I refer to the letter from Robert Maes ('Simple solution for developers', April 30) and wish to share with your readers and Mr Maes our experience of Swire Properties' involvement in the promotion and support of the arts.
I am the founder and artistic director of the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation. We are a charity that provides high quality, non-competitive arts experiences for young people aged five to 25. Our inclusive and inspirational projects reach out to young people of all cultures, backgrounds, languages and abilities, and we actively create opportunities for disadvantaged and underprivileged young people. Our organisation receives no government funding and everything we do is dependent on sponsorship from corporations like Swire Properties. Not only is Swire helping to fund our programmes, it also very generously fitted out an office and visual art and performing art studios in Island East for us more than three years ago. Swire has provided these premises to us rent free ever since including the maintenance.
We have worked with Swire on many community projects involving local schools, arts groups, artists and overseas artists. We would not have been able to initiate projects like the mega street painting events in 2005 and 2006 and the first-ever Urban Dance Festival in 2007 without the vision and funding we received from Swire. Its venue sponsorship included Tong Chong Street in Taikoo Place.
It is so encouraging of the arts that it even allows us to stage exhibitions sponsored by other corporations in space managed and owned by Swire Properties. Swire not only assists with sponsorship but supports us with the set-up, administration and publicity of our events free of charge. This shows me (and the 800,000 children we work with and their families) that they have a genuine passion for what they are doing and remain committed to nurturing an appreciation of the arts within the local community.
Please in future Mr Maes get the facts correct before maligning one of Hong Kong's most supportive companies.
Lindsey McAlister, founder and artistic director, Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation
