Spotlight on YAFies: Wendy Tsang

Wendy Tsang
Director of Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation

What three adjectives best describe Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation?
High-quality: We provide high-quality arts experiences to participants
Fearless: The HKYAF team love challenges
Diverse: We offer a wide range of arts experiences

As the director of HKYAF, what is your scope of work?
My main tasks are to secure funding and liaise with sponsors so that we can realise our creative ideas and benefit our participants. It’s also important for me to observe the needs of young people in Hong Kong and learn how to connect them with our community through art.

Describe your regular daily routine. 
I start my day by doing an hour of yoga. The stretching refreshes my mind and gets me ready for the day ahead. Outside work hours I’m a typical Hong Kong mum, helping my children with their homework.

How has HKYAF changed your life?
Having worked at HKYAF for the past 20 years, I’ve learnt to have confidence in myself and always adopt a can-do spirit. No matter how difficult a situation might be, I now tend to look for solutions and opportunities. Most importantly, I feel touched whenever I see how a YAFie grows to be outspoken, expressive and proud of what they achieve.

What was your most memorable experience at HKYAF?
It was the first year that we organised the Night Parade at Standard Chartered Arts in the Park 2013. We overcame so many obstacles and worked with so many different stakeholders – the police, the transport department, the district council, PR agencies, a security company, the shops situated along the parade route, and so on. It was quite a stressful experience. But when I saw the huge crowd of people amazed by the illuminated puppets, I knew it was all worthwhile.

What are HKYAF’s plans for the future?
We’re always keen to offer exciting arts experiences for our youth, and are constantly looking for new opportunities to create even bigger and better community art programmes that can benefit the general public. We’re also keen to use art as a tool to inspire young people to understand and care about the community we live in, and to help them be proactive about social issues in Hong Kong, like environmental protection, creative ageing and social inclusion.

What was your childhood like?
When I was young I was very timid and unsure of myself. Luckily, my parents supported me and allowed me to try different things. I gained confidence at university when I discovered my passions and learned the importance of believing in myself.

Share with us a habit that you’ve had for thirty years.
As a shy teenager, I had very low self-esteem and bad posture. I often had back pain. So about 20 years ago I started to practise yoga and learn more about my body. Now I feel much better about myself.

How do you see yourself in thirty years’ time?
Hopefully I’ll be a grandmother because I love kids!

Do you have any advice for youngsters who are passionate about the arts?
Don’t be afraid to try new things and have the courage to show people how you feel. These days there are lots of free opportunities. Take advantage of them and explore your potential!