Youth Matters

Thanks to Partners

We owe enduring thanks to Mr MK Koo, the prime sponsor of our recent Charity Wine & Dine. Together with the California wineries Screaming Eagle and Harlan Estate, he and other donors have helped us raise millions of dollars to support our services.
Hong Kong youth join us in saying a big thank you!

Clean Environment concert

The concert was organized by the Council for Sustainable Development at the launch of Clean Air - Clear Choices. 35 free tickets were given for distribution to youth and there were opportunities to learn about environmental protection at the performance. The show, '未來空氣‧今日靠你'清新啟動日', was on 2 June at Happy Valley Racecourse.

LEAD Creativity Showcase 2007

LEAD's public showcase is being sponsored by Sony Corporation of Hong Kong Ltd this year. It takes place on Saturday 14 July at Inno Centre, Tat Chee Avenue, Kowloon Tong. About 600 students from 20 primary and secondary schools will be displaying their projects on the theme of Dreamland and sharing their creative ideas with visitors. The project's major sponsorship comes from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and it is a joint initiative of the Federation, MIT Media Laboratory and The Chinese University of Hong Kong with the support of Innovation and Technology Commission. LEAD involves both youth at school and in the community. They build motorized robots, produce animated video and compose music with technologies developed by MIT's Media Laboratory. Contact the LEAD Secretariat, tel 3106 0600, for further information or visit http://www.lead.org.hk

Seminar and workshops on university admission interviews

The Federation, Hong Kong Community College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Ming Pao jointly organized a series of activities for students who have completed their Hong Kong Advanced Level Examinations. On 21 May, 150 Form 7 graduates attended a seminar on university admission interview skills at the Auditorium, Duke of Windsor Social Service Building. There were free workshops and professional counsellors shared their views, offering advice on interview techniques.

My community My website : website design competition for secondary schools

Education.atnext.com is organizing the competition again this year and we are very happy to be one of the supporting organizations. Groups of four F.1-F.7 students create websites to describe how they see their community, its development and special features. The competition is an outlet for creative talent which enhances skills in computer and internet technology.
Deadline for entries: 1 June 2007.
For more information, please click here:
http://education.atnext.com/index.
cfm?fuseaction=web_comp.front

'2007 Music with U'
Singing contest

With sponsorship from Neway, the Federation’s Tsuen Wan Youth S.P.O.T. will organize this contest in late July and August. The themes are love and treasuring life. Other sponsors are Tsuen Wan District Council and IDA Haircare Professional, and it is supported by Music Man Productions Ltd and A-Look Eyewear, and is now open for enrollment. Young people aged 15-30 are welcome to join. A vocal training lesson will be provided for participants. We hope the contest will allow young people to demonstrate their talent for singing and promote youth culture.
Initial judging 28-29 July
Final judging 12 August.
Deadline for enrollment 22 July.
Enquires contact Sandy, tel at
2413 6669 for details or visits: http://www.u21.org.hk/u21_2006
/promotion/singing_contest/

New Ambassadors for Airport July 2007

Since 2002, the Federation and the Airport Authority have been training youngsters as Airport Ambassadors under the aegis of the Labour Department's Youth Work Experience and Training Scheme (YWETS). Over 150 have taken part to date and the next intake of trainees will be in July. The programme has received a warm response in the community and provides a chance for young people to gain valuable work experience while promoting the ethos of hospitality for tourists visiting Hong Kong. The Airport Authority provides a 6-month intensive vocational training scheme, introducing participants to airport operations and customer care and giving them a chance to contribute to efficient, friendly services. Visit the Federation's Youth Employment Network (YEN) at http://www.yen.org.hk/ for more details.

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Alert: control waste and clear our skies

Hong Kong has serious environmental problems. The Council for Sustainable Development has launched a territory-wide movement to fight them. Help by using with recycled shopping bags, fewer lights, less paper, lower air-conditioning. Our schools are passing on the message.
The younger we start the better.

