Summer Issue, 2013

Bobby Chan 陳昭俊 (BBA(IBGM),Year 2) Carmen Chan 陳昭彤 (BBA(IBGM) 2012) Thousand Lim 林道昇 (BBA(IBGM),Year 3) MichaelWong 黃偉納 (BSocSc(Govt&Laws) 2011) Saying yes to a better world This is the story of eight young people who are determined to change the world through nurturing a generation of social entrepreneurs and incubating early-stage social enterprises. Bobby, Carmen, Thousand, Michael and their team believe that they should equip and help people to know “why and how to sh” instead of just “giving them sh”, and so in 2010 they established YES Network: The People Incubator ( http://www.yesnetwork.org/ ) to provide training for those who see things differently and who want to boldly step out to push for progress through social enterprises. Founded in Hong Kong, YES Network also has a presence in places outside Hong Kong, such as Guangzhou and Shanghai. Recently, the team has been working with third sector intermediary agency NPI in China and HSBC on a project to empower 20 selected grass-roots social organisations from Guangdong province. These so-far neglected organisations have the potential to impact the lives of millions of people across southern China. Locally, YES Network has also been partnering with the University and the Hong Kong Jockey Club to run a three-month social enterprise incubation programme commencing in September 2013. Interested alumni and current students are warmly invited to participate. From a global perspective, the team members are thrilled to see their work being recognised. Last year, they were invited by Stanford University to attend its semi-annual Innovation Master Series. The team gathered invaluable rst-hand experiences by connecting with other top 48 “ Now is the time for a better world, not tomorrow.” Class Notes innovation experts from Silicon Valley – the birthplace of innovation. With more global capital from impact investment owing into the social enterprise industry and ever-growing support from governments, Bobby is upbeat. “Now is the time for a better world, not tomorrow, not some more convenient time in your career,” he says. ‘’It is today that every one of us should do our best to create a better world.”