#200 May Yeung: Art, Advocacy, and a Toddler Takeover in Hong Kong

Summary

Podcast Summary: Chief Change Officer Episode #200 with May Yeung

Title: Chief Change Officer
Host: Vince Chan
Guest: May Yeung
Episode Title: Art, Advocacy, and a Toddler Takeover in Hong Kong
Release Date: February 25, 2025

In Episode #200 of Chief Change Officer, host Vince Chan engages in a profound conversation with May Yeung, a multifaceted individual whose journey intertwines art, advocacy, and personal resilience. This summary encapsulates the key discussions, insights, and conclusions drawn from their dialogue, offering a comprehensive overview for those who haven't listened to the episode.

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1. Introduction to the Episode

[02:31] Vince Chen:
Vince Chan opens the episode by introducing May Yeung, highlighting her roles as the founder of the charity Art of My Family, a teaching artist, a cancer survivor, and a mother. May's commitment to using art to foster an environmentally sustainable, mentally healthy, and socially inclusive society in Hong Kong is emphasized.

"May has experienced many life changes over the years. She's determined to use the power of art in her own way to change lives and create an environmentally sustainable, mentally healthy and socially inclusive society here in Hong Kong."
— Vince Chen ([02:31])

2. May Yeung’s Background and Education

[05:44] Mei Yong:
May provides an overview of her early life, expressing a lifelong passion for art. From drawing on walls at age two to engaging in creative ceramics with her father at five, her artistic inclinations were evident from a young age. Her formal education at the University of Chicago, where she studied arts alongside political science, played a pivotal role in shaping her artistic direction.

"Growing up, I have always really enjoyed art more than anything else. And much some kids prefer playing sports. Art really came naturally to me."
— Mei Yong ([05:44])

3. Artistic Influences and Journey

[07:49] Mei Yong:
May delves into her philosophy of art as a medium for self-expression and communication. Influenced by professors Jeff Oppenheimer and Laura Lepzynski, she emphasizes integrating daily life materials into her artwork. Music, another significant influence, complements her art, leading to interdisciplinary creations like sculptures complemented by musical performances.

"Art is a way of self expression as well as a way of communication with others. And I think the power of art is that even for words, that cannot be expressed, it can be experienced through art."
— Mei Yong ([07:49])

4. Career Transition from Finance to Art

[11:07] Vince Chen:
Vince inquires about May's career shift from investment banking and corporate social responsibility (CSR) roles to dedicating herself to art. May explains that her experiences in finance, particularly her involvement in CSR initiatives like relief efforts for Hurricane Sandy, ignited her passion for social impact. These roles reinforced her desire to leverage her skills for community benefit, ultimately leading her back to her artistic roots.

"My transition from finance to startup and then to art was a kind of gradual realization of my calling in life and what I really wanted to do through my career."
— Mei Yong ([11:49])

5. Personal Challenges: Battle with Cancer

[14:46] Mei Yong:
May candidly shares her battle with cancer, describing it as a transformative experience. Previously a perfectionist who micromanaged every aspect of her life, her illness instilled in her a newfound faith in herself and an appreciation for life's small joys. This period of adversity deepened her commitment to making a positive societal impact and caring for her mental and physical well-being.

"My cancer, my fight with cancer really gave me a new perspective on life. I transformed into someone who really placed emphasis on faith."
— Mei Yong ([14:46])

6. Motherhood and Its Impact on Mei Yong

[17:49] Mei Yong:
As May discusses her recent foray into motherhood, she reflects on how it has inspired a new purpose in her art. The birth of her son, Archer, heightened her desire to create art that enriches the next generation. Her work, such as the "Leap of Faith" sculpture for the Mother Nature Next Generation exhibition, symbolizes growth and the nurturing of young lives through art.

"From my pregnancy to the birth of my son Archer. That's when I realized that my work should be created with the goal of enriching the next generation."
— Mei Yong ([19:55])

7. Art of My Family Charity

a. Mission and Goals

[26:47] Mei Yong:
May elaborates on her charity, Art of My Family, which aims to make art accessible, promote social inclusion, foster cultural exchange, strengthen mental wellness, and champion environmental protection. The charity focuses on educating the next generation of artists and art educators through innovative programs.

