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December 1999

Strive to Innovate

Youth Centres Redevelop Programmes to Keep Up with the Changing Needs

By Levina Sung

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While the government is cutting expenditure on social welfare services, some local youth centres are on the verge of shutting down.

Ms Carmen Chan, centre supervisor of Shatin Children and Youth Centre of the Hong Kong Physical Handicapped and Able Body Association, said that resources received by the centre are just enough for basic expenditures and organizing of basic youth programmes.

In face of the increasing financial burden, some youth centres are striving to improve their services by innovations their youth programmes.

Targeting unemployed young people, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups has launched a series of activities to enhance their self-confidence and positive thinking.

The Tsuen Wan Integrated Services Centre has set up a corner designed like a salon. It provides an opportunity for lesser-educated young people to experience how working in a salon is like.

“Young people can set up their own business in the youth centres after they have handed in a proposal of their ideas,” said Mr. Chan Kam Cheng, deputy executive director of the Federation.

Mr. Cheng Yi-kei, 21, one of the unemployed young men who has joined the programme, said, “I have learnt about interviewing techniques and how to find an ideal job.”

Both the Tsuen Wan and the Kwai Fong Integrated Services Centre have set up youth radio “stations” to broadcast pop music in their centres from time to time.

To attract young people, the two centres have been redecorated based on the ideas of their members.

Colourful paint and more resistant materials have been used to create a fresher image of the youth centres.

Another programme, Voluntary Net, organized by the Federation, has been a success in the past 3 years. Over 8,000 young people have joined the programme.

“Young people are awarded based on the number of service hours and performance. It is more flexible, as they can choose when and where to do the voluntary work,” said Mr. Chan.

“The elites in school usually dominate the posts in the house and the societies of the school,” said Ms Chan.

She continued, “What we want is to let those who have low achievement in school develop their leadership.”

Though youth centres are condemned of not being fully utilized, Ms Chan said not all youth centres were under-utilized.

Said she: “In new districts, youth centres usually have high utility rate.

“For example, the library of our centre lends about 2,000 to 4,000 books each month. Moreover, the study room is always full in the evenings.”

She said that youth centres were beneficial to young people and it was unfair to close them.

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

Students display their talents - in anothere ways

Young people display their talents in the Warehouse Teenage Club.
(Levina Sung)





Related Links:
Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups
Warehouse Teenage Club



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