Peak period for Form Five Broadband
Anxiety is about to peak in this year's HKCEE students. There are nearly 120,000 candidates this year - all terribly anxious about their future. The Federation does all it can to help with information, advice and light-hearted distraction by running its Form Five Broadband project. Activities change from year to year. In 2004 there was rock music, this year it is rock climbing. There are camps, seminars, symposiums and workshops, not to mention the counselling services which uses every possible channel of communication.

'Pressure comes from all quarters, not least the students themselves. Since its inception, Form Five Broadband has evolved its services to ease the tension generated by questions such as, what should I do if my results are poor'… 'what sort of training can I get?' During the annual peak period alone it deals with approximately 4500 calls for help. Over the phone and through email, icq and chatrooms, the counsellors will be stretched to the limit from 9-13 August. Read about them in this week's Feature Story.

"Early preparation and counselling are essential if students are making plans for further study. Preparing for the worst can reduce stress levels and both they and their parents should seek the advice of counsellors who can help them to cope."

Mr Chiu Wing-tak
Vice Chairman, Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters

Form Five broadband: 24/24 care for teens
As the dread day of exam results approaches two of the volunteer counsellors on the Federation's hotline for anxious teenagers talked to us about their work. Claudia has been a volunteer since primary school and is now studying social work at City University. She started on the hotline in 2003 and thinks it’s the best possible way of helping teens get over their nightmares of doubt and hesitation.

Marco trained in computer studies and is now a library assistant. He worked on the hotline too but thinks the Form Five Broadband internet chatroom is probably the best option for the thousands of Hong Kong teens who find communicating by computer almost instinctive.

Both Claudia and Marco relish the challenge of the coming peak period, called the 100 Hours when the vast majority of calls for help come through. Before they start on 9 August, there is a 2-day training workshop. They think there is still a lot to learn despite past experience.

"The role play sessions help a lot but the best thing is getting real practice on Form Five Broadband," said Claudia, "when the moment comes, what really counts is being able to empathise and give positive re-inforcement."

Patience is vital while callers voice out their concerns and Claudia's immediate aim is to learn what she can and understand the problems as fast as possible. Only then can a counsellor start to build up trust, offer emotional support, encouragement and reassurance. All this in a matter of 5-10 minutes, which is often all there is to deal with each call.

Calls from parents are common too. They are often anxious because they realize that communication at home has broken down. They too need to see how they can help their teenagers cope with the coming transition period.

"The nature of the problems change through the week," said Claudia. " First they just want to talk about how they feel. I know what it's like because I went through agonies of self-doubt myself when I was their age."

Marco can also remember feeling pressured to succeed by his parents so he too understands very well the dreadful feelings of insecurity and anticipation.

"I did not realize the Federation hotlines existed then. Instead I talked to my friends about how I felt. Now, with the chatrooms, there's much better interchange among a group. The students help each other just like my friends helped me."

"Later they need guidance, practical support and precise information," said Marco. "Many need help to pick a school on the points system that offers the best chance of doing the subjects they need to go on to university. We have to know how to navigate our way through a lot of information quickly and advise students on the best options."

Teamwork is vital and during the 100 Hours 100 volunteers like Claudia and Marco will be depending on each other in the Form Five Broadband HQ. We wish them luck - it can be a stressful time for the counsellors themselves - under pressure for 8 hours at a stretch on the computer terminals and phone lines.

Neither Marco nor Claudia complained of stress. Both seem to be natural listeners but they have an equally natural difference. While Marco concentrates on the precise, practical aspects of his work, Claudia's first priority is to empathise and use her EQ.

Marco said, "We have to be fast, friendly and efficient", said Marco. Quite a tall order! "But in the end I tell them to just try their best and then relax,"

"Counselling is a real art," said Claudia - "You learn so much by experience. The most important thing is being able to imagine yourself in their shoes."

for more info visit http://www.u21.org.hk/27771112_new/

Facts & Figures

Sex education: failure and the consequences

Summer holidays are a high-risk period for unwanted teenage pregnancies. Figures have risen by 11% in the last year according to a report released last week by a local support group.* Educators think that the younger sex education starts at school the better but lessons need reinforcing at home by parents to be effective. Unfortunately many parents find that difficult.

A 2003 Chinese University report** showed that of 1,729 primary school pupils interviewed, only 15% had ever talked about sex with their parents. Levels of awareness are even lower on the Mainland where another survey*** showed that 22% of Guangdong parents never discuss sex with their children and 20% said they had no idea how much their children knew about the subject. Instead, many young people - both in Hong Kong and across the border - get access to distorted information, with 66% from a sample group**** of 1,176 reporting they had received obscene material from the internet. A BBC report *****states that 75% of all Mainland youth get their primary sex education through online pornography.

Improved communication and heightened awareness go a long way to counter these problems and reduce teenage pregnancy. The Federation's Youth Counselling and Family Life Education units are always ready to help both parents and youth with this difficult problem.

*South China Morning Post 25 July 2005 ** South China Morning Post 22 November 2004
*** South China Morning Post 2 May 2005/7/28 **** South China Morning Post 5 October 2004
*****http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4572859.stm

Book fair confirms Federation survey on reading

Overall attendance figures at last month's book fair were up by 20% on 2004. Even better, 30% more children's tickets were sold. In a knowledge-based society books have a very important role to play despite the dominance of the computer in both work and leisure. The continuing urge to read is very good news especially when an RTHK June survey of 1,528 primary pupils found that 20% of them thought of their computer as their playmate.

The Federation ran its own survey* in early July, interviewing 548 young people about their reading habits. It discovered that while 80% had read material online in the last 12 months, a good 70% prefer reading hard copy and the majority spend over an hour a day reading, a figure which matches the findings of a similar poll survey conducted in 2004.** Favourite material was fiction even though 30% read for information. As in 2004, the majority think that book prices are too high, a perception which may change as high quality material published on the mainland at a lower price becomes ubiquitous here in Hong Kong.

*http://www.hkfyg.org.hk/yrc/chinese/yr-p141c.html ** http://www.hkfyg.org.hk/yrc/chinese/yr-p127c.html