The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

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Aimed at all those who are interested in young people, their problems and concerns, hopes and aspirations, Invest in Youth, share stories, information and news. We welcome you your suggestions and comments, but ask you also to take the time and see how you might be able to join us building up partnerships. Please show your support by joining our mailing list to receive Invest in Youth every week.

A Joint Collaboration with Beijing University

The Hong Kong Federation Of Youth Groups looks forward to the New Year, when it will launch a number of new initiatives and new projects, each of which seeks to expand youth services, to make them more relevant in this increasingly competitive world.

One such initiative will be a joint venture with Beijing University. Under the working name of the Youth Development Research Centre, the purpose of the Centre is to integrate together the

different disciplines of youth research, training and youth counselling experiences in Hong Kong and the Mainland in order to seek new ways to assess youth trends. It is very much hoped that this collaborative effort, Youth Development Research Centre, will be a place policy recommendations can be made. It is also hoped that the Centre will become a venue where people can gather to share their works and learn from each other. While the main focus is on Hong Kong and the Mainland, every effort will also be made to bring together the best in the field of youth services from around the region to hold workshops, conferences and other gathering.

The Federation is deeply committed to extending the parameters of youth research and counselling. We believe that one way this might be possible is through collaborative efforts with peers and colleagues in the field.

However, the reality of such an endeavour is its dependence on the generous benefaction and encouragement of the community. We very much hope that our partners, especially those in the business arena, will continue to support us and become involved in this very exciting and ground-breaking initiative.

For more details, please do not hesitate to contact our Partnership Office.

Promoting the Habit of Walking 10,000 Steps a Day

To promote the good habit of walking ten thousand steps a day, the Federation's Jockey Club Tseung Kwan O Youth S.P.O.T. has collaborated with the Healthy City Promotion Committee and Haven of Hope Christian Service to organize a Walking Trail Design Competition. This will be open to all secondary students, tertiary students and members of the public. All the Trails must be either in the Sai Kung or Tseung Kwan O districts. The Competition is a programme organized under the " TKO-Healthy

City" project, which is an inter-sectoral collaboration to build a healthy city in Tseung Kwan O. Click here to learn more.

Equipping Young People for Careers in the Creative Industries

With funding from the Home Affairs Bureau, the Youth Employment Network (YEN) of the Federation will organize a series of activities to help young people develop the professional and personal skills required to seek careers in the creative industries. Special focus will be directed to the performing arts industry, especially in the areas of hip-hop and break-dancing. Overseas performers will be invited to share their experiences with the young people of Hong Kong.

Gifts from the Heart
In early December 2003, American International Assurance Company Limited (AIA) donated 2,500 radios to the Federation, which can be presented as souvenirs to our youth volunteers and members. The Federation hopes that more corporations will follow this example and show support for the Federation by different kinds of donations.

Age no Bar in Choosing Hong Kong as a Preferred Residence

During July and August 2003, the Hong Kong Society for the Aged and the Hong Kong Playground Association jointly conducted a survey on the preferred choice of residence of both the elderly and youth. Successfully interviewing 466 youth aged between 12 and 24, along with 429 older people aged 60 or above, the results were all in favour of Hong Kong. 72% of young people and 96% of the elderly chose Hong Kong as their favorite city in which to reside. However, both generations agreed that

unemployment, the economy, the poverty gap, government performance and air quality were the five areas with which they were most dissatisfied.

Young Girls providing Sexual Services at Cyber-Cafes
An in-depth police investigation has revealed that criminal gangs are taking advantage of young girls and luring them into the vice trade. In a police operation carried out on December 9, three cyber-cafes in Mongkok were found to be providing sexual services. 26 underage young girls suspected of prostitution were arrested, the youngest only 14 years old. Most of the girls were either unemployed or playing truant from school. They had been hired as "cyber-counselors" through pornographic magazines,
the Internet or by referral. Their real job was to provide sexual services at the cyber-cafes.

