Happenings

Our Highlight
Organization
New Co-Directors for the Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance!

New Co-Directors for the Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance! We are thrilled to announce Dr Winnie Law and Dr Vivian Chu as the new Co-Directors of our Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance. Dr Winnie Law is the Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer at the Centre. Her expertise […]

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Research
The 20th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC)

Professor Wai Fung Lam, Dr. Jessica Williams and Dr. Vivian Chu attended the 20th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (June 15–21, 2025). Relating to the Centre’s Forest Village project, Jessica presented on “Participatory Approaches to Ecosystem Service Assessment: Integrating Community Assessment […]

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Event
The Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment Launching Ceremony cum Market Fair 2025

The Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment Launching Ceremony cum Market Fair 2025 will be composed of Project Launching Ceremony, Market Booth Fair, Interactive Workshops, Thematic Exhibition, Inclusive Performance and Sharing Sessions. It aims to serve as an essential platform, for members from all walks of life to discover and learn about the potential and […]

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Event
Diversity and Inclusion Arts Festival and Diverse Abilities · Inclusive Workplace Recognition Scheme

The Centre for Civil Society and Governance is invited to attend the Opening ceremony of Diversity and Inclusion Arts Festival and Diverse Abilities · Inclusive Workplace Recognition Scheme co-organised by Labour and Welfare Bureau and Arts With the Disabled Association Hong Kong. Under the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment, we are pleased to […]

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Admission
Career Talk cum admission Briefing for Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance

There is growing recognition that sustainability is necessary in everything we do, and more examples of various functional roles integrating accountability into organizational systems are becoming evident. The SLG Programme offers you multiple ways to integrate sustainability into your career path empowering you to make a difference on bigger, critical issues our communities face. Join […]

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Event
Survey: “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) in the Workplace and Disability Employment in Hong Kong

The Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong would like to invite your company to participate in a questionnaire survey to gauge Hong Kong corporations’ DEI policies and practices, as well as inclusive employment for people with disabilities. The survey is part of the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive […]

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Event
Forest Village Festival 2024

The “Forest Village Festival” is an annual celebration organised towards the year-end to provide fun-filled events for the public to appreciate the revitalisation effort of Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong. The festival offers visitors the unique experience of living with nature and culture through various thematic workshops, ecotours, and overnight camping. By featuring the […]

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Admission
Career Talk cum admission Briefing for Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance

The demand for sustainability professionals keeps growing! There’s increasing pressure on individuals and organisations to make informed decisions and take action, both individually and collectively to attain the positive impact our society and planet needs. No matter what field or discipline your training and expertise lies, you can advance policy, build capacity, mobilise and empower […]

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Organization

New Co-Directors for the Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance!

06:30 - 20:30

New Co-Directors for the Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance! We are thrilled to announce Dr Winnie Law and Dr Vivian Chu as the new Co-Directors of our Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance. Dr Winnie Law is the Deputy Director and Principal Lecturer at the Centre. Her expertise lies in community and stakeholder engagement, social impact assessment, sustainable urban regeneration and rural revitalisation. Dr Law contributes significantly to local and regional sustainability issues and integrating sustainability theories into practice through policy research and action projects. Dr Law has more than 20 years of teaching experience at territory education and served on various Hong Kong SAR Government advisory boards, as well as European Union and United Nations city planning and environmental management programmes. Dr Vivian Chu is a Lecturer at the Centre and has served as the Programme’s Deputy Director, with research interests in environmental policy, collaborative governance and sustainability. Dr Chu leads efforts in academic research on building sustainable communities, sustainable behaviour and policy tools, as well as sustainability assessment. Dr. Chu teaches a number of undergraduate and postgraduate courses offered by the Centre on environmental policy and governance. Together, Dr Law and Dr Chu will spearhead the Programme, leading continuous enhancement of academic rigour under the fast-changing era of sustainability. They will work closely with the prestigious teaching team to uphold the best academic quality for students. The Centre wish to confer their gratitude to Dr Margaret Burnett for her co-ordination work during her tenure as Programme Director. The teaching team looks forward to continuing working with Dr. Burnett in the Capstone and other courses. Please join us in congratulating them on their new roles! About the Programme : Launched in 2003, our Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance equips future leaders with skills to tackle pressing sustainability challenges through innovative solutions. The Programme combines interdisciplinary coursework, hands-on projects, and industry partnerships to prepare graduates for impactful careers in sustainability.

