Mr Yau has become a registered arts therapist (expressive arts) since 2021 shortly after he completed the Master Program of Expressive Arts Therapy with Distinction. He is a registered professional member of the Australian, New Zealand and Asian Creative Arts Therapies Association (ANZACATA). Having found arts being a good companion capable of nurturing growth and comforting sufferings, he makes use of arts, in his private practice, to help children, youth and elderlies. He also conduct online and offline de-stress programs for young people and adults.

John holds a Master’s degree in public policy and international development from The University of Chicago, and a Bachelor’s degree in politics, philosophy and economics from the University of Durham.

His interest in youth work could be dated back to his college years. For instance, he compiled a collection of articles and produced a non-academic book about youth issues in Chinese, which was first of its kind in those days. His report about an unrest involving young people won him the first prize award in the category of journalistic essays of the Youth Literary Award in 1982.

He does volunteering services for the Methodist Church and is still involving and promoting the scout movement of Hong Kong.

Between 2008 and 2017, Mr Yau worked in the government in the areas of transport and housing. Before the public service, he was a journalist working as reporter and editor principally in Radio Television Hong Kong, Hong Kong Standard and Hong Kong Economic Times. He used to work as a part-timer for BBC (World Service) and a correspondent of Teledifusao de Macau while he was studying law in London. He served in the executive committee of Hong Kong Journalists Association and the executive committee of Hong Kong Press Council. He received awards for his journalistic work, human rights reporting, including the Best General Reporter Award of 1986.