February 1999 Shelter for rethinking about lifeBy Linda Leung
Growing up in a single-parent family, Man Man, who declined to reveal her full name, received neither affection nor care from her father. The 16-year-old completed her Form 3 education in 1997. Since then she has never gone to school because her family refused to pay for her tuition fees. "My academic performance was very poor," said Man Man, so my father thought that I could not further my studies. "My brother and sister also didn't lend me money to pay for school fees or to employ a private tutor." One day, she had a furious quarrel with her father. He beat her and injured her severely. She has never gone home after that. Having no place to live, her boyfriend contacted the Social Welfare Department, which later referred her to Youth Outreach for temporary accommodation. Man Man is one of the hundreds of cases handled by Youth Outreach every month. Youth Outreach is the only crisis intervention centre for young people in Hong Kong. It was established in 1991 to provide the pioneering and experimental service, which is now proved to be in great demand.
To Mr. Newbery, Youth Outreach is like the emergency unit of hospital. Said Mr. Newbery: "Our all-night outreaching team, which consists of social workers and volunteers, goes out in van in search of runaway teenagers on the streets and then transfers them to our hostels. This is similar to driving an ambulance to carry patients to hospitals. "What we want to do is to get the teenagers off the streets as soon as possible and get them out of the clutches of triads and drug pushers. "If the teenagers need accommodation and counselling, they can stay in our residential centres in Wan Chai at a maximum of two months." According to Ms Agnes Liu, centre-in-charge of the girls' hostel, each case is followed by a social worker and a welfare worker. Ms Liu said: "After the youngsters return home, we follow them for further six months." The hostels are of small scales and of family style. There are 15 beds in the girls' hostel, providing a safe and warm shelter for more than 500 runaway and throwaway teenagers every year. The staff in the hostel try to create a positive atmosphere. They keep encouraging the teenagers by expressing admiration in daily conversations. "We treat all of them equally," said Ms Liu. "We respect their needs, share their ups and downs, and let them make their final decisions." In January 1997, Debby, who requested that her name be withheld, committed suicide after quarrelling with her parents and boyfriend. When she was discharged from hospital, she was referred to Youth Outreach. Debby is one of the 85 percent of cases of Youth Outreach that can return to ordinary life. Debby said, "Social workers of Youth Outreach helped me to apply for a private school and acted as a bridge between my family and me." Youth Outreach also serves new immigrants. According to Mr. Newbery, more and more new immigrants become runaways. Youngsters from mainland, India, Korea, Malaysia and the Philippines live in the hostels recently. It is dangerous for new immigrants to live on streets. They get beaten up because they cannot speak Cantonese. After living in the hostel for a month, Man Man said she likes to live in the hostel than at home. She said, "People here are willing to chat with me. Above all, they care and love me." With genuine loving assistance and support, teenagers in hostels of Youth Outreach are capable of facing up to their difficulties in times of crisis. However, what they really need are the support and consideration from their families. All-night tour It is 11:45 p.m. The outreaching team of Youth Outreach drives off Sha Tin in a van, heading towards places that seem to be dangerous at night, but are shelters of thousands of runaway teens.
All-night tourBy Linda Leung
12:45 a.m. The team continues the search. In a park, they meet two teenage boys who are waiting for their friends to begin their nocturnal activities. After talking with the boys, the team heads towards Mong Kok. 1:55 a.m. The team arrives at a McDonald's Restaurant where many 'night drifting' teens gather. The team members chat with two girls. 2:30 a.m. The team has refreshment near Jordan. 3:25 a.m. The team arrives at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui, where a group of teenagers wanders around a staircase. Chasing and teasing each other, some of the teenagers listen to the team members' advice on how to get a job through Caritas. 4:05 a.m. The team joins another outreaching team. 4:20 a.m. The team finishes the all-night tour without any referral to the residential centre.
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When a 16-year-old girl decided to stay away from home for the rest of
her life, she knew the path ahead would be full of obstacles. However, she still insisted to
lead her way.
The primary target group is the runaways and throwaways between the
ages of 10 and 16. However, Mr. Peter Newbery, executive director of Youth Outreach, said the
average age of teenagers is 12, and the youngest is 7.
12:07 a.m. The van stops near Lok Fu Centre. Team members enter a
convenience store and spot their targets. They wait outside the store until their targets come
out. Having known that the teens are only buying food for their midnight supper, the team
members introduce the services of Youth Outreach and give the teens their contact numbers in
case they need help.