Tomorrow’s Difference Makers

Being Neighbourly x Matt Coulson, Executive Director, Kids4Kids

Author/ Being Neighbourly
27 February 2026

Many lower resource kids don’t have the same opportunities as others because they are limited by three things. One, their creativity isn’t stimulated enough at a young age. Two, their character and resilience isn’t developed enough to know when to keep going and, three, their ideas are not supported enough by a community of changemakers to make a difference, says Matt Coulson, Executive Director of Kids4Kids.

Kids4kids was initiated in 2008 with a simple mission: to engage all kids, whatever their background, in the hope of providing them a better future and to ensure that all children have equal opportunities to be ‘Difference makers’.

“I’d say all our programs take into account the ideas and thoughts of young people. But at times, they need to be led and encouraged in their journey of development,” says Coulson. “Our staff empowers kids to believe that they are never too young to change the world,” the Executive Director explains of the charity’s mechanics at play.

Buddy Reading was the first program to be initiated by Kids4Kids and Coulson calls it the program that “keeps the charity on its toes”. It now has over 6,000 participants a year and requires training and support for over 2,000 volunteers annually.

To fuel Buddy Reading and Kids4Kids’ other initiatives, the charity depends on volunteers and recruits year round through its website, trying to offer volunteers, opportunities for them to serve the community in different ways.

“The goal is to grow to work with 30% of Hong Kong schools annually, to ensure we stay relevant to Hong Kong, and to see children becoming positive role models to the wider society,” shares the Executive Director.

According to him, the charity’s overall accomplishment is supporting the growth of young people, “Seeing each and every one thrive and be more successful than before; and seeing some kids with ideas change the world —especially in the sustainability field.”

Coulson says that kids can be more effective than adults when it comes to dealing with their peers for two reasons. “They relate and understand the challenges of young people at the same level, and, importantly, they have the ability to make things relevant, to ensure that the work is good.”

The work does need adult guidance and support, but Coulson says that kids are the bedrock of our future and if we help them to lead young, they will lead better when they are older, and they will be committed to creating the next generation of changemakers.

If you would like to volunteer for Kids4Kids, please register on their website www.kids4kids.org.hk.

What is the best thing about the work that you do?

“Without a doubt, it’s the people we get to work with, whether that’s colleagues, youth or the volunteers,” says Matt Coulson, Executive Director, Kids4Kids.

“We are incredibly encouraged by the heart that goes, ‘I want to serve other people’.”

Kids4Kids
16A, Tak Lee Commercial Building, 113-117 Wanchai Road, Wan Chai.