"My life mission is to inspire the next generation of artists and art educators."
— Mei Yong ([34:22])

b. Programs and Initiatives

[28:41] Mei Yong:
The charity's key programs include Artsy Artist Skiing—aimed at nurturing creative talents—and Hearts at Home, which supports the mental wellness of children with disabilities and those lacking family care. Additionally, the organization places sculptures across Hong Kong's districts to beautify the city and enhance mental well-being.

"Art of My Family actually has launched programs like Hearts at Home program the past year and they helped to further expand this program to help strengthening the mental wellness of children with disabilities."
— Mei Yong ([28:41])

c. Assessing Progress

May humbly assesses the progress of her charity, expressing gratitude for its growth and the ongoing expansion of its programs to more universities and communities in Hong Kong. She acknowledges the increasing need for mental health support among youth and the integral role art plays in addressing these challenges.

"There's always room beyond growth. And I just feel so blessed to be part of the Art of My Family and also the family just continuing to grow."
— Mei Yong ([28:41])

d. Future Plans

Looking ahead, May intends to expand her charity's reach, partnering with additional educational institutions and launching more programs focused on mental health and community integration. She emphasizes the importance of early intervention in children’s lives to foster resilience and well-being.

"We want to continue to expand that to other universities in Hong Kong... Art of My Family actually has launched programs like Hearts at Home program..."
— Mei Yong ([28:41])

8. Impact on Community and Mental Wellness

[31:37] Vince Chen:
Vince discusses the broader implications of mental wellness, especially in the context of global challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic. He commends May for her focus on intervening early in children's lives, highlighting the invaluable impact of her work beyond financial metrics.

"Art of My Family actually has launched programs like Hearts at Home program... it's truly invaluable."
— Vince Chen ([31:37])

9. Balancing Multiple Roles

[34:22] Mei Yong:
May addresses the challenge of balancing her roles as a charity founder, mother, teaching artist, and healthcare advocate. She underscores the importance of her mission to inspire future artists and integrate creative processes with art-based learning, fostering a symbiotic relationship between teaching and personal growth.

"I always try to develop specialized curriculum approaches to engage diverse groups... to inspire the next generation of artists and art educators."
— Mei Yong ([34:22])

10. Life Mission

[34:22] Mei Yong:
May defines her life mission as inspiring and educating the next generation of artists and art educators. Through her role as a teaching artist, she aims to bridge the gap between creative processes and educational frameworks, fostering creativity, dialogue, and growth in both herself and her students.

"So your teaching artist role is one of the provocation inspiration, using my artistic experience to diversify the creators and also to achieve my mission to inspire the next generation of artists and art educators."
— Vince Chen ([36:20])
"My life mission is to inspire the next generation of artists and art educators."
— Mei Yong ([34:22])

11. Conclusion

[37:08] Vince Chen:
Vince wraps up the episode by expressing his admiration for May's work and looks forward to her future endeavors. He encourages listeners to subscribe, review the show, and follow him on social media for more inspiring conversations.

"Thank you so much for joining us today... I'm this Chen, your ambitious human host. Until next time, take care."
— Vince Chen ([37:08])

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

1. Art as Communication:

   "Art is a way of self expression as well as a way of communication with others."
   — Mei Yong ([07:49])

2. Career Calling:

   "My transition from finance to startup and then to art was a kind of gradual realization of my calling in life."
   — Mei Yong ([11:49])

3. Transformation Through Adversity:

   "My cancer... gave me a new perspective on life."
   — Mei Yong ([14:46])

4. Mission to Inspire:

   "My life mission is to inspire the next generation of artists and art educators."
   — Mei Yong ([34:22])

5. Impact Beyond Financial Metrics:

   "The impact you're making goes beyond what can be measured financially. It's truly invaluable."
   — Vince Chen ([31:37])

Key Takeaways

• Integration of Art and Life: May Yeung exemplifies how art can be a powerful tool for personal expression, communication, and societal change.

• Resilience and Transformation: Her battle with cancer catalyzed a shift from perfectionism to embracing faith and celebrating life's small moments, influencing her artistic and philanthropic endeavors.

• Commitment to Community: Through Art of My Family, May is actively working to make art accessible to underprivileged youth, promote mental wellness, and foster environmental sustainability in Hong Kong.

• Holistic Approach to Education: As a teaching artist, May integrates creative processes with educational practices to nurture the next generation of artists and art educators.

• Balancing Multiple Roles: May successfully balances her roles as an artist, mother, charity founder, and advocate, driven by a clear life mission to inspire and educate.

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Final Thoughts

Episode #200 of Chief Change Officer serves as an inspiring testament to May Yeung's unwavering dedication to leveraging art for social good. Her journey from finance to art, coupled with personal challenges and a deep-seated mission to inspire, offers valuable insights into the transformative power of resilience and creativity. Listeners are left motivated to harness their own potential for change, embodying the podcast's ethos: "Change Ambitiously. Outgrow Yourself."

Transcript

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[Mei Yong]

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[Mei Yong]

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[Vince Chen]

Hi everyone. Welcome to our show. Chief Change Officer, I'm Vince Chen, your ambitious human host. I'll show is a modernist community for change, progressives in organizational and human transformation from around the world. I started this show in Hong Kong and I run the show in Hong Kong. I'm originally from Hong Kong talking to Guests from every corner of the world possible. Yet so far, I haven't interviewed any guest from right here in Hong Kong. Today that changes. I'm excited to bring a local guest to the studio. May Yong, founder of the charity Art of My Family. A teaching artist, a cancer survivor, a mother to a really cool boy, and the wife of another, Vince, who happens to be a good friend of mine. Mei has experienced many life changes over the years. She's determined to use the power of art in her own way to change lives and create an environmentally sustainable, mentally healthy and socially inclusive society here in Hong Kong. Hong Kong is not just about business, finance and money. May has chosen a different path to do well and to do good. And as a side note, we've got our youngest guest ever, Mei's 11 month old son, joining us on the show. So don't go away.

[Mei Yong]

Hi everyone. My name is Mei. I'm a teaching artist. And while I'm a doctor, I'm also the founder of Art of My Family, a charity dedicated to organizing art events for sustainability elements.

[Vince Chen]

Mei is a teaching artist. What is teaching artist, you may wonder? And how did she develop her artistic journey? Before we do a deep dive, let us start with Mei's history. Mei, give us an overview of your history, your education, your life experiences, just to give us some perspective. Then we will explore different elements of your journey in the later part of our show.

[Mei Yong]

Sure. Growing up, I have always really enjoyed art more than anything else. And much some kids prefer playing sports. Art really came naturally to me. So from the time I was around two years old, I would draw on walls before I could even write my name. And art was one of the ways my parents and I bonded. So when I was three, my mother taught me how to photo origami. And by five years old, my father and I were creative ceramics together. At age 12, my positive experiences with arts from my childhood really gave me the conviction to became an artist, during which I had a fascination with Dadaism and pop art. And I eventually went to the University of Chicago to study arts. This is where I met Professor Jeff Oppenheimer, who gave a lecture on integrating art into daily life and daily life into art. And the contents of this lecture really helped form the framework and direction of my art to this day day, and also were one of the major factors in my decision to become a sculptor specializing in pop art and large installations for public spaces.

[Vince Chen]

You went to the University of Chicago to study visual art? Along with another interest of yours, political science. I happen to know a lot of People from Hong Kong and China, including myself, who attempted the University of Chicago to study economics, business, mathematics or physics. Yet even at your young age, you purposely chose art as your major. Tell us more about why. Why at that age, you decided to pursue art as your major, why you wanted to get serious about this field of study, rather than just keeping it as a hobby or as an interest.

[Mei Yong]

For me, art is a way of self expression as well as a way of communication with others. And I think the power of art is that even for words, that cannot be expressed, it can be experienced through art. And I think, as I mentioned earlier, Professor Jeff Oppenheimer actually, as well as Professor Laura Lepzynski, both of them play a very important role in my artistic career. They really encouraged me to jump outside of the box and incorporate some of the daily life materials into my artwork. And that's also my philosophy as an artist too.

