Sky Siu

Executive Director, KELY Support Group

"You have already experienced a lot till now. But please remember, the world is even bigger than you thought. You can still learn so much from others and their words can expand your world. Do remember to continue to love, give yourself space, and don’t always look back because you have already done a lot."

Even as a teenager, I loved to help other people. I prided myself on being someone who was always there for my friends. That's why it came as such a shock when my best friend tried to take her own life when we were in high school. I felt so many different emotions - I felt sad that she was in so much pain and angry that I didn't know what she was going through and how to help her. I realised that it wasn't enough to have a desire to help my friends, I also needed to have practical skills. After the suicide attempt, no one discussed it - everyone seemed to move on as if nothing had happened. It wasn't until many years later that I finally talked openly with my friend about what had happened.

Before entering university, I spent some time volunteering at a hospital in Zambia where I met a young mother whose baby had died from dehydration as a result of diarrhea. I was devastated to see the loss of such a young life, especially from something that could have been easily prevented. Before going to Zambia, I planned to study medicine, but after my trip, I switched to public health to learn about preventing disease and illness through education.

Looking back, both of these experiences were key moments in my life that set me on the path to where I am today and my work with young people. I was hired in 2011 as a Project Coordinator, where I developed and ran drug and alcohol prevention workshops and life skills training for young people.

When I first came across KELY, the organisation's mission and focus resonated deeply with me. I love that KELY focuses on equipping young people to help each other and engaging with young people before a crisis can happen.

In 2015, I was appointed to the role of Executive Director. I wasn't sure about the job in the beginning - my favourite part of my work has always been working directly with youth - but over time, I realised that I could impact more young people in this new role. I'm proud of what KELY has been able to achieve over the past few years. We've expanded our advocacy and public education work, taking what we know from years of working directly with youth to help lawmakers enact policies to the betterment of young people's lives. I'm especially proud of KELY's role in pushing for a new law prohibiting the sale and supply of alcohol to those under 18 - a law that came into effect in 2018.

As KELY celebrates 30 years of impact this year, I feel optimistic about what's next for us. At its core, I think KELY represents a choice to be there for other people in a time and place when you might be the only one who can be there. At this particular moment when so many young people in Hong Kong are struggling with a sense of identity and uncertainty about the future, I think that we are uniquely positioned to take our work to the next level to make a positive difference in young people's lives.

I think that there is great power in young people being there for each other and supporting each other as a community. That's how each generation thrives.