Yhk 5 1 on poverty

a quarterly journal from the hongkong federation of youth groups

March 2013

Volume 5 Number 1

Youth HONG

KONG

on poverty

YOUTH HONG KONG published quarterly by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups EDITORIAL BOARD Rosanna Wong Elaine Morgan (Editor) Ada Chau (Assistant Editor) Angela Ngai Lakshmi Jacotă William Chung Veronica Pearson

Youth Hong Kong

4 OVERVIEW

March 2013 Volume 5 Number 1

CIRCULATION (unaudited)

Contents

10,000-12,000 in Hong Kong, throughout the region and overseas VIEWS EXPRESSED are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher REPRODUCTION OF CONTENTS without written permission from the publisher is prohibited INTERVIEWS

7-13

OVERVIEW 4 Poverty: yesterday, today, tomorrow

INTERVIEWS

INTERVIEWS 7 Nelson Chow: HKU

Who are the poor? Why are they poor?

10 Ho Hei-wah: SoCO

The reality of poverty 13 Chua Hoi-wai: HKCSS

Tackling problems

Elaine Morgan Ada Chau Chloe Ng Zita Liu OTHER CONTRIBUTORS Anselm Au Kevin Chan Cindy Chau Tiffany Ip Jimin Kang Shan Shan Lee Lillian Ma Edward Mak Claudia Tam

16

YOUTH WATCH

ARTWORK HKFYG e-Services Unit: Lok Choi Edwin Kwok Suki Mak Other artwork from archive, acknowledged as captioned or in public domain.

PHOTOS THIS PAGE courtesy of SoCO Davidyuweb Nettaphoto Pondspider Ppetrovic Trey.menefee tse2

21

YOUTH SPEAK

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24 -29 INSIGHT

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Principal Leung Kee-cheong Instilling hope: Fresh Fish Traders School Mrs Lee, single mother: Personal insight Looking up, looking out St James Settlement People’s Food Banks

YOUTH WRITE 30 Perceptions and prejudices

Lillian Ma Facing stigma 31 Edward Mak A step on the ladder 32 Tiffany Ip No hackneyed solutions 33 Jimin Kang Don’t lose touch: Kids4Kids

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YOUTH SPEAK 21 Struggling to survive

Unaffordable housing,

means-testing, discrimination INSIGHT 24

26

29

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THE HONG KONG FEDERATION OF YOUTH GROUPS was founded in 1960 and is one of the city’s largest non-profit youth organizations. Its programmes and activities at over 60 locations are attended by 5 million participants every year.

YOUTH WATCH 16 Poverty indicators: HK, Asia and beyond

Caught in a trap

30-33

YOUTH WRITE

ARTS, CULTURE, TRAVEL 34 Anselm Au Psychology of travel 36 Claudia Tam Fashion: why we care CITY SPACE 38 What’s on Previews, reviews and sport 39 Youth poll from HKFYG with regional data

Private tutoring: facts and figures 42 Act now for the environment

Make glass greener HKFYG 44 45

46-47 48 49

Charity Auction coming up in June Institute for Leadership Development Former Fanling Magistracy revitalization A Cappella Festival continues Rice giving Index 2008-2012

T

here is great concern about the growing levels of relative poverty in what is generally perceived of as affluent Hong Kong. What is worrying is not

just that the numbers are growing, but that the demographics are changing as well, with poverty touching different groups: families, individuals, the young and the elderly.

This issue of Youth Hong Kong turns the spotlight on the problem, by assessing causes, reflecting on current policies, offering opinions and perspectives and even sharing personal experiences and stories. From all this, it becomes clear that poverty is an issue that requires not only urgent, but immediate attention, with long-term planning.

We know that Hong Kong is not unique in facing this problem. What we would like to know is what you think. Please do share your views, helping all of us understand the scourge of poverty which affects us all.

by king jai

Dr Rosanna Wong, DBE, JP Executive Director, HKFYG March 2013

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Overview

Poverty

yesterday, today and tomorrow 1981

1971

1976

0.430

0.429

H

0.451

1986

1991

0.476

0.453

Income disparity: Hong Kong’s Gini coefficient: over 40 years Source HKSARG. Half-yearly Economic Report. August 2012

ong Kong is among the world’s most affluent cities. Per capita, it ranks ninth for very rich households1. Of countries with billionaires it ranks sixth2. In 2011 8.8% of its householders were US$ millionaires3. Nevertheless, one in every six people here is classified as poor and the gap between the rich and the poor is growing.

