OVERVIEW
Keynotes are a feature of the Humanities Research Symposium for Youth each year, featuring speakers that are well-versed in the theme and professionals in their respective areas. We are honored this year to have been able to invite such esteemed speakers to share on our theme "Cries and Whispers". There will usually be a short Question and Answer session after the keynote speeches to allow delegates to ask any questions they may have for the speaker to further the discussion on the topic.
OUR SPEAKERS
Prof. Yuen-Tsang Woon Ki, Angelina, BSocSc, MEd, MSW, PhD, JP, BBS
Professor Angelina Yuen is Vice President (Student and Global Affairs) of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). Her detailed biography can be accessed at http://www.polyu.edu.hk/ppoffice/president/vpsga.html
Professor Angelina Yuen is Vice Presiden of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Before joining PolyU in 1986, Professor Yuen worked as a social worker, and taught at the Hong Kong Shue Yan College and the National University of Singapore.She has served as a board member of numerous Government commissions, NGOs and charitable foundations and has been actively involved in the development of the social work profession in the Chinese mainland since the late 1980s. In China, she played a leading role in developing the first Master in Social Work programme in the area in collaboration with Peking University, facilitating the professionalization of social work in the Chinese mainland. She was elected President (2008-2012) of the International Association of Schools of Social Work in July 2008. During her tenure as IASSW President, she launched a global e-magazine Social Dialogue which aims at providing an international platform for communication in the international social work community. She is also the Founding Editor of the China Journal of Social Work published by Routledge, which is the first English language international refereed journal focusing on social work and social development in Chinese societies. She will be speaking on the topic of "Fostering Global Citizenship Through Community Engagement" |
Ms. Christine Loh, OBE, JPMs Christine Loh was the Chief Executive Officer of the non-profit public policy think tank Civic Exchange prior to joining the HKSAR Government in September 2012. Prior to founding Civic Exchange in 2000, Ms Loh had spent nearly a decade as a politician and member of the Legislative Council (1992-97 and 1998-2000).
Before joining the Legislative Council, Ms Loh held senior regional positions in commodities trading, as well as in project negotiation. Having been very active in public affairs since 1980, she had founded or served on boards of a wide range of non-governmental organisations in Hong Kong and overseas concerning a variety of issues including environmental protection, urban planning and design, and equal opportunity. Ms Loh is a lawyer by training. |
The Honourable Chief Justice Geoffrey MA Tao-li, GBMChief Justice Ma was appointed Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal on 1 September 2010.
Chief Justice Ma was born in Hong Kong in 1956. He studied law and graduated with an LLB from Birmingham University in 1977. After completing the Bar Finals in 1978, he was called to the English Bar (Gray’s Inn) in 1978, the Hong Kong Bar in 1980, the Bar of the State of Victoria in Australia in 1983 and the Bar of Singapore in 1990. He was appointed Queen’s Counsel in 1993. He became an Honorary Bencher of Gray’s Inn in 2004. In 2011, he was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) by the University of Birmingham. In 2012, he became an Honorary Fellow of Harris Manchester College, Oxford. Chief Justice Ma was appointed a Recorder of the Court of First Instance from 2000 to 2001 before his appointment as a Judge of the Court of First Instance in 2001. He was appointed a Justice of Appeal in 2002, and became Chief Judge of the High Court in 2003. Before joining the Judiciary, Chief Justice Ma was in private practice in Hong Kong and in Singapore. Chief Justice Ma is a Patron of the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law; he is also a Patron of the International Advocacy Training Council. Chief Justice Ma was awarded the Grand Bauhinia Medal in June 2012. The Law: cries or whispers? The role that law plays in a society is often either misunderstood or underestimated, yet paradoxically there are references to the rule of law almost on a daily basis. A definition and therefore thorough understanding of what this concept involves, must be a starting point in any discussion on the subject. The topic, however, goes deeper than this. One of the biggest challenges faced on a global scale is an apparent loss of community: many commentators have remarked on how much more self centred, aggressive and less tolerant people have appeared to become. This is where a thorough understanding of the concept of law comes in. In academic circles, the discipline of jurisprudence is the study of the philosophy of law, involving the assumption of a set of ideals. These ideals are in reality norms governing human interaction leading ultimately to what many regard as an ideal society where rights are respected both individually and collectively; in other words a community where there is respect not only for individual rights but, just as important, a real respect for the rights of others. Should we assume these ideals or must we shout for them? |