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Research

The 20th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC)

Professor Wai Fung Lam, Dr. Jessica Williams and Dr. Vivian Chu attended the 20th Biennial Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons (IASC) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (June 15–21, 2025). Relating to the Centre’s Forest Village project, Jessica presented on "Participatory Approaches to Ecosystem Service Assessment: Integrating Community Assessment and Values in Revitalising peri-urban Systems" as part of the panel on "Decision-Making in Social-Ecological Systems and Commons Dilemmas" which was also moderated by Dr. Williams. Here, initial research findings were shared to highlight how such participatory approaches can identify diverse stakeholder needs in complex social-ecological systems, provide insights into management approaches and manage trade-offs. Vivian’s presentation was based on experiences accumulated from a number of the Centre’s project. Her presentation ‘University-NGO collaborations for the co-creation and scaling of social innovations’ was part of the panel titled ‘Co-creating Social Value and Innovation’ where we aim to contribute to the literature through a typology of universities-NGO partnerships in relation to the level of complementarity and the outcomes achieved. Part of the outcomes we highlighted in the presentation is the effect of scaling social innovations. Special thanks to Brenda Bushouse for organizing and moderating this insightful discussion. Vibrant exchanges with fellow panellists and participants—including Lu Yu, Tamara Keshecki, Isabel Guerrero, Raul Lejano, (among many others) - have contributed to enriching our conference experience. The first day of the conference was concluded with an incredible performance by The Expandable Brass Band bringing their joyful music and spreading their charm to help everyone to feel refreshed for the week of intellectual exchanges. Many thanks to colleagues at the University of Massachusetts, the IASC 2025 organisers, for arranging the insightful excursions with Cherry Hill Cohousing and Sirius Ecovillage. Cherry Hill Cohousing has 32 houses and a common house (community building), a wood workshop, an office building, and gardens that are shared and completely managed by community members. We had the opportunity to learn how a group of ~80 people self-organises their community life, how decisions are made and the ways in which management tasks are shared. Our host Jerry explained the difference between decisions made through consensus versus a consent-based system and the latter is the mode that they find works best for their decentralized governance system. Sirius Ecovillage operates as both a non-profit educational center and spiritual community that embodies sustainable living. Members of the community share the responsibilities of managing the grounds which contain organic gardens, greenhouses, and other facilities. It was inspiring to find out how members of this intentional community support each other’s wellbeing and personal growth in pursuits of sustainability and mindfulness. We are grateful to our knowledgeable hosts Jerry Koch-Gonzalez (Cherry Hill) and Marianne Connor, Education Program Manager (Sirius) from whom we have learnt a great deal.

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Event

The Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment Launching Ceremony cum Market Fair 2025

The Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment Launching Ceremony cum Market Fair 2025 will be composed of Project Launching Ceremony, Market Booth Fair, Interactive Workshops, Thematic Exhibition, Inclusive Performance and Sharing Sessions. It aims to serve as an essential platform, for members from all walks of life to discover and learn about the potential and values of PWD in different aspects, to exchange knowledge and lessons, as well as to facilitate dialogues, collaborations and partnerships in order to create more opportunities for PWD, foster the development of inclusive employment and make Hong Kong a more inclusive and sustainable society. Date and Time: 2 May 2025 (Friday)        1p.m. – 7p.m. 3 May 2025 (Saturday)  11a.m. – 7p.m. 4 May 2025 (Sunday)     11a.m. – 7p.m. Venue: Atrium, L1, D PARK, Tsuen Wan Fee:  Free Click HERE to register

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Event

Diversity and Inclusion Arts Festival and Diverse Abilities · Inclusive Workplace Recognition Scheme

The Centre for Civil Society and Governance is invited to attend the Opening ceremony of Diversity and Inclusion Arts Festival and Diverse Abilities · Inclusive Workplace Recognition Scheme co-organised by Labour and Welfare Bureau and Arts With the Disabled Association Hong Kong. Under the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment, we are pleased to be involved in formulating the assessment criteria of Diverse Abilities · Inclusive Workplace Recognition Scheme and "Caring Employer" medal as announced in the Chief Executive’s 2024 Policy Address. With aims to commending employers who actively engage and support PWDs and foster inclusive workplaces, The medal will feature different categories, covering large corporations, small and medium enterprises, and social enterprises/public organisations, etc.