Poverty has existed in Hong Kong from its precolonial past to the present day. However, its obvious manifestations today began with waves of migration after World War II. At the time when China’s Open Door Policy was announced in 1978, predominately unskilled settlers from the mainland with little or no education were still coming to Hong Kong to make a better life, usually as a result of political, social and economic upheaval. Hong Kong’s population grew from 1,857,000 in 1949 to 5,232,900 by the mid 1980s.1 Already in 1956, with a population of 2.2 million, Hong Kong’s population density was the highest in the world.

4

Industrialization saw these unskilled workers undertaking dirty, difficult and dangerous factory jobs during Hong Kong’s manufacturing era. With a nominal daily wage of HK$8.60 in 1964, rising to HK$58 by 1982, they did not taste the burgeoning prosperity which they helped to create.2 A shantytown fire in Shek Kip Mei on Christmas Day 1953 made over 53,000 of them homeless and a change in Hong Kong welfare ensued. Then Governor, Alexander Grantham, pushed for the building of heavily subsidized public housing.

Welfare legislation followed for education and labour.

These provided a degree of social protection but the chasm between the rich and the poor remained.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Overview

2006 1996

0.525

0.533

0.537

by Gordon Lew

0.518

2001

2011

From the late 1970s onwards, with labour-intensive manufacturing moving north to the Pearl River Delta region, a parallel shift towards employment in the service industries took place. Highly-skilled, highly-paid jobs increased, leaving former blue-collar workers with few opportunities. From 1982 to 1997, employment in the service sector grew from 52% to 80%, while manufacturing jobs fell from 39% to 10%,3 resulting in a concomitant increase in low-income households.

However, this did not stop mainland immigration.

Instead, a new dimension was added, of older men, usually of little means, crossing the border to marry and then bringing young families back to settle in Hong Kong. Such marriages and births, which stood at 782 in 1986, mushroomed to 16,615 by 2008.4 Already on a minimal income, these families struggled and in many cases, slipped further into poverty.

Today In spite of continued government spending on housing, welfare, education and health, with transport subsidy schemes, after-school care programmes, and food banks, the needy have not all been reached.

Now, Hong Kong’s Gini coefficient, a measure of

income disparity, is the highest in Asia5. According to a government report it stands at 0.5376, based on household income statistics for 2011. The average gross monthly household income of the poorest 10% of Hong Kong people fell to HK$2,170 (US$280) in 2011 from HK$2,590 in 2001, according to the same report. Meanwhile, monthly incomes of the wealthier 10% went up from HK$122,740 to HK$137,480.

By mid-2012, one month’s median income of the richest 10% of households was equivalent to 26 months’ income for the poorest. A household with a monthly income of less than half the median income has been defined as a poor and there were over 450,000 such households in mid-2012, representing a poverty rate for the city today of about 17.6%.

The city’s median wage has risen by only about 10% in the past decade, from HK$12,000 to HK$13,000 for men and from HK$10,000 to HK$11,000 for women.

The median income for those aged 15-34 over that period has remained unchanged, at HK$8,000 for 15-24 year-olds, and HK$12,000 for 25-34 year-olds.

5

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Photo by PenRx

Overview

The poverty rate is highest among Hong Kong’s children, at 22.4%, and elderly, at 33.4%, followed by the 15-24 year-olds at 18.4%. According to the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, the last figure is believed to be related to the introduction of the minimum wage, which will be increased from HK$28 to HK$30 per hour in May 2013.

Tomorrow The Commission on Poverty has now been reestablished and there is new commitment to tackling underlying causes and providing relief to those in need.

In-depth studies are being undertaken by six Task Forces that cover areas such as education, employment, social security and retirement. The emphasis is not only on support for the underprivileged but also on enhanced social mobility. Attention is focusing on Notes and Sources

poverty among the working poor, the aged, those with disabilities, ethnic minority groups and single parents.

Setting a poverty line is one of the tasks of the Commission. It will provide a tool for assessing the effectiveness of government policy in future. Examining the causes of poverty in Hong Kong, providing an adequate safety net to help the disadvantaged climb out of the poverty trap, and alleviating social exclusion are among the Commission’s aims.