[Vince Chen]

You've mentioned to me before that music has had a significant influence on your journey as an artist. Can you share more about how music plays a role in your art world?

[Mei Yong]

Yeah, sure. Besides art, I also received a musical education from very young age, receiving tutelage from Hong Kong conductor Mr. Jamie Chan and the late Mr. Dai Sichung, who actually taught a lot of famous singers in Hong Kong, including Andy Lau and all those other singers. And I was also taught piano by Chinese pianist Mao Si Kuan and very luckily became the distinguished winner of the Suiter Hong Kong Youth Piano Competition. So I actually used a lot of my cumulative experiences to create a sculptures and direct stance and musical performances that amplify the significance of each other. And when I first returned to Hong Kong in 2015, I served as the visual arts director and showcased my sculpture Cocoon using Textiles at the residence of the Netherlands Council General to Hong Kong, Macau, the portraitmental performance and even later until in. In 2018 for the French May Art Festival, I directed the interpretive dance and music performance where I fused Chinese and French musical instruments and facilitated collaboration between the artists. And so I'm very excited about the upcoming show which is the Discovery Art Fair in French Fruit. I will present my artwork called Musical Compass. It is actually an artwork, a series of sculpted vases in the form of a musical rest, a garden of sprouting daisies. And I actually hand painted them. And the artwork is really aimed to calm the mind and encouraging the viewers to actually withdraw themselves from the bustling city lives, to relax, to enlarge, to recharge and to reflect. And the reason why I actually chose Musical Rest is Because I believe that the absence of sound in a musical score actually provides dynamics, beauty's tension and actually maintain the rhythm or even change the tempo of the P. And I really hope that as music is everywhere and I really want that through art and music, which are both universal language, to actually have to cross beyond borders and cultures.

[Vince Chen]

In your career so far you've explored various areas of art like music, sculpture and painting. But you've also spent a good amount of time in the corporate world including investment banking and working for a tech company in the CSR or ESG space. What were your thoughts back then about gaining this so called standard commercial and business experience while still pursuing your artistic ambitions?

[Mei Yong]

My transition from finance to startup and then to art was a kind of gradual realization of my calling in life and what I really wanted to do through my career. And earlier you mentioned I worked in finance, I was an analyst at Goldman in the US and back then I had opportunity to work on the CSR initiative and experience really impact me specifically like the Community teamworks which provided relief efforts for victims of Hurricane Sandy. And so I actually at that time I helped organizing community art events and become a really fun family for me and inspired me to shift a career towards focusing and making a positive social impact. Coming back to Hong Kong, I then joined the founding team of the L'Vue Hong Kong office as the corporate social responsibility lead. And that's where I launched a food recovery program and providing meal free meals for the community. And so seeing the potential for cooperations to support their communities really solidified my desire to use my abilities but benefit those in need. And all these experience and also with Personal Health Challenge, that's actually led me back to my original passion for art. As a pop art sculptor and also the founder of the charity Art of my Family, I now really dedicate my career to bring creative opportunities to underprivileged youth in Hong Kong. Sticking the values of art, which is affirmation, resilience and thankfulness. So today I look back at my career transitions and I realized that the nature of my various roles, be it finance, be it startup, it was really my calling to do social work. And the spirit of perseverance I gradually developed throughout these experiences. Really what shaped me who I am today.

[Vince Chen]

Speaking of perseverance, I can't help but ask about a significant aspect of your personal life. You shared in other media interviews that you were diagnosed with cancer at a young age and battled the illness for a considerable time. Could you share how this experience transformed or impacted you? Did it make you a more empathetic or artistic person. Or perhaps it had a different effect. How does this health and personal experience shape your journey? I think our listeners would really appreciate hearing about the life lessons you've learned from this challenging time.