Summer sports: a winning philosophy

The Federation is running several recreational sports programmes this summer. There is the 4-day Divac Youth Basketball Camp which offers NBA skills training by well known players and coaches led by the famous Serbian All-Star, Divac. Later there will be a 2-day golf camp in Shenzhen organized with the Mission Hills Golf Club and featuring well-known pro, Cindy Reid.

While enrolling the participants we learned what motivates youngsters to sign up for camps like these, apart from the big names. The consistent answers are fitness, weight loss, fun and skills. Pleasing parents and impressing peers are part of it. Learning to work together, understanding how to deal with winning and losing are important too but they are not fundamental to motivation. Young people want to play well and they enjoy doing so if they are slim and fit. That often involves having the right coach so we look for the best people to partner us.

If you would like to partner us in sports programmes, please contact Katy or Marina, tel 3579 4560. To find out more, read Feature Story where there is some feedback from the Divac Children's Foundation and the Mission Hills Golf Club.

Feature Story

Playing the game

Junior Golf Training

Next month, a four-day HKFYG basketball camp for 100 young players will be led by the Olympic star, Vlade Divac and current NBA players Vladimir Radmanovic and Peja Stojakovic. NBA Detroit Pistons assistant coach Igor Kokoskov, will also be here. Shortly afterwards, there will be a 2-day golf camp at Mission Hills in Shenzen for 40 youngsters. Famous golfer and writer Cindy Reid will instruct.

Our partners told us about the philosophy that lies behind their work with young people.

Jeff Leader, Managing Director with DCF's agent in China, began:

The Divac Children's Foundation (DCF) needs to find dedicated partners. HKFYG is the most successful, prominent youth organization in Hong Kong. With its immense knowledge and insight into youth here we hope to provide quality basketball instruction as a part of broader youth development for years to come.

Alex Dimitrijevic, managing director with DCF continued:

Learning basketball fundamentals from international stars with NBA is the starting point. From there, we go on to emphasize determination and hard work, but we focus on the need to trust and believe in yourself and your teammates. This and sportsmanship are the most important part of the lesson and it's a lesson for life. It means loving what you do and always giving your best.

We asked what took DCF to China, where they ran camps last year and why now include Hong Kong:

Divac wants to run camps where we can reach as wide a range of youth as possible. Rich or poor, shy or bold, no child should be excluded. It's wonderful to see the sparkle in the eyes of disadvantaged kids when they realize they can be valued and capable.

These thoughts were echoed by Cindy Reid, who will instruct at the Mission Hills Golf Club camp:

Communication is the key. My style is very hands on and my goal is to make every child at the camp feel special. One-to-one reinforcement and being approachable are key factors.

Given golf's exclusive, luxury image and how much it normally costs to play, we asked Tenniel Chu, Executive Director at Mission Hills whether this was an unavoidable disincentive to young newcomers:

We have always been strong believers and supporters of junior golf development. Partnering HKFYG gives us a great platform to introduce the game to Hong Kong youth.
You can start playing at any age and your age will never stop you carrying on. You certainly don't have to be big and strong. Not only that, it can both get you out of doors and in a big city you can practice at a driving range as well.

Cindy's backed Tenniel up, saying:

Despite the price of equipment and fees, I think golf is becoming more accessible and it's growing faster here than in anywhere. I really enjoy giving exposure to anyone who doesn't usually have the chance. I tell them about the sport's history too and how technology has changed it

Does she think there are other lessons participants might learn, as there are in the basketball training?

Courtesy is very important on the golf course.If you respect your fellow competitors you will have the same attitude throughout life. This is something to share with them. But I will also make sure they get the idea that golf is fun and can be a creative sport too.

That final note was reflected by Jeff and Alex at DCF:

Players at the camp can be at any level and they will all have fun. Obviously we will need a bilingual assistant but the message is the same, and kids are kids, no matter where they are. As Divac says, basketball is a language spoken by youth all over the world.

