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| Aimed
at all those who are interested in young people, their problems
and concerns, hopes and aspirations, Invest in Youth, shares
with you the latest development of the Federation and young
people. We sincerely invite you to join us as a partner in
nurturing the younger generation. |
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Dr.Rosanna
Wong, DBE, JP
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Students fly
out
Exchange trips are always very good news when it comes to exposing
young minds to positive influences. Like all travel, they widen
horizons and introduce foreign cultures. But unlike casual holidays,
exchanges have structure and purpose. They give students a goal
and can form a very constructive part in personal development.
The Federation has been running regular exchanges since the 80s
and has an extensive network of international partners in around
20 different countries including the US, Australia, South Africa,
Korea and of course
in mainland China. Dragonair are sponsoring the First World Chinese
Youth Forum which will take 300 young people to Beijing
in September and Northwest Airlines backed the Global Citizenship
programme in New York last June. Cathay Pacific Airways sponsor
several trips including the annual International Wilderness Experience
Programme which is taking place right now at the Entabeni Game
Reserve in Johannesburg. Last month the Leadership 21 Youth in
LegCo Study Tour went to visit Queensland's Youth Parliament and
as you can see from the picture, it involved wildlife too. Certainly
there was much more than just dry debate. Some of the participants
told us the story. Read all about it...
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Feedback
on the Federation's Study Tour to Queensland's Youth Parliament
Philip is a first year Molecular Biotechnology student and is
the President of the Chinese University Debating Society. A softly
spoken person, he surprised us a little by saying...
" ...I'm actually something of
a risk taker. That was one thing I learned as part of my Leadership21
course, that if
necessary
I can make a bold decision and face the consequences...."
Daisy, who is in Form 7 at SKH Tsang Shiu Tim Secondary School,
also made an immediate impression. She said that one of the most
important parts of growing up so far had been learning about
herself.
HKFYG: What do you think is the best way to do that?
D:Go on an adventure based training course...It
was really hard carrying that heavy pack for so long. But in
the end
I started to learn how to evaluate myself...after that I could
understand better the principles of leadership that I learned
on the Federation's course."
HKFYG: Your proposed bill on internet protection for the Youth
Parliament is really quite impressive. How did you feel about
it?
P: Just six of us worked on it for 2 weeks in our spare time.
We were rather nervous about the presentation at the mock parliament.
HKFYG: How did you find the Australian students? Were they more
experienced?
D: The Australians were brilliant, so well organized, ready to
break in and heckle if they disagreed an a point. We're not used
to that kind of thing in Hong Kong. LegCo is obviously quite
different from the Australian Parliament.
HKFYG: Did the exchange trip make you think we should have a
Youth Parliament here in Hong Kong?
D: That would be great, especially if we could invite our Australian
counterparts along.
HKFYG: So you think the Federation's exchanges are a good idea?
D: Absolutely. They are the first step in becoming a global citizen.
HKFYG: Would you recommend Federation exchange programmes to
your friends?
P: Definitely. As I told my younger sister,
to get the most out of life you've got to step out of your comfort
zone and take
all the chances life offers. The Federation's programmes help
you do just that."
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Careers
in Coffee
The "McCafe Coffee Professionals Scheme" offers pre-employment
training as baristas. (咖啡調配師). A "barista"?
No, it's not a kind of lawyer! It's the name for someone who
brews
you a cup of delicious coffee and the Italian name adds a touch
of glamour to the booming business of serving good coffee to
discerning Hong Kong consumers. With McDonald's,
the Federation has launched this training scheme and we are looking
for 10 young
people to start in September. Successful candidates will have
six month job placements at branches of McCafe and
will learn the skills and know-how of coffee making, teamwork
restaurant operations and customer service. Top performers will
then have the chance of being offered a job. For details, please
click here |
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Happy
holidays with Garfield
Antz Workshop and 20th Century Fox have kindly given us permission
to use Garfield, the well known cartoon character, on the Federation's
u21 website for the summer. Visitors to the site will get to
know more about him and the major motion picture, "Garfield
the Movie". They'll also be able to win Garfield souvenirs
and free advance movie tickets by taking part in different quizzes
and games... why not check out the website right now.
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Careers
Expo: another big hit
The Federation jointly organized another Youth Careers EXPO
with the Home Affairs Bureau on 14-15 July 2004. The 2-day EXPO
attracted around 9000 young people, aged between 15 and 35, the
majority being F5 and F7 school leavers. Approximately 1,800
jobs were on offer by 25 employers and 135 positions were actually
taken up during the show. The Federation extends sincere thanks
to our exclusive supporting media organization, JobMarket and
all collaborators
and partners. |
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Jobless numbers
down
The Census & Statistics Department have released their latest
figures, showing that unemployment among young people aged 15-29
has dropped slightly since March. Mr. Gary Tang, the Federation's
Supervisor of Youth Employment commented that with the recent
signs of an economic upturn, more employers are willing to offer
jobs and work placements to young people. Significant long term
demographic factors are also at work. As the number of people
in this age group drops because of the decrease in the birth
rate, so naturally the size of that group in proportion to the
workforce is also dropping. It's a gradual process and an inescapable
symptom of an ageing population.
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Emotional
moments: the Felix Wong Improvement Awards
231 nominations were received this year for the Felix Wong Improvement
Awards (黃寬洋青少年進修獎勵計劃). Each winner was given a token award of
$2500 to pursue further personal development. There were many
very deserving cases but one boy in particular is memorable.
He is
17 year old
Lau
Ka-chun.
Despite
his parents'
protests, Ka-chun took the HKCEE last year, with excellent results.
But his schoolwork had been suffering for some time. He has a
disease of the pituitary gland which affects not only his growth
and hormone balance but also his eyesight. He now sees only very
poorly and his doctor says he may become completely
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the exams he was in the Prince of Wales Hospital undergoing major surgery.
During convalescence when he could only eat, drink and breathe
through his mouth, he had to wear a mask as well. It was bad enough
for ordinary mortals. Imagine poor Ka-chun. Yet, extraordinary
young chap as he is, Ka-chun comes through not just smiling but
making the rest of us laugh as well. He is a gifted comic, able
to make fun of himself and his hardships so that we all laugh with
him. Listen to this. He lives in Tai Po and says he knows the lamp
posts there intimately, "I've walked into practically every
one of them", he says, with a charming, rueful smile. Would
that the rest of us, in good health, could cope with life's little
mishaps so light-heartedly. |
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| .Copyright©2003-4 The
Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups |
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