[Mei Yong]

Sure. So before my cancer I was wrapped in my own cocoon. And growing up I was relentlessly a perfectionist. So I set very high standards for myself. I was very critical of myself, of everything from work to daily life. And back then I micromanaged all the operations of my design company, Art and Love, and also my charity art and my family. I think my cancer, my fight with cancer really gave me a new perspective on life. I transformed into someone who really placed emphasis on faith. And when I say faith, I would say F really stands for having faith in myself. Instead of challenging what I do all the time, I actually embrace it and have confidence in myself and a It's feeling alive and celebrating small things in life. Not easy to be a sculptor. A lot of times things are being affected by the temperature, things are affected by the humidity. But celebrate the small things in life and it will become a happier artist. I is creating impact on society by making a difference one step at a time. That's also my mission, no matter as a sculptor or as a committee artist. And t is really touching lives and hearts by helping people around me. And so really happy to have set up part of my family to achieve that. And h taking better care of my mental and physical health as well as actually helping the mental wellness of people around me as well. So I think the camp experience really give me, let me feel a greater sense of conviction to serve the underprivileged, whether through events such as French may furthermore the pandemic shops to Mother Nature. Next generation experience Christian.

[Vince Chen]

A near death experience gives you a new perspective on life. While that experience is full of suffering and we don't try to glorify, can also lead to personal growth. You came out of it as a better person, someone who embraces life more fully and finds greater happiness. And speaking of life, I know that in recent years you started a new chapter. You got married to another Vince, who is also a friend of mine from the University of Chicago. And you have a son, a new life that you are nurturing. How is motherhood treating you so far? How has this experience, along with other major life events impacted your perspective as an artist and in helping your communities?

[Mei Yong]

Just give me one moment. Archer is coming over soon. I would like to carry him as I'm answering this question. So please Call me. Oh, he's sleepy.

[Vince Chen]

Okay. Did you interrupt his afternoon baby sleep? Beauty sleep, actually.

[Mei Yong]

He was awake before the call, but then he fell asleep. Yes, like this. Okay. Hi. Yes, hi. I'm trying to grab a photo of the three of us. Let's see. Okay. Okay, cool. Yes.

[Vince Chen]

Who this person is, because look at the eyebrows. Like, checking me out is, what is this? What's this person? What am I trying to do?

[Mei Yong]

And so that's our.

[Vince Chen]

So back to our original question about a new chapter in your life. About a new life that you're nurturing, about motherhood.

[Sponsor Voice]

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[Mei Yong]

My journey actually really inspired a new purpose for my art creations. From my pregnancy to the birth of my son Archer. That's when I realized that my work should be created with the goal of enriching the next generation. Regardless, it's amazing work or regardless art pieces. And I think the art and joy of creating is next generation expression of intergeneration care, both for Archer and also for the other youths who need it the most in my community. So one of the pieces, actually Vince, you saw in person, Leap of Faith, was an art piece I created for Mother Nature Next Generation exhibition, with me trying to express the excitement and enjoy watching life grow into something wonderful from something very small. The bamboo steamer used in League of Faith, which is the largest handmade bamboo steamer ever made in Hong Kong, is a piece of cultural heritage that represents all the things I really enjoyed growing up that I wish to pass on to the next generation. Actually, on a side note, why I decided to name him Chagall is because I really hope that he could aspire to be like the artist Mark Chagall, who is basically a very innovative, innovative person and who also went through a lot of challenges in life, but he still still managed to get through and become one of the most celebrated artists in the.

[Vince Chen]

What were some of the things you enjoyed growing up in Hong Kong? Can you share more about activities or experiences that were particularly meaningful to you during that time?

[Mei Yong]

Yeah, sure. One of the motifs that I have in my artwork is definitely Hong Kong's culture. And when talk about Hong Kong's culture, it's not only being the sailing boat and all those things, but it's really little things, little precious moments in daily life. So it can be dim sum, it can be Chinese checkers and all those things. And that's why I actually incorporated dim sum steamer and French made accessible Subanyaks vision back in 2017 as well as on Mother Nature Next generation exhibition. I think dim sum, this intangible called heritage is something that is really worth Hong Kong people and actually people from all over the world to treasure and Chinese checkers and. And even ping pong balls are things that I really love playing as a little girl. And so that's something that I. It's really fun to actually see them shy in my artwork.

[Vince Chen]

I remember that I actually took a photo with that piece and Vince, your husband, explained the significance of that dim sum container to me. Since Vince's family is in the restaurant business. He shared how dim sum plays a major role in Hong Kong's dining culture and overall culture. That really big dim sum container, specially made as far as I know, was something you turn into a piece of art.