For more information about the basketball and golf camps, contact Marina, Apple or Katy, tel 3579 4650.

Upcoming events

Luncheon Seminar on Youth Issues

Topic The Challenges and difficulties faced by young people in Hong Kong with low educational attainments, low skill levels and low incomes
Date 7 June 2007
Time 12:15-2pm
Venue: Harbour View Rooms I & II, 3/F, Excelsior Hotel, Causeway Bay
Guest Speaker The Hon. CHENG Yiu-tong, SBS, JP, Member of the Executive Council

Shatin Dragon Boat Races 2007 - The Dragon Foundation Cup

Date 19 June 2007
Time 9:20am - 9:50am (official time for all races 7.30am-12 noon)
Venue Shatin Shing Mun River
Event category Small mixed dragonboats

「龍情十年」青年交流分享會 Youth Sharing Session

Date 23 June 2007
Time 3-5pm
Venue Level 5, Pacific Place Conference Centre, One Pacific Place, Admiralty
Guest of Honour Dr. Lee Shau Kee
Guest Speaker Ms. Shelley LEE Lai-kuen, GBS, OBE, JP
(Director, The Dragon Foundation)
Audience 300 past participants of HKFYG youth exchange programmes

Facts & Figures

Slimming and Sport

Sport and exercise bring self esteem and a sense of achievement as well as encouraging weight control. These are the same reasons that youngsters themselves give* for taking exercise and so there is much to be said for organized sports which attract participation and promote awareness of obesity through lack of exercise.

Issue 87 of Youth Matters focused on this subject and a report on 30,000 6-18 year-olds by Chinese University now confirms the need for concern. 22.5% of the boys and 16.8% of the girls surveyed were overweight. This is almost double the number in 1993. Obesity rates have also risen, to 12.4% in girls and 15.6 in boys - a 40% increase since 1993.**

On the mainland, increasing affluence has had a significant impact on children's diet but they are getting no healthier and the proportion of overweight children is 2.6 times higher in families with a monthly income of over 10,000 yuan than it is in those with less than 800 yuan a month.**** Obesity in the rich is 3.6 times more prevalent than in the poor.

Cases of anorexia and bulimia have also soared and fatalities have occurred in both Hong Kong and Singapore. A teenage Hong Kong girl jumped from a building in a suicide attempt this year because all the shirts she tried on were too small for her. Hong Kong is on the UN's blacklist*** for indiscriminate consumption of products claimed to cause weight loss. We are 6th after Brazil, Argentina, South Korea, the US and Singapore. Many young females risk serious side-effects of appetite-suppressant slimming pills, including amphetamines, sleeping pills and laxatives.

To find how many calories you normally need, multiply your weight in pounds by 9.817 if you are female or by 10.908 if you are male. For example, a 130lb woman will burn approximately 1,276 calories every 24 hours to keep the body alive and functioning properly (130 x 9.817 = 1,276), while a 180lb man burns approximately 1,963 calories during resting metabolism every 24 hours (180 x 10.908).

The healthy way to slim is to lose about 1lb (0.5 kg) a week. Eat about 3500 calories less a week or burn an extra 550 calories every day. Walking briskly or playing golf uses about 250 calories an hour. Going uphill uses 450, like an energetic basketball game. Ideally, reduce intake by about 300 calories a day and taking an extra half hour of vigorous exercise a day as well. Check here for more figures: www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist4.htm

* Archives of Pediatric Adolescent Medicine 159, 1115-1120, 2005 ** South China Morning Post 26 May 2007
*** United Nations Narcotics Control Board report, March 2007 **** Shanghai Daily 21 May 2007

The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups provides services and facilities for the intellectual, physical, emotional and social development of young people in the hope that they will lead full and committed lives as responsible, contributing citizens. It has ten core services focusing on youth employment, volunteering, youth-at-risk, counselling, education, parenting, leisure, culture and sports, youth exchange, leadership training and e-services.

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