The 24th Consumer Culture Study Award (CCSA) was concluded successfully with the Award Presentation Ceremony held today (12 July 2023). The CCSA was jointly organised by the Consumer Council and the Education Bureau (EDB), with the support of the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and the Association of I.T. Leaders in Education. The same occasion also ushered a brand-new consumer education programme for secondary school students, “Smart Consumption Academy” (SCA), with the Launch Ceremony officiated by Dr Choi Yuk-lin, JP, Secretary of Education, and Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, BBS, MH, JP, Chairman of the Consumer Council.
To keep pace with the rapid technological advancements and evolving education modes, the Council and the EDB, in collaboration with around 30 participating and supporting organisations, launched the brand-new SCA. Dovetailing the CCSA which has been running for 24 years, SCA aims to instill in students the essential knowledge about 3 key themes, namely rational consumption, sustainable consumption and green lifestyle, and consumption and caring for the community, while incorporating the relevant knowledge into numerous subjects from the secondary school curricula, including “Citizenship, Economics and Society”, “Values Education” and “Technology Education” and so on.
“I hope the newly launched SCA can build on the past, continue promoting consumer education in school sector, and fostering positive values and attitudes towards consumption among students, ultimately cultivating a new youth generation of smart consumers,” said Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing during his welcome speech.
Mr Chan also expressed his hope that the new programme can engage more secondary school students to participate and use their own preferred ways to learn and reflect on consumer issues that interest them in their surroundings. He also extended his heartfelt thanks to the EDB, all collaborating and supporting organisations for their staunch support, enabling implementation of consumer education for the youth in secondary schools.
The SCA will be conducted in 2 phases, with the first phase taking place from 2023/24 to 2024/25 school years, consisting of 3 competitions: “My Unique Project Study”, “My Witty Online Quiz”, and “My Fun IG Post Creation”. The second phase will begin from 2025/26 school year and thereafter to introduce an ambassador programme “My Best Ambassador Scheme”. Most recent CCSA and SCA winners will be recruited as ambassadors to assist in promoting consumer education.
Attending the Launch Ceremony, Ms Ng On-yee, Hong Kong elite snooker player, participated in a Q&A game based on the content of the SCA promotional video, along with Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, and student representatives from 3 schools. The audience also actively participated in the game by voting for the correct answers using their mobile phones. The 3 guests also shared their views and insights on issues relevant to rational consumption, sustainable consumption, and consumption among vulnerable communities.
As for the CCSA, which has been the flagship consumer education event of the Council for the past 24 years, it aimed to encourage secondary school students to develop their self-learning, observation, analytical and multi-perspective thinking skills through hands-on research into consumer topics, so as to nurture positive consumption values. This year marks the final edition of the CCSA, with 80 schools and nearly 2,760 students participating. Since its inception in 1999, the CCSA has attracted over 380 secondary schools and more than 86,000 students to participate in total.
Speaking as the officiating Guest of Honour, Dr Choi Yuk-lin addressed the audience, “The CCSA has empowered students to understand and explore local consumer culture and consumer rights, allowing them to examine consumption issues from different angles and with creativity. I wish to express my appreciation for the Consumer Council in promoting consumer education for many years, providing students with a series of exciting activities and free learning support, and offering training for teachers to promote financial education.”
The winning entries of this year’s CCSA covered a wide range of topics, including bundled consumption, environmental protection and waste reduction, as well as traders’ support for persons with disability.
The CCSA consisted of junior and senior divisions, with champion, 1st runner-up, and 2nd runner-up prizes, as well as awards for the best topic, best presentation, and best creative media in each division. An “Innovative Design for Sustainable Consumption” Thematic Award has been added since the 19th CCSA, which included awards for the best design, the most practicable, and the most innovative idea, encouraging students to apply STEM knowledge and skills to conceive new designs or improve existing product/service designs, so as to provide solutions to various consumer issues and achieve sustainable consumption goals.
The winning entries of this year’s “Innovative Design for Sustainable Consumption” Thematic Award were highly creative and practical, such as the design of reusable rapid antigen test kits, which only require the replacement of the rubber cover and test papers for each use, thereby reducing plastic waste and protecting the environment. Another team designed a device that combined the functions of a dishwasher and a food composter, transforming daily kitchen waste into organic fertiliser, which can be directly used for planting.
The adjudication of the award was carried out by a group of nearly 30 screening panellists and 12 final adjudicators, comprising of the Chairman, Members, Chief Executive, and Deputy Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, and professionals and academics from various fields. A total of 72 awards were conferred in this year’s CCSA, 17 of which were presented at the awards ceremony. The teams that won the gold, silver, and bronze awards received scholarships of $5,000, $3,000, and $2,000 respectively plus a trophy. The Best Topic, Best Presentation, and Best Creative Media Awards, each received a scholarship of $1,500 and a trophy. For the “Innovative Design for Sustainable Consumption” thematic award, the team that won the Best Design Award received a scholarship of $5,000 plus a trophy, while the teams that won the Most Practicable and the Most Innovative Idea Awards, each received a scholarship of $2,500 and a trophy.
As the CCSA came to a successful conclusion, the Council will continue to cultivate positive consumption values among the youth through a series of wide-ranging programmes under the new SCA.
Image Captions:
The Guest of Honour, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary of Education, Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, Ms Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, and Mr Kyrus Siu King-wai, Chairman of Publicity and Community Relations Committee of the Consumer Council, visit the exhibition area featuring the review of winning entries in the past two decades.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, delivers a welcome speech.
The Guest of Honour, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, delivers a speech.
The Guest of Honour, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary of Education, Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, and Ms Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, along with other participating and supporting organisations, officiate the launch ceremony of the “Smart Consumption Academy”.
Hong Kong elite snooker player Ms Ng On-yee teams up with student representatives to participate in the Q&A session.
Hong Kong elite snooker player Ms Ng On-yee shares her experience on rational consumption.
Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary of Education, Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, Ms Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, and other guests posing for a group photo with school teachers and students.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, presents the Anniversary Teacher Award.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, presents the Consumer Education Partner Grand Award.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, presents the award to the champion of the junior division.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, presents the “Innovative Design for Sustainable Consumption” Thematic Award for the junior division’s Best Design.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, presents the award to the champion of the senior division.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, presents the “Innovative Design for Sustainable Consumption” Thematic Award for the senior division’s Best Design and the Most Innovative Idea.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, presents souvenirs to the final adjudicators.
Ms Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, presents the award to the second runner-up and the Best Presentation of the junior division.
Ms Gilly Wong Fung-han, Chief Executive of the Consumer Council, presents the award to the second runner-up of the senior division.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, presents the award to the first runner-up and the Best Topic of the junior division.
Mr Clement Chan Kam-wing, Chairman of the Consumer Council, presents the award to the first runner-up of the senior division.
A group photo of the Consumer Council and guests, including school teachers and students.