Increasing Number of Secondary Students participating in Soccer Gambling
In October 2003, the Anti-gambling Alliance (監察賭風聯盟) successfully interviewed 5,175 secondary students. The result revealed that the number of underage students participating in soccer betting had doubled twice since the Government legalized soccer betting last year. Among those respondents who had participated in soccer betting, 38% reported that they had successfully escaped the strict monitoring by the Hong Kong Jockey Club and had placed the football bets directly at betting branches
themselves. In addition, 4.8% had borrowed money from loan sharks to carry out their bet. This is a deeply worrying situation, which must be addressed.

World Youth Summit on Globalization
During the 3 day World Youth Summit on Globalization, 200 youth participants, from all over the world, engaged in intensive debates regarding the divergent views on globalization. The participants also discussed future European responsibilities on the world stage. Academic experts, professional politicians and NGO representatives were also invited to contribute to the quality and depth of the debate. The ultimate outcome of the Summit was a strategy paper outlining what ought to be the role of the European Community in light of globalization.The World Youth

Summit was the final event of the project "Youth and Globalization", a project initiated by AEGEE (Association des Etats Generaux des Etudiants de l'Europe) , the largest pan-European network of students. Sound interesting? Click here to learn more.

Watch more TV, Eat fewer Vegetables !
According to an illuminating study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health and published in the Journal of Pediatrics on December 8, 2003, the more television children watch, the less fruit and vegetables they eat. The reason behind this odd relationship is probably related to the high-level of junk food advertising on television, said the study's author Renee Boynton-Jarrett. The Report also revealed that American children spent an average of 22 hours a week watching television. They were exposed to 20,000 TV commercials a year. Check out the details!

HIV/AIDS Children
According to the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), an estimated 3,000,000 children around the world, aged between 0 and 14, were living with HIV/AIDS by the end of 2001. The situation is most serious in Africa. As the following chart indicates, 14 out of the top 15 countries in the "Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic 2002" with the highest estimated number of children living with HIV/AIDS, are located in Africa. In Hong Kong, from 1996-2002, the number of cumulative prenatal HIV infections reached 15, according to the Hong Kong Social Service Council AIDS Project.

Top 15 Countries with the highest estimated number of Children Living with HIV/AIDS recorded in the "Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic 2002"
Rank	Country	Estimated Number of Children (age 0-14) living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2001
1	Nigeria	270,000
2	South Africa	250,000
3	Zimbabwe	240,000
4	Ethiopia	230,000
5	Kenya	220,000
6	Tanzania, U. Rep. of	170,000
6	Congo, Dem. Rep. of the	170,000
8	India	170,000
9	Zambia	150,000
10	Uganda	110,000
11	Cote d' lvoire	84,000
12	Mozambique	80,000
13	Cameroon	69,000
14	Malawi	65,000
15	Burkina Faso	61,000

Source: UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS). 2002. Report on the Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic 2002. Geneva.

***Staying Safe at Christmas***

Staying Safe when Meeting Friends made over the Net
A survey conducted by the Federation revealed an alarming phenomenon. 30% of the youth respondents did not keep personal safety in mind when meeting up with new friends met through ICQ or other chat rooms. The Federation interviewed 309 youth aged 12-26 on December 8-9, 2003. Of them, 74% said they were open to making new friends on the Internet, while 31% claimed that they did not mind becoming romantically involved
with their Net-friends. Among the 45% youth respondents who had made friends through ICQ, 24% had already passed on personal information, including telephone number, while 17%

had even disclosed their addresses. This is extremely worrying, as criminal elements may take advantage of this information, particularly during the holidays. Click here to view the full report.

Romance at Christmas
Being alone at Christmas seems to be a taboo for young people. Many youngsters look for some type of Christmas romance. However, this type of dating may also be accompanied by
confusion and frustration. Because of these concerns, Youthline 2777 8899 of the Federation will launch a special project during the Christmas and New Year holidays. This project includes a Christmas Venus Hotline 2777 8899 which will provide counseling services for young people having relationship problems, along with a Christmas Venus voice mail box, allowing young people to express their love for their friends

and family. The u21 website of the Federation will also cooperate in the effort and launch a Christmas special so that youngsters can share feelings and interact with their peers online. It is hoped that these services will help young people cope with their various relationships during the holiday season. For more information, click here.

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