Thanks
to Partners
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「伴我成長˙社區顯關愛」
課託計劃
The Federation has received a
grant from the Community Investment & Inclusion Fund for the Cheung Wah Youth S.P.O.T. to organize this one-year
programme from September onwards. The programme targets Primary
1 to 4 children studying at the HHCKLA Buddhist Chan Shi
Wan Primary School in New Territories North. Those who lack
adequate family care at home will be provided with babysitters,
homework tutors, visits to interesting places and life skills
training. We are recruiting housewives, parents, students
from The Hong Kong Institute of Education and Form 5 students
in the community for training as tutors on the programme.
We hope it will help solve the problems faced by these children
and give them more exposure to their community so that they
feel they belong there.
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Project
Night Walker
The Federation's Young Night Drifter
Team and the Sai Kung & Wong Tai Sin Outreaching Social
Work Team organized this Project jointly with Tseung
Kwan O Police Station. It provides a platform for frontline policemen
and Federation outreach social workers to share information
about young people who have been identified as young night
drifters and youth-at-risk. An in-house training programme
will be organized in May for the policemen, in order to strengthen
their understanding of youth problems and the Project will
lead to mutual exchange between the frontline policemen and
youth workers taking part.
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「魔術特工隊」
The Federation's Tsuen Wan & Kwai
Chung Outreaching Social Work Team is organizing this project
with sponsorship from the Hong Kong Bank Foundation from
May-October 2006. The project targets youth-at-risk and involves
training workshops for conjuring and voluntary service at
kindergartens and homes for the elderly. The aim is to help
youth-at-risk develop their talent, recognize their own abilities,
build up self-esteem and feel a commitment to the community.
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Fundraising Gala Dinner: Thanks
to all Grand Prize Sponsors
The Federation is happy to announce
that plans for its first-ever fundraising Gala Dinner on 26
May at the Four Seasons Hotel are now gaining momentum. The
Gala Dinner has met with a very encouraging response and we
are sure it will be a night to remember. Members of Hong Kong's
elite and well known celebrities will perform for charity during
the evening on the theme, Back to the 60s. We are delighted
to say that The Hon York Chow, SBS JP, Secretary for Health,
Welfare and Food will be Guest of Honour. A big thank you to
all our table patrons whose donations will help us continue
developing high quality, versatile services for Hong Kong youth.
A raffle will take place at the dinner and our sincere thanks
go to all Grand Prize sponsors for their generosity. Click
here for a list of prize sponsors.
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Be a champion Hong
Kong-Macao Student Tour 2006
This sports training programme is jointly organized
by the Training Bureau of the State Sports General
Administration of China (國家體育總局訓練局) and Fesco
Overseas Association (外企海外聯誼會) and has sponsorship from Qi and the RHYTHM Foundation. 30 students
from low-income families will be sponsored to take part in
this year's study tour in July and August and the Federation
has been asked by the organizers to help with their selection.
Accepted students will receive free training in their chosen
sport in Beijing. Putonghua classes and sightseeing activities
will be arranged for them. We also hope the students will gain
exposure by participating in activities related to the upcoming
2008 Beijing Olympics. Application deadline: 15 May. For inquiries,
please contact Ms Lau (YE): 2561 6149.
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Summer
Programme,
Summer Themes |
HKFYG is organizing 3,000 activities this year
to help youngsters relax and enjoy their vacation. Last year,
nearly 35,000 enrolled and we expect even more this year when
the programme has an extra fresh new look with four sets of
themed workshops highlighting creativity, multimedia, the performing
arts and sports.
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English classes are the most popular,
followed by arts & crafts, then magic. There is puppetry,
shadow play and paper cuts at one end of the spectrum with
golf, fencing and archery at the other. We keep the fees for
classes to the absolute minimum but volunteer instructors and
sponsors make a huge difference and allow underprivileged children
a chance they would otherwise be deprived of.
With your collaboration we organize volunteer programmes in
the community. With your expertise we offer tutoring in languages
and sports. With your sponsorship there will be new activities,
prizes and excitement which will make a long, hot, boring school
holiday a time for exploring new horizons or beginning a fascinating
lifetime's interest beyond the wildest dreams of poor children.
Be a summer partner. Contact:
Apple or Katy at 3579 4560 or visit http://www.u21.org.hk/syp06/
Programme
enrolment day: Sunday 14 May. |
Coming
of Age Ceremony |
The ceremony, on 4 May in The Jockey Club Auditorium
at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, was a great success
with
over 800 18-year olds who took part. For them it marked an
important rite of passage in a significant way that they will
always remember. The Hon Wong Yan Lung, Secretary for Justice
and Mr Peng Qinghua, Deputy |
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Director of the Liaison Office of the Central
People's Government in the HKSAR attended the ceremony as Guests
of Honour. |
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Feature
Story
Public policy: views from youth
Once young people start thinking about public
policy on issues like environmental protection, city planning
and health insurance they can come up with some very interesting
ideas. Bright youngsters recognize the need to speak up and
competitions like HKFYG's annual Hong Kong Public Policy
Award stimulate them into doing the homework needed to make
practical proposals.
One such example came from the award-winning
team from the Diocesan Girls' School this year. They chose
to look at the perennial problem of waste disposal in Hong
Kong and proposed a different kind of recycling.
"Plastic bottles are our target," said Cheryl.
"The recycling bins near my home are often full of empty
bottles. Some of them are poor quality but others, like shampoo
bottles, are often in good shape and could be re-used." |
Vera continued, "Customers could be offered incentives
such as lower prices to take their empties back to the shops
and get them re-filled by machine....and a few disincentives,
like litter crime volunteer squads who go around the city
on the lookout for litterbugs." |
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"Hong Kong people generate 1.4 kilogrammes of rubbish
every day," exclaimed Grace. "Schoolchildren
should know that. It would make a big difference to their
habits. It costs HK$4 billion a year to deal with it. Government
should be spending some of that on education, videos and
commercials to persuade kids that there is a better way.
