The Government today launched the tenth phase of recruitment under the Member Self-recommendation Scheme for Youth, with applications open until October 5.
The latest phase covers advisory committees spanning a wide spectrum of policy areas. This includes the District Youth Community Building Committees and the District Youth Development and Civic Education Committees across all 18 districts, which were established by the Home Affairs Department.
To be eligible for appointment, applicants for the district-level youth committees must be aged between 16 and 35, while applicants for the other advisory committees must be aged between 18 and 35.
Candidates are required to submit an explanation of their suitability for their chosen committee in either Chinese or English. This can be done via a written statement of no more than 600 words, or a video or audio clip no longer than three minutes.
Assessment panels will interview candidates and evaluate their commitment to community service, their understanding of the relevant policy areas, and their analytical and communication skills. Generally, each participating advisory committee will offer two seats for appointment, while the district-level youth committees across the 18 districts will offer more than 300 seats in total.
Subject to the volume of applications and the progress of the assessments, the recruitment exercise is expected to be completed in the first half of 2027.
The Home & Youth Affairs Bureau noted that the scheme has received an enthusiastic response since its inception, drawing a total of over 16,000 applications from the Pilot Scheme through to Phase 9. Aiming to engage more young people in public affairs and enhance mutual trust, the Government has actively expanded the scheme.
The target is to increase the number of participating advisory committees from around 60 in 2022 to no less than 180 within the current term of the Government. The bureau stated that this milestone will be successfully achieved with the implementation of the tenth phase.
Currently, young people hold about 680 posts on various government advisory and statutory bodies through direct or indirect appointments via the scheme. Reflecting this progress, the overall ratio of youth members on these bodies has risen from 7.8% at the end of 2017 to 15.5% in mid-2026.