Jennifer Yu Cheng Girls Impact Foundation and HKSTP Partner to Empower Teen Girls and Develop Women Tech Talent Pipeline for HK I&T Ecosystem

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The new collaboration between JYCGIF and HKSTP makes it crystal clear that the I&T ecosystem in Hong Kong and beyond is barriers-free for passionate and inspired girls and women: There is no glass ceiling for competent, creative and empowered women who seek to excel and lead in the future.

JYCGIF and HKSTP have signed an MoU on collaborative initiatives to create programmes that empower teen girls to pursue STEM subjects, both academically and professionally, with the goal of developing a talent pipeline of women talents interested in playing leading roles in the I&T ecosystem. The JYCGIF-HKSTP partnership will also include an upcoming “Ideathon” that will engage and activate teen girls in I&T by challenging them to find tech-forward solutions to societal issues.

The new partnership creates opportunities in I&T to unleash the full potential of the next generation, encouraging more girls to take up STEM studies and nurturing future leaders. “We hope to re-examine what the future can and should look like: a world in which no dream is too big, and no dreamer too small!” said Mrs Jennifer Yu Cheng, Founder of JYCGIF and Group President and Deputy Vice Chairwoman of CTF Education Group (CTFEG), at the MoU Signing Ceremony. “We aim to deepen our close collaboration. We will join hands to present teen girls with more opportunities and exposure to STEM and I&T for girls, through a series of curated seminars, workshops, visits to I&T corporations and Ideathon competitions.”

Yu Cheng’s sentiment was echoed by Dr Sunny Chai, Chairman of HKSTP. “A goal of this synergistic alliance is to inspire female secondary students by enhancing their exposure to the I&T ecosystem at HKSTP and beyond,” he said. “Both organisations want to help female students to identify their own future career paths.”

Flourishing I&T Climate        

Hong Kong’s I&T sector is evolving fast and is increasingly vibrant, thanks to enterprising local corporations and strong government support. It presents numerous opportunities for all young talent, regardless of gender.

At the ceremony, Ms Vriko Yu, Co-founder & CEO at Archireef, shared her personal journey of becoming an I&T entrepreneur. Initially Yu had encountered biases and stereotypes entrenched in the society and her family but her passion for marine ecosystem helped her persevere and the business grew. Archireef has expanded its business to the Middle East. “Most of our staff are women,” Yu said. “In the tech-based world, girls can bring new perspectives to the table. Girls should be open-minded to explore the opportunities.”    

 Delivering Positive Impact

JYCGIF’s immersive, interactive, and fun-filled programmes aim to inspire girls to tap into their full potential.

“We nurture girls on future ready journeys,” Yu Cheng noted. “Teen girls who attended the ‘FutureGen Girls Leadership Summit 2022’ shared that their interest in I&T was so ignited that they then joined the ‘New Industrialization Experiential Day’. Our curated programmes enriched their 360-degrees immersion in I&T, and they became motivated to embark on an ongoing journey to pursue new educational and career goals.”

Last summer, JYCGIF unveiled its flagship “10,000 Girls4Girls Coding⁺” (G4G Coding⁺) Summer Programme to equip and empower teen girls to become future ready. The programme not only helped girls build their digital literacy fundamentals so that they became more adaptable in the digital era, it also empowered them with leadership skills, represented by the ‘+’.

As part of G4G Coding⁺, JYCGIF also joined forces with large local corporations to launch the “JYCGIF CareerXplorer Programme” in March 2023. It inspires girls to map out their educational and future career goals. The programme offers hands-on opportunities for real-world learning through interactive workplace exposure to Hong Kong’s pillar industries.

On “New Industrialization Experiential Day” held together with HKSTP in April 2023, teen girls from 12 schools immersed themselves in futuristic workspaces at Data Technology Hub (DT Hub) in Tseung Kwan O INNOPARK.

Among the programmes’ avid participants was Ms Chan Oi Yiu of Hong Kong True Light College. She said that CareerXplorer and other programmes inspired her to contemplate the close link between empathy and design thinking.

Vice-principal of Hong Kong True Light College, Mr Chu Ka Tim, said the school observed markedly increased enthusiasm for STEM among its students after participating in JYCGIF programmes.