However, as the interviews which follow reveal, experts see no magic solution. Tackling the deeprooted poverty here will be a long, gruelling process.

Two of the most intractable problems are the young, with poor prospects despite a good education, and the elderly with little future and without much hope.

Researched and written by the Youth Hong Kong editorial team.

US$1 = HK$ 7.80

1. Chen, Edward K Y. Foreign Trade and Economic Growth in Hong Kong: Experience and Prospects. Citing Hong Kong Government, Hong Kong Annual Report, various years. http://www.nber.org/chapters/c6928.pdf.

2. ibid. Citing Labour Department, Hong Kong Government, Wage Statistics, various issues; Hong Kong Government, Hong Kong Annual Report, various years.

3. Schenk, Catherine. Economic History of Hong Kong. http://eh.net/encyclopedia/article/schenk.hongkong 4. Hong Kong Council of Social Services. Mainlander Arrivals and Baby Boom in Hong Kong 2010/11. http://www.hkss.org. hk/SPC/2010-11/AwardPDF/10-11S-2nd.pdf 5. BCG Global Wealth Market Sizing Database 2012. http://www.themoneyillusion.com/?p=18103 6. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_the_number_of_US_dollar_billionaires 7. http://www.bloomberg.com/money-gallery/2012-05-31/where-the-world-s-millionaires-live.html#slide12 8. http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-06-18/hong-kong-s-wealth-gap-widens-amid-aging-population-inflation 9. http://www.hkeconomy.gov.hk/en/pdf/box-12q2-5-2.pdf

6

10. Oxfam Hong Kong Poverty Report 2003-2012.

11. South China Morning Post, 11 January 2013 A1-2 with Hong Kong Census & Statistics Department figures.

12. Hong Kong Council of Social Service. Summary of 2012 First Half Year Poverty Statistics.

香港是世界上最富裕的城市之一，但卻 同時面對著日益嚴重的貧富差距問題。 堅尼系數顯示，香港的貧富懸殊情況於 過去 10 年一直惡化，每 6 名香港人便有 1 人被界定為貧窮人口；香港的社會福利 系統亦因此承受無比壓力。為解決貧窮 問題，特區政府再度成立扶貧委員會， 希望透過全面檢視現行的福利政策及社 會狀況，制定新的扶貧措施，協助貧窮 人士走出困境。

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Who are the poor?

Why are they poor?

P

rofessor Nelson Chow of the Department of Social Work and Social Administration at the University of Hong Kong has been studying poverty in the territory for over three decades. He is widely considered to be Hong Kong’s expert on the subject. He says the problems caused by poverty and the reasons behind them are always changing and are unlikely to disappear any time soon.

Seeing poverty Although the problem of poverty is now receiving much attention from Hong Kong’s media, many people do not have a clear picture of the plight of the poor. We see elderly rag-pickers scavenging for cardboard, newspaper and empty cans. We see beggars and street sleepers, but the new generation of Hong Kong’s poor is less visible.

“To get a true picture of Hong Kong’s poor you need to go and visit them, not an official visit but a personal one. Go to homes and talk to people in Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tong, Kwai Tsing and Tin Shui Wai. Then you will see how poor families really live and get the true story about their struggles and worries.

That’s what I tell my students to do.”

7

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Photo by tse2 Courtesy of SoCo

Interviews

Defining standards “Our ways of defining poverty and the standards according to which assistance is given still remain crude and value-laden. In the real world, a poverty line acceptable to all simply does not exist; each country must therefore decide on its own standards.”

To suffer from absolute poverty means to be without the basic necessities for subsistence. The concept behind absolute poverty is that there are minimum standards below which no one anywhere in the world should ever fall. Relative poverty is defined as a fixed percentage of the income distribution range in a given place, or includes those with an income below a given percentage of the average. Relative poverty is what we have in Hong Kong. It refers to a standard which is defined in terms of the society in which individuals live.

The life style or behaviouristic method is a third way of defining poverty. Peoples’ needs, even for food, are in fact partly defined by social expectations and the way of life considered acceptable by most people.

8

“Imagine being a poor student in a football team.

After the match all your classmates want to go and eat fishball noodles but you can’t afford to go with them.