[Mei Yong]

Yes, it has always been great working with Dachshund Samgae. They are the fifth generation of bamboo artisans in Hong Kong and it's really fascinating to see them that they still handcraft bamboo steamers, which is not easy actually. A lot of the steamers these days are actually made with a mix of bamboo and metal. What they do for us, working together with us for the exhibition makes it even more precious. And I always love to incorporate some form fun food elements into my work. I think not only experience my other half, but also just experienced by me growing up. It's always trying to treasure food. Like even for example, a few years ago for Artemy family's program, we had two year program related to marine conservation. So in 2020 we actually recycled hold over a few hundreds of seashells and turned it into artwork. And the children actually interviewed fishermen, fifth generation of fishermen and Aberdeen to create artwork related to Chinese bone script culture as well as actually exhibiting their work in Tycoon. And then the next year we worked on ideas related to the sea and seafood as well because we also believe in sustainable seafood. The kids actually drew on Jackie's postcards that we call Atagami and to express the importance of making things sustainable.

[Vince Chen]

Mei, tell us a bit more about your artwork. Are there any particular pieces that stand out to you, ones that you find especially memorable and would like to share with us?

[Mei Yong]

Yeah, sure. One of my most memorable art pieces I created is what if, which was one of my favorite art pieces I created while studying at the Universe of Chicago in 2012. That is the piece that made me the first Asian sculpture to debut my work at the Rockefeller Memorial Chapel and Chicago Union Station. In creating this piece, I actually want to encourage people to take a moment and think outside of the box and also appreciate life's endless possibilities. I believe that art is like a life has a lot of twists and turns that can change one's perspective and lead to new discoveries. If I have to pick one more art piece to talk about, it would have to be Blossom Love, which I created for Art Dutch Days in Hong Kong 2022, an event created together with the Netherlands Consulate General in Hong Kong, Macau. This piece was actually inspired by the Netherlands state of the Art Sustainable Urban Development and Water Management System. Wood is a medium that I often use in my artwork, including this piece, and I want audience to envision iconic Dutch tulips and houseboats with the seaways representing the Dutch spirit and tackling many urban resilience issues. So I think this piece actually serves as a bridge between Falkland and the Netherlands and is a bridge that I hope will inspire more idea sharing collaborations.

[Vince Chen]

This seems like the perfect time to talk more about Art of My family. Mei, you've mentioned this charity a few times during our interview. It's called Art of My Family with my and why Standing for your name Mei Yeung. When I look at your website, you set various goals making art accessible, promoting social inclusion, fostering cultural exchange, strengthening mental wellness, and championing environmental protection. These are all very important agendas. Looking back over the past six years, I'm curious, how would you assess your progress? Of course, we've reached a stage in life where we don't just judge our achievements based on report cards and you've mentioned that you used to be a perfectionist but now have a different perspective. But if you have to evaluate your progress over the last six years, how would you rate yourself? And as a follow up, looking forward, what else do you want to achieve? Are there areas where you feel you haven't done enough or where you believe you can do a better job? So it's a two part question. First, assessing your past progress and second, looking ahead and learning from the past to improve in the future.

[Mei Yong]

Before answering your question, I actually want to give a little bit more story behind why I set up out of my family in the first place and then I'll talk a little bit more about what I plan to do and as well as how I assess myself. I actually back then, as I mentioned earlier, I was serving as the CRCR lead at Deliveroo and I was launching a food recovery program where we managed to save a substantial amount of food and refugees and also provided thousands of meals for the community. And that's when I realized my potential potential in supporting the community. And I decided to lean towards my passion for the arts and recognize that many underprivileged children did not have the chance to learn art as I did. That's why I decided to set up Art of my family in 2018. In terms of assessment, I would say that there's always world beyond world. And I just feel so blessed to be part of the Art of my family and also the family just continuing to grow. One of our key programs is actually Artsy Artist Skiing, which is basically striving to nurture the next generation of creative and artistic talents. And for that program back then we mainly partnered with the Hong Kong Design Institute. And now we actually expanded our program to to besides hkdi, we expanded to Metropolitan University, City City University, and also CC Design. So it's very exciting to see how the family grow and we definitely want to continue to expand that to other universities in Hong Kong. But I think also one point in terms of what I really want to do, I think one point really worth mentioning is that many children and youth in Hong Kong these days actually go through emotional turmoil. And the World Economic Forum actually projected the emotional problems would be one of the biggest problems by 2030. And the cost of mental health conditions would actually skyrocket you US$6 trillion globally by then. And so Art of My Family actually has launched programs like Hearts at Home program the past year and they helped to further expand this program to help strengthening the mental wellness of children with disabilities and also those that lack Family care, including those in Memorial Home. So our goal was actually to ultimately help those help them to integrate into society and to walk out from the shadow of the family negligence. Besides artsy art scheme and also harts and composure, we actually offer couple of good sculptures with unique Characteristics in all 18 districts of Hong Kong to show the importance of art and not only beautifying the city, but also supporting the mental well being.

