: Debby Seng