It doesn’t happen once, but every time. You make excuses but you feel ashamed and you get a very bad self image. Social expectations can’t be met.”

Intractable, long-term concerns Although the child poverty rate is currently at 22.4%, some of the most serious problems in Hong Kong are among the elderly and the young working adult population. As an early 2013 report by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service shows, one in three elderly people is living in poverty. The young, wellqualified working poor, on monthly incomes of under HK$20,000, present a newer, serious and intractable long-term problem, given the prospect of few suitable job opportunities and soaring rents.

“It’s harder for this group in some ways than it is for those who are living in public housing and are eligible for CSSA*. They have monthly incomes of HK$8,000 – HK$20,000 and there are more than a million of them in the work force. 60% are aged under 35. Two-thirds have post-secondary education and in most people’s eyes they are not poor. Their income is above the minimum wage.

However, there has been no change in their numbers in the last ten years, despite their education. Many of the young adults in this group are actually earning just HK$8,0009,000 a month.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Photo by kevin Fai

Interviews

Many have partners, but they can’t afford decent accommodation so they have to live with their parents.

They don’t get married and they don’t have children.”

Not just window dressing

Nonetheless, some measures are already coming into effect. The revival of the Home Ownership Scheme** and the new old age allowance are examples. Professor Expectations of relief Chow expects the Commission on Poverty to establish “Under Carrie Lam, I have confidence in the Commission an official poverty line in spring this year and hopes on Poverty, but certain things are beyond its control. A that once it is set, the government will come up dilemma faces the members of the Commission. Solving with further measures to help those in need. For all the problems of poverty would mean hurting the vested the new generation of poor young people, Professor interests of property developers. Even the government is Chow suggests rent subsidies. For the elderly he hamstrung in this respect and it makes me quite pessimistic.” speaks of an old age pension scheme to which both the government and society could contribute, even Political issues are involved and views have become if a full-scale pension scheme is not yet possible. polarized, says Professor Chow, with the prodemocratic camp on one side and the establishment “Today, poverty still remains the chief concern of most on the other, there is nothing in the middle to developed and developing countries.The questions we still pull the two together. As a result, he expects the ask are, ‘Who are the poor? Why are they poor? How are Commission on Poverty will have a very hard job. they living? What can be done to relieve their plight?’ 香港大學社會工作及社會行政學系周永新教授研究本港貧窮 問題超過 30 年，他認為在不同的時代，貧窮問題的成因各有 不同，這些問題難以在短期內解決。儘管傳媒廣泛報導，提 高了社會大眾對貧窮問題的關注，但他們並未能看清楚事實 的全貌。例如青年在職貧窮問題往往被大眾所忽視。在一般 人眼中，月入 $8000 至 $9000 的青年人並不算貧窮；但事實 上，他們卻因無力應付住屋開支，而遲遲未能結婚及生育下 一代。雖然周教授對扶貧委員會的工作仍抱有信心，但亦表 示對香港解決貧窮問題的前景不感樂觀。 *CSSA Comprehensive Social Security Assistance **The Home Ownership is a subsized sale programme of public handing.

Eliminating poverty will be a long hard fight but we cannot just sit here and do nothing.”

This article is based partly on an interview with Professor Chow and partly on other publications, extracts from which have been reproduced here with his kind permission.

9

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Interviews

The reality of

Hong Kong poverty Photos courtesy of SoCO

M

r Ho Hei-wah, Chairman of the Society for Community Organization (SoCO) and Non-official member of the newly formed Commission on Poverty, has been working with Hong Kong’s grassroots people for over 30 years. He is frustrated with the government’s response and pessimistic about the future. Here he tells us why.

The poor can see no promise in the future.

"SoCO was set up 40 years ago when poverty was very visible in Hong Kong. The hillsides were covered in squatter huts where migrants from China lived.

When I went to visit those homes I always went after 9pm. Nobody was at home before then. They were all at work. In those days the economy was booming and long hours at work meant steadily increasing income and gradually improving living standards.

It was a time of much government investment in society.

Public housing and universities were being built and the first social welfare payments were being made.

Gradually, a middle class was created and when people earned more money than they needed for day-to-day necessities they could accumulate enough in savings to buy a flat. There were many opportunities, open prospects, and a seemingly bright future. But not now.