[Vince Chen]

Speaking of mental wellness or well being, it's important to acknowledge that whether in Hong Kong or elsewhere in the world, aftermath of COVID economic uncertainty and other global challenges have created a lot a lot of stress. These aren't just isolated events, they are interconnected factors that bring about significant changes. In my view, embracing change can be a growth opportunity but also brings mental pressure and negativity which can impact everyone's well being. I agree with you that wellness is crucial for everyone from the elderly who have their own challenges to children who are the pillars of our future society. Often the mental issues we face as adults can be traced back to childhood. Something that happened in the family or during those formative years shapes how we see the world, how we behave, our mindset, and even our life and career choices. That's why I really admire your focus on intervening early in children's lives. The impact you're making goes beyond what can be measured financially. It's truly invaluable. For that, I applaud you. Now I would like to wrap up our interview with a question that touches on the many roles you play. You run a charity, you are a mother raising a child, you take care of your own health, and you are a teaching artist with a wide range of interests. How do you balance all these different roles and responsibilities? And more importantly, what is your life mission now and going forward? The future is uncertain. The present is here and the past is behind us. But when you set a goal for yourself, it's clear that you are fully committed and don't back out. So what would you say is your life mission?

[Mei Yong]

My life mission is to inspire the next generation of artists and art educators. That's also why I decided to be a teaching artist. Because as a teaching artist, my goal is to leverage my experiences as a working professional, but also provide a unique link between the creative process and also the art based learning. And that's why I always try to develop specialized curriculum approaches to engage diverse groups from people with disabilities to cancer patients. And in particular, actually my charity out of my Family's core educational philosophy revolved around the three scenes. Co design, co creating co learn. So for example the exhibition you visited in July, we actually co designed backdrops and competition joint outlines with university students. We co created artwork with subdivided unit children including the Seeds of Hope Pycon wall and co learned with other peers at the Design Institute. So I think what's special about teaching Artists is that in the classroom, the other emerging artists and I actually work alongside the students and we try to model the creative journey and also demonstrate the importance of this Tiffany and by sharing our real world experiences, we learned streetcraft lessons, offering firsthand guidance and techniques in navigating our world. So I really believe that a symbolic relationship between the teaching artist practice and also the environment fosters creativity, dialogue and growth for both me and semester. So your teaching artist role is one of the provocation inspiration, using my artistic experience to diversify the creators and also to achieve my mission to inspire the next generation of artists and art educators.

[Vince Chen]

That's wonderful Mei. I'm really looking forward to seeing more of your artwork and attending your exhibitions. As I mentioned, next time when your son picks up more words and expands his vocabulary, we'll have another interview. We'll do it entirely on video. We'll let him join in. That would be super awesome.

[Mei Yong]

He's a talkative baby already, so I'm sure he'll be a talkative kid.

[Vince Chen]

Really appreciate Mei, thank you so much.

[Mei Yong]

Thank you. Vince, thank you so much for the opportunity and Archie and I look forward to catching up with you soon. Again.

[Vince Chen]

Thank you so much for joining us today. If you like what you heard, don't forget, subscribe to our show. Leave us top rated reviews. Check out our website and follow me on social media. I'm this Chen, your ambitious human host. Until next time, take care.