Twenty Hong Kong 20-year-olds discover Belgium

A group of twenty 20-year-olds from Hong Kong took part in a week-long exchange in Belgium on 24-31 August.  One of the highlights of the programme was their participation in the daunting, 100-kilometre Oxfam Trailwalker challenge on 26-27 August.  Of the 260 teams, each with four walkers, that took part in the Trailwalker, 12 were from Hong Kong, including five teams of young people.  All the teams finished the trek, with two Hong Kong adult teams finishing in the first five, and two Hong Kong youth teams finishing in the first 25.  Belgium Hong Kong Society Chairman, Mr Piet Steel, Deputy Representative of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels, Miss Alice Choi, and other VIPs took part in a shorter version of the walk.  The team of walkers that raised the most money for the charity event has been invited to participate in the Oxfam Trailwalker in Antwerp on 17-19 November 2017, which takes place around the time of the second edition of the "Belgium Week in Hong Kong".

 
Dubbed “Walk the Hong Kong Spirit”, the group’s visit was organised by the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, with the aim of broadening the horizons and promoting the participation of these 20 young people, who grew up together with the SAR.  During its week in Belgium the group received briefings from the European Commission, business people and chambers of commerce, NGOs and visited places like the New Belgica project in Boom and First World War sites in Flanders.
At a farewell dinner, the group exchanged its views and impressions of the visit with board members of the Belgium Hong Kong Society and its Chairman, Mr Piet Steel, and with the Special Representative for Hong Kong Economic and Trade Affairs to the European Union, Ms Shirley Lam.