HONG KONG: What makes people happy? What does innovation mean in the 21st century? How can one individual make a difference to the world?

Seeking to explore these questions with young people in Hong Kong, the non-profit organization Hong Kong Institute of Contemporary Culture (HKICC) is launching the Make A Difference (MAD) Forum from January 22-24 next year.

In the spirit of the TED conference in the US, the MAD Forum will feature 20-minute talks given by innovators, educators, entrepreneurs and scientists, said Rachel Chan, founder of InnoFoco. InnoFoco and communication consulting agency Imagination are co-organizers of MAD.

Standing for Technology, Entertainment and Design, the annual TED conference is famous for short lectures given by luminaries including former US President Bill Clinton, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, zoologist Jane Goodall, and evangelist Billy Graham.

For the MAD Forum, 20 speakers from seven countries in the fields of creativity, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship and self-discovery have been engaged, Chan said.

They include renowned creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson, designer Johan Maeda (named by Esquire magazine as one of the 21st century's most influential people), University of Massachusetts Amherst professor Kevin Fu (MIT Technology Review's 2009 Innovator of the Year), microfinance pioneer Alex Counts (President and CEO of the Grameen Foundation, an organization replicating the microfinance model of 2006 Nobel Peace Award winner Muhammad Yunus) and entrepreneur Tony Hsieh (the co-founder of online shoe seller Zappos.com).

Chan said creation of MAD was triggered by the perception that Hong Kong youth lack a passion for creativity and even life itself.

"In our study with focus groups, we found young people in Hong Kong hold quite a bleak view for their future and for Hong Kong," she said.

The focus groups said all they can see in their future is endless work, often in a field chosen by their parents rather than what they truly love.

In an equally cynical take, young people see Hong Kong as a soulless city immersing itself in pursuit of money. "One of them said Hong Kong is only pretending to a cosmopolitan," Chan said.

Such an attitude is certainly not what the government wants to see in its drive to make Hong Kong a regional creativity hub. But as an innovation guru pointed out to her over a dinner, "If you want to see creativity flourish, you can't expect it from a government or a parliament."

The government has been the most important support for MAD by granting HK$2 million of funding. MAD Forum was listed as one of the initiatives in Donald Tsang's policy address last month.

Hong Kong's biggest charity, Hong Kong Jockey Club, has provided another HK$1 million. The Kwai Tsing Theatre, with a capacity to accomodate 800 participants, will be used for free.

These funds are not just for the event next year. They are also seed money to develop MAD into an annual conference like TED and a continuous platform for creative talent, said Wong.

"MAD is not just a conference, but a movement to ignite the passion of young people," she said.

(HK Edition 11/18/2009 page1)