Tai Po SE Lab 2022
SES @ Tai Po SE Lab was held on 9 September at Tai Po Arts Centre with the theme “Enlightening Kwong Fuk Road”.
The SE Lab aimed to connect stakeholders from different sectors and to participate in imagining Tai Po’s re-industrialization. Speakers from across various backgrounds and sectors were invited to share their expertise and insights.
44 participants including representatives from various backgrounds and sectors, put their heads together, to come up with problem statements based on research findings about sustainable development prepared by the research team. These problem statements will be further extended through collaborations with our partner organisations.
Idea 1 - Community Innovation Builder Platform
The consortium of organisers of the Community Program in Tai Po strive to partner with existing innovation platforms, accelerators and intermediaries of various government funds such as SIE Fund, to co-develop Tai Po District specific technology-driven social innovation venture pipeline for access to fundings, venture building services and social business operations in local communities. The pipelines established collectively as a virtual platform are driven by the district-level analytical framework for assessment and social-technology-community-challenges match-making.
Idea 2 - Advocating "Caring Company" Towards "Carer Among Neighbourhood"
The consortium would also form working group(s) with community leaders and leading charity services group such as Tai Po Baptist Church Social Service and The Hong Kong Council of Social Service
(HKCSS) to spin off corporate responsibility recognition brand “Caring Company” into Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) and Creating Shared Values(CSV) - driven initiative “Carer Among Neighbourhood”.
The “Carer Among Neighbourhood” serves as an advanced benchmarking to guide corporates, especially real-economy based SMEs(e.g. manufacturing and supply-chain), to walk the talk of “Social” in ESG.
While the initiative of “Carer Among Neighbourhood” may drive SMEs to collaborate with social tech ventures synergistically, it could become a stronger call for action among the SMEs through flagship events in Tai Po together with the strategic districts.
Idea 3 - Curating Industrial 4.0 Innovation Festival in Tai Po
Capturing the regional development of Northern Metropolis and Re-Industrialisation Development Strategy, commercial and residential place-making flagship activity could be planned in Tai Po District as a connecting hub for key districts in Advanced Industrial Supply-Chain such as Northern District and Yuen Long District through the “Industrial 4.0 Innovation Festival”.
The Festival hence aims to efficiently promote local employment opportunities, business attention from overseas and Greater Bay Area, and talent match among the corporates in advanced manufacturing with the young talents in specialised research and development in advanced technologies, technology business management and vocational skilled talents in related sectors.
Idea 4 - Tai Po as a Pilot District of “District Services and Community Care Team”
"District Services and Community Care Teams"(first mentioned in the Chief Executive’s election manifesto) could increase community cohesion by providing community mutual assistance to the elderly for an “Elderly Friendly Community” of Tai Po. High density of ageing populations and insufficient elderly care centres as an urban challenge also make Tai Po to be one of the ideal pilot districts to support the government's district work. Tai Po Community Programmes could incorporate the elements of community care to build a network of volunteers by engaging different stakeholders.
