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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
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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Helping Young People Develop a Global
Perspective
For more than 20 years the Federation
has organised numerous initiatives to help young people in Hong
Kong develop an international
perspective. These have taken the form of Exchange Trips and
Programmes, of providing opportunities to attend international
conferences and workshops, as well as facilitating the sharing
of foreign friends and dignitaries visiting Hong Kong with
local youth. |
In today's highly competitive and globalised world, an international
outlook is imperative and the Federation has long been aware
of this. The point, therefore, of these initiatives is to help
young people widen their horizons and see themselves as not only
belonging to Hong Kong, but as belonging to the world! It is
only through these types of programmes that they can enrich their
knowledge, and expand their abilities to think critically and
analytically. Young people need to be able to appreciate the
rich diversity of cultures and traditions, be open to other opinions
and have a sure understanding of global issues and concerns.
Please do help contribute to the Federation's programmes and
exchanges. Help youth acquire the skills that will ensure that
they remain competitive on an international stage, with a sound
and relevant global perspective.
Call the Partnership Office on 2123 9598 for more details on
the Federation's international programmes.
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Helping
Young People Develop an International Perspective
The Chief Executive, Mr. Tung Chee-hwa, used his 1998 Policy Address to set the
long-term direction of Hong Kong. He stated that Hong Kong had the potential
to become, "not only a major city within one country, but also the most
cosmopolitan city in Asia, enjoying a status similar to that of New York in America
and London in Europe. We must seek, as our ultimate goal, to realise this potential". |
This will not be possible unless the young people of Hong Kong
are well prepared, with a strong international perspective and
well-developed sense of international relations and concerns.
The Federation has a long history in broadening the horizons
and global outlook of young people through exposure to international
youth exchanges. From 1983, it has been developing links and
organizing reciprocal international youth exchange activities
with countries as far a field as Germany, the United Kingdom,
the United States, Hungary, Russia, South Africa, Japan, Korea,
Singapore, Malaysia, Mainland China, Taiwan, and Macau. Until
now, over 100 youth exchange programmes have been organised and
thousands of local young people have benefited. In addition,
the Federation has also organised various events whereby local
champions have been sponsored to participate in overseas competitions
or forums. Please refer to the website of Youth Exchange Unit
for further details.
Starting from this year, the Federation will organize a Lecture
Series on Global Vision for young people. Mr. Yang Wenchang,
Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China in the
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, will give the first
lecture. Mr. Yang will speak about understanding the world from
the perspective of China's foreign policy. This will take place
on Thursday, 25 March 2004. Click here to learn more.
In coordination with the lecture, Leadership 21 of the Federation
has begun a Course on China and the International Community
in March 2004. Hong Kong scholars are invited to share their
opinions and knowledge on China's position in the international
community, China's foreign policy and China's military power
in the world. Check
it out!
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Foreign
Tertiary Students Studying in Hong Kong
Going abroad and experiencing
the culture of other countries first hand is not the only way
to develop an international perspective.
This can also be cultivated through daily contacts with foreign
people. With the increasing number of foreign students studying
in Hong Kong's tertiary institutions, local students are encouraged
to make use of these opportunities and broaden their horizons
by engaging with their foreign peers more actively. Click here to understand better the distribution of non-local tertiary
students in the last academic year.
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Unfolding
Young People's Full Creative Potential
Thanks to the principal sponsor, The Hong Kong Jockey
Club Charities Trusts, young people can continue to demonstrate their creativity
in the Hong Kong Odyssey of the Mind Programme for the next
three years. A joint effort of the Federation and the Education
and
Manpower Bureau, Hong Kong Odyssey of the Mind Programme was
introduced to Hong Kong in 1995 with the goal of providing
young people with opportunities to develop their creativity and
problem-solving
abilities through teamwork. A total of 152 participating teams
from 40 primary schools, 73 secondary schools and 6 youth centres
participated in the 2004
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Hong Kong Odyssey of
the Mind Regional Competitions held last Saturday and Sunday.
6 winning teams of the local tournament will go to Maryland,
the United States to take part in the World Finals in June. Check
out the website for more details! |
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Establishing
an Online Support Community for Forms 5 and 7 Students
The Internet
has become a popular means of communication among youth and
the Federation has taken advantage of this popularity
to extend its comprehensive support and counselling services
for Forms 5 and 7 students through this medium. Partnering
these efforts, Outblaze Limited, a company specialized in developing,
managing and offering innovative Internet services and platforms,
has kindly donated 10,000 free e-mail accounts for Form 5 and
Form 7 students so that they might receive and exchange relevant
information about public examinations. Click here to visit
the
Federation's new "Form Five Broadband@u21" website. |
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Understanding
the Current Situation of Information Technology Education
The Federation collaborated with Microsoft Hong Kong
Limited to conduct an investigation into the current situation of information
technology education in primary and secondary schools and the
problems that are encountered. Based on the data collected, suggestions
for the information technology industry will be formulated so
that they can provide more relevant assistance and resources
to the education sector. |
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Youth's
Expectation on the 2004/2005Budget
Before and after the Financial Secretary, Mr. Henry Tang, released
his first Budget on March 10, 2004, the Federation conducted
two polls to understand the views and feelings of young people.
Before the delivery of Budget speech, 34.3% among the 504 youth
respondents aged 18-34 had hoped that the Financial Secretary
would prioritise the promotion of employment. 31.9% expected
that there would also be new policies on revitalizing the economy.
After the presentation of the Budget, the average mark given
by 505 youth respondents was only 54.8, with Mr. Tang receiving
a slightly higher 57.6. Click here for more details on the pre-budget and pro-budget polls! |
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Public Investment
in Education
According to the newly released Budget, the total government
expenditure in 2004-05 is HK$ 286 billion. Despite the huge
fiscal deficit, the Financial Secretary promised that the Government
would continue to invest in education, with expenditure in
the
new financial year amounting to HK$59.5 billion and accounting
for 23 percent of total Government expenditure. This is a slight
drop of 1% when compared to actual public expenditure on education
in 2003-04.
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Sharp
Rise in Attacks on Teachers by Students is Worrying
On March 10, the Education and Manpower Bureau released the
statistics of attacks on teaching staff by students over the
past 3 academic years. The statistics are very alarming. The
number of physical attacks on teachers by primary students
rose from 5 in the academic year 2000-01 to 13 in 2002-03.
The corresponding number of attacks by secondary students increased
from 27 in 2000-01 to 46 in 2002/03. A total of 7 students
were arrested for these offences in the past 3 years.
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.Copyright©2003-4 The
Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups |
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