The Student Leaders Network- synergy at work

The student leaders network is brand new. It's the Federation 's latest initiative in providing opportunities for Hong Kong's future leaders. It was launched just last week on July 6th with 1000 members and is expected to grow to 10,000 by 2010. The aim is to create teaching and learning platforms on which they can hone their leadership skills and talents, empowering them to serve their schools or universities and strengthening their commitment to the community.

The network is run under the aegis of the Federation's Leadership 21 and has three foci: value added training, giving back to society and exchange programmes. Secondary and university students aged 15-30 who have undergone basic leadership training and are or have been student leaders may join. We are very excited about this new venture and expect it to lead to greater youth participation in public advisory and consultative bodies in the HKSAR. We think you will agree that this is a vitally important part of the process of giving our go-ahead younger generation the confidence to speak out as representatives for their peers, locally, nationally and abroad. With experience gained at this level they will be one step closer to realizing their full potential.

Max was still at secondary school when he first came to the Federation's Leadership 21 centre. He took the student leaders certificate course in May 2000 while he was in Form 7. He went on to do accountancy at HKUST but in his spare time he completed Federation courses on youth community leadership and adventure based training followed by the 'train the trainer' course which led to him to become one of our assistant instructors.

Since then Max has continuously participated in leadership activities, receiving further training to keep up himself to date. What he appreciated most about the Leadership 21 courses was how they offer the chance first to concentrate on the principles and theory of leadership and then give students the chance to put it all into practice and share what they have learnt.

" Leadership is like sport and fitness", he said, "the more you practice and train the better you get. "

In 2001 while he was at university, he coordinated the Leadership 21 Youth Think Tank. During that summer he was MC of the first Youth Summit of the Hong Kong Commission on Youth. By 2002 he had been appointed the first student member of that Commission by the Chief Executive.

Now working for Ernst & Young, Max says that he forsook participation in university societies and social life to concentrate on leadership training. He still hasn't decided where the future lies for him but he's quite sure that,

" The younger generation in Hong Kong needs to know what they can do for society at large, they need the self confidence to believe that they, as individuals, can make a difference."

As for leaders, they need above all,

" to be able to convey a vision and be good team members; to understand the team's strengths and weaknesses and be able to create synergy; most important of all they must have integrity."

Asked who has made the most significant impression on him, Max remembers Daniel C Tsui, Nobel prizewinner for physics. Tsui said that the most important thing in life is to know yourself. The process of coming to understand yourself is far more important than any outcome. Wise words that Max has heeded well.

Maximising youth potential in sport

Because of the overwhelming response to last year's event, Swire Coca-Cola HK will sponsor the Federation's Bonaqua Youth Challenge again in 2004. The event offers young participants the chance to reach their full potential in a number of sporting events. The Challenge is held in one of Hong Kong's country parks, giving it the context of the wilderness. In response to feedback from last year's participants, some new and innovative activities will be added to extend this year. By competing, young participants will also gain valuable experience of the cooperation demanded by teamwork. The event will be held on 5 December 2004 in Sai Kung Country Park.

9 July 2004 was a big day for Form 7 students in Hong Kong. It was the day when over 30,000 of them received their Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination results. To help them face the results with a positive mindset and to make informed decisions about future study and careers, the Federation collaborated with Hong Kong Education City Limited to launch a special online chatroom for the Form 7 students from 8-10 July. Hong Kong Education City Limited will also provide updates for the Federation's special website for Form 7 and Form 5 candidates www.u21.org.hk/27771112. Click here to have a look!

Wan Li Book Co Limited has kindly agreed to offer special shopping discounts for the Federation's u21 Youthnet members during the Hong Kong Book Fair 2004, to be held on July 21-26, 2004. u21 Youthnet members just need to show their member cards and will receive a 30% discount on the books of Wan Li Book Co., Ltd.

Stress at work affects family life

In January 2004, the Federation's Family Life Education Unit interviewed 516 parents who had children under the age of 18. 352 of the respondents admitted they had suffered from stress at work. Long working hours and heavy workload were the most often cited causes of stress. Over 70% of the respondents said their family life was adversely affected by stress at work. 60% indicated that they spent less time with their family members than they felt they should. 24% said that their quality of family life was lowered. 20% went so far as to say relations with family members were getting worse. Click to learn more.

HKAL Examination results released

The Hong Kong Examination and Assessments Authority (HKEAA) released the results of the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKAL) on 9 July 2004. This year, 49.9% of the candidates who attended the Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination satisfied the general entrance requirements for first-degree courses in tertiary institutions. However, nearly 4,100 of them were unable to get into local tertiary institutions to do their first degree. Mr. Choi Chee-cheong, the Secretary General of the HKEAA commented that those who had not been able to secure a place should not be too disappointed because there were other ways to further their education. For example, associate degree programmes are now offered by over 17 organizations.

A young person's idea of the dream job

In May and June this year, the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education conducted interviews on the street with 1,689 young people aged 16-19. For most of these young people, high autonomy, lots of holidays and plenty of leisure time are the factors which constitute a dream job. Job satisfaction, social opportunities, income and fame come low on their list of criteria. The Principal of the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education commented that this was worrying because such an attitude could adversely affect the chances of young people having a successful career.