The 7th Cross-Strait Charity Lecture was held online on Dec. 20. The event was hosted by the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation (CSCLF) and the Taiwan Teacher Chang Foundation, and organized by Global Charity magazine. More than 480 representatives from non-profit organizations, social enterprises, and volunteers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait watched the lecture via livestream.

As a follow-up event of the Cross-Strait Charity Forum, the theme of this year's Cross-Strait Charity Lecture was "Social Enterprises and Youth Entrepreneurship." The event brought togther six experts and young public welfare leaders from both sides of the Taiwan Strait to share their experiences and explore new opportunities in the field of entrepreneurship.

According to Yu Xin, deputy director of the Department of Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs under the CSCLF, the foundation has a long-standing commitment to "helping those in need." For example, it has actively participated in public welfare and charity initiatives, such as student aid and disaster relief efforts. Yu said the foundation had organized cross-strait charity forums and lectures to raise awareness and encourage cooperation. She hoped the 7th Cross-Strait Charity Lecture inspire more young people to pursue public welfare entrepreneurship for the sustainable growth of social enterprises.

Ge Yongguang, chairman of the Taiwan Teacher Chang Foundation, noted that people across the Taiwan Strait have a shared concern for one another. As Taiwan's first psychological counseling institution, Ge said the foundation has made significant efforts in helping and caring for young people and has also increasingly participated in social enterprise development in recent years. Public warefare is closely related to social development. He expressed hope that by organizing various public welfare activities, widespread charity engagement will be promoted to build a more loving and harmonious society.

In a keynote speech, Deng Guosheng, associate dean and professor at Tsinghua University, and Sheng-Fen Cheng, associate professor at National Taiwan Normal University, shared their perspectives on supporting youth entrepreneurship in social enterprises.

The case-sharing session focused on "social enterprises and youth entrepreneurship" and featured speakers from the Chinese mainland and Taiwan sharing their experiences and practices. The topics discussed included helping rural areas thrive through social innovation and entrepreneurship, promoting youth innovation and entrepreneurship through public welfare, and implementing a circular economy.

Tu Ximin, executive director of the Taiwan Teacher Chang Foundation, and Ma Yan, executive editor-in-chief of Global Charity magazine, were among those who participated in the event.

(Source: Department of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Affairs)