Then the meagre 20% of Hong Kong's population who do anything
about recycling might grow."
The girls from DGS were joint champions in
the secondary school division. Their competition came from
a team of five head prefects. |
Echoing Vera's sentiments, their
spokesperson Martin from Kwun Tong Maryknoll School insisted, "Young
people need to know about existing government policy. Once
you learn a bit it opens up your horizons. That's when you
want to suggest improvements."
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Martin was very excited about
his team's ideas for multifunctional community centres.
"There are so few quiet, green places where
Hong Kong people can take a break, especially in the heart
of urban areas like Mongkok and Wanchai. We want to convince
government to construct multi-purpose community buildings
there."
He went on to describe his vision, "...music
performance areas equipped with instruments for hire and
places for dance and drama, an exhibition gallery where local
people can put their work on display; libraries with cafes
to encourage readers to stay, an underground market and an
air-conditioned sports centre. There should be private space
and public space with a peaceful garden in open air shade
on the ground floor..." |
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Martin compared this vision with the inspiration
behind such centres as the Eden Project in Cornwall, Federation
Square in Melbourne and Millennium Park in Chicago.
"We think that the Southorn Playground
redevelopment in Wanchai could use ideas from some of these
fantastic public places. Hong Kong needs something like
that."
Squall, Ester, Grace and Eddy from HKU were
equally enthusiastic about their proposal for preventive
healthcare which won them the championship in the Young Adults
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"Lack of a long-term policy
that changes people's behaviour is needed to achieve sustainable
public health. Effective dissemination of health information
is also crucial."
"Our duty as citizens of Hong Kong is to
contribute to solving policy problems," said team leader,
Squall. "Competitions like this offer opportunities for those |
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who aspire to
careers in policy formulation the chance to actively contribute.
This means
we can show the public that youth are capable of generating
creative, feasible policy proposals."
For more information on the Hong Kong Public
Policy Innovation Award: Strategies for Sustainable Development
in Hong Kong contact leadership21@hkfyg.org.hk
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Federation
News |
Hong
Kong Student Science Project Competition: Initial
Judging |
Date: Saturday 13 May 2006
Time: 9am-5pm
Venue: Exhibition Gallery, Hong Kong Central
Library
Number of teams enrolled: 109
Visit www.hksspc.gov.hk for more information
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Dragon
Foundation presents " A Million for the Dragon" Charity
Sale |
Date: Saturday 13 May 2006
Time: 10:00am-4:30pm
Venue: Humphrey and Chatham Rooms, Conrad
Hotel
Visit http://www.dragonfoundation.net/charitysale/ for more
information
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Odyssey
of the Mind World Finals Commissioning Ceremony |
Date: Friday 19 May 2006
Time: 4pm
Venue: Theatre of the Joint Professional Center, G/F, The Center
The 7 winning teams from this year's Hong Kong Odyssey of the
Mind local competitions will represent Hong Kong at the 2006
World Champions in U.S.A. starting on 22 May. |
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Facts & Figures |
Telecoms, freedom
and control on the Mainland |
There have been spectacular increases in
the use of telecommunications on the Mainland. The number
of internet users has risen by 75%, to 111m, since late 2002.
Only the US has more users than this. Over 50% of all internet
users in China have broadband – up from just 6.6%
in 2002. All internet
use is
policed and approximately 30,000 online monitors and overseas
companies such as Yahoo and Google have been criticized for
censorship.*
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Users of instant messaging services on the
Mainland have more than doubled to 87m and blogs, largely
unknown 3 years ago, are up to 30m. In late 2005 there were
393m mobile phone accounts in China. That is more than any
other country in the world, but over half of the accounts
are not registered in anybody's name. This means that they
can be used easily by criminals or dissidents without being
traceable by the police.
The other problem is internet addiction. Of
the 16.8m "netizens" in China aged 13-35, 2.4m or 13% are
addicted according to a national survey conducted in August
2005.** Another 13% said they were prone to cyber addiction.
42% of the total are hooked on online games. There are calls
for more regulation and legislation as a result.
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Federation
poll on student stress |
A survey conducted by the Federation in March
this year reported on stress levels in Form 5 and Form 7.
40.9% of the 938 students who are taking either HKCEE or
A level exams this year said they were highly stressed and
39% admitted to being under pressure because of exams. Approximately
25% of these said that the stress was self-induced, as a
result of their own expectations.
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Commenting on the report,
HKFYG youth counsellors say that although options for school-leavers
have widened considerably with the introduction of work experience
schemes, pre-associate degree courses and a range of vocational
training, most still want to follow the more traditional
academic route via A level exams and into tertiary education
although 11.9% were apprehensive about their chances.
For further information contact the Youth Counselling Service,
tel 2395 0161, 27883433 or 27883444
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Core
Service Highlight |
Leisure, Cultural & Sports
Services |
Taking part in musical events, the performing
arts and energetic sports is great fun as well as being educational.
We believe wholeheartedly that leisure, culture and sport
are an important part of growing up as well-rounded, cultured
young people. For example, there are workshops in the performing
arts for youth-at risk as well as themed activities in the
summer programme, Dance, magic, art and drawing all feature.
As for sports, there are golf, fencing, rugby, baseball,
fencing, hockey and archery courses this summer. During the
school year there is the Bonaqua multisport competition and
a range of activities organized by the Federation's camps
in the New Territories, Stanley and the Outlying Islands.
Participation encourages a positive, out-going attitude to
life, building self-confidence and team spirit.
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