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Admission

Career Talk cum admission Briefing for Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance

18:30 - 20:30

There is growing recognition that sustainability is necessary in everything we do, and more examples of various functional roles integrating accountability into organizational systems are becoming evident. The SLG Programme offers you multiple ways to integrate sustainability into your career path empowering you to make a difference on bigger, critical issues our communities face. Join us for a discussion with our alumni who will share their experience with integrating the values of sustainability into what they do, and how they see themselves contributing to societal well-being. Date: 28 February 2025 (Friday) Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm Registration link: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y... (Zoom link will be sent 1 day prior to the event)

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Event

Survey: “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” (DEI) in the Workplace and Disability Employment in Hong Kong

The Centre for Civil Society and Governance at The University of Hong Kong would like to invite your company to participate in a questionnaire survey to gauge Hong Kong corporations’ DEI policies and practices, as well as inclusive employment for people with disabilities. The survey is part of the Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment, funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The Centre has commissioned Social Policy Research Limited (SPR) to carry out this survey and organisations will be selected through the random sampling method. SPR will conduct interviews with participating companies from February to April 2025. Interviewers will carry identification badges issued by SPR for verification. We kindly request your company to assist and provide information to the survey team. If you have any questions regarding the survey or the identity of the interviewers, please contact Ms. Kwok at the " Jockey Club Collaborative Project for Inclusive Employment" research survey hotline: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.: 2511 1548 Monday to Friday, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.: 9448 0715

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Event

Forest Village Festival 2024

The “Forest Village Festival” is an annual celebration organised towards the year-end to provide fun-filled events for the public to appreciate the revitalisation effort of Mui Tsz Lam and Kop Tong. The festival offers visitors the unique experience of living with nature and culture through various thematic workshops, ecotours, and overnight camping. By featuring the countless natural, social and cultural capitals and assets at the two villages, we hope the public can be inspired and join us in protecting the valuable landscape of our countryside. This year, there will be a two-day carnival, a first sunrise of the year tour and a camping-and-trekking event to explore the rural treasures. The “Forest Village Festival” will be conducted in Chinese and details are only available in Chinese.

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Admission

Career Talk cum admission Briefing for Master of Social Sciences in Sustainability Leadership and Governance

18:30 - 20:30

The demand for sustainability professionals keeps growing! There’s increasing pressure on individuals and organisations to make informed decisions and take action, both individually and collectively to attain the positive impact our society and planet needs. No matter what field or discipline your training and expertise lies, you can advance policy, build capacity, mobilise and empower for sustainable development. Join us for a discussion with our alumni who will share their experience of how their sustainability knowledge is being actioned. We will discuss how sustainability-based learning must be central to how we think, make decisions, act, and discharge our responsibilities toward one another and the planet. Date: 21 November 2024 (Thursday) Time: 6:30 – 8:30 pm Registration link: https://hkuems1.hku.hk/hkuems/ec_hdetail.aspx?guest=Y... (Zoom link will be sent 1 day prior to the event)

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Organization

CCSG is now a TNFD Forum Member

We are pleased to announce that the Centre for Civil Society and Governance is now a member of the Taskforce on Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) Forum. With over 1,600 members from various sectors — including corporations, financial institutions, business associations, government bodies, inter-governmental organizations, NGOs and academia — TNFD drives a strong movement toward integrating nature-related issues into businesses’ and capital markets’ decision-making for nature-positive outcomes. We are pleased to be the first university in Hong Kong joining the Forum. Looking into the future, we aim to enhance our engagement with the Forum and other stakeholders as the Centre places more emphasis on spearheading discussions and collaborations on Nature-based Solutions (NbS). Together, we can make a meaningful impact in co-creating a resilient and sustainable future for all.

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