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March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Homes that suffocate

by Hong Wing

In hot weather, these places that poor people call home stink. There is little ventilation and no air-conditioning, in summer the temperature soars above 40˚C. The units are running with fleas and cockroaches and the atmosphere is suffocating. It is a sub-human way to live.

No promise, no prospects Now when I visit poor people I know I will find them at home any time. Now they have few job opportunities.

Economic growth in Hong Kong today relies on service industries such as finance and tourism and these people are not qualified. Even those with jobs cannot generate spare income and have little chance of upward mobility.

It is a very sad situation. Despite the introduction of a minimum wage, grassroots wages have not kept pace with inflation. Income disparity has increased and the children and the aged suffer worst. The poor can see no promise in the future and enjoy few prospects.

The first step for government to take is to ensure that families living below the poverty line no longer live in sub-standard accommodation like the subdivided units, notorious for the fire risk they present, where there is nowhere for children to do homework and nowhere for them to go after school except a playground or a shopping mall.

To achieve anything you must feel the need for change in your heart. Many people are simply unaware of the crisis we face.

When I talk to government officials about the problem they always ask, “Do these people have CSSA?” Yes they do, I answer. ‘So why don’t they want to move to public housing?’ the official asks.

The reason is that they have lived in that district all their lives. It is still home, despite the squalor.

It is not only the elderly who live in such places. There are whole families too. About 20,000 children are in these cage homes and apartments split into 12 units or more.

This inevitably has a negative impact on their studies as well as their psychological and physical growth.1 In 2011, according to official statistics, there were about 281,900 children under 18 living in poverty. Among them, 113,482 were living on CSSA* out of a total of 446,783 in all age groups. The rest were from lowincome families without CSSA. According to SoCO research2 the median monthly income of such families is HK$7,900, but median monthly rent is HK$2,600 for a median living space of a mere 130 square feet.

The average living space per person is only 18 square feet in these highly claustrophobic ‘cage homes’, and 30 square feet in the cubicles. The smallest is a mere 10 square feet3, far less than the standard 59 square feet (5.5 square metres) set by the authorities for public housing4. Such units sometimes cost more per square foot to rent, than luxury apartments. Children living in such dwellings have to share facilities such as toilets and kitchens with other tenants. They have to do their homework on their beds and earn their living at night collecting discarded paper, cartons and tins, in the centre of affluent Hong Kong.

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Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Interviews

Photo by Law Lan Yung

Photo by Hong Wing

Insult to dignity The new Commission on Poverty is a step towards solving such problems, as is the discussion of a poverty line, but it is only a tool. It can be used to measure effectiveness of public policy to see how poor families can be raised above the poverty line. But first, there needs to be a review of the effectiveness of the welfare system’s transfer payments. In itself, a poverty line will do nothing to alleviate poverty.

living standards. Only then will the elderly person be entitled to CSSA. If support at home is available government will cut the CSSA. There needs to be a mechanism for an elderly person to apply for CSSA while living with their children, because then there will be the resources to provide for them at home.

In this way, the social problems created by an ageing population can become a social opportunity.

CSSA payments are not really reaching the needy.

We have families that earn less than CSSA still living in poverty. In theory they can apply, but the stigma and red tape attached to the process is an insult to their dignity. Instead of every government department using different criteria for assessing and helping the poor, there could be more user-friendly one-stop service centres, where poor families can make a single application for welfare benefits.

For the poor, in such an environment, there is no future, no happiness, no hope. The Commission on Poverty is sincere in wanting to see change, but there is no crystal ball and there are no guarantees. To achieve anything you must feel the need for change in your heart. Many people are simply unaware of the crisis we face.”

Wrapped up in red tape We have a situation where medical fee waivers, so necessary for the poor, are wrapped up in red tape. If you are sick, first you have to see a social worker to get approval for a waiver of charges. Only then can you go to the clinic. But when you get there the waiting lists are so long you can die before you get specialist attention.

Because of such difficulties, 60% of all underprivileged children never even see a doctor when they are sick.6 We need to see social opportunity instead of social problems. Given the ageing population, job creation schemes could be set in motion. Today, if a family is financially incapable of supporting an elderly person they dump them in a private home with poor Notes and Sources

12

This interview, all in reported speech, is acknowledged with gratitude, as are the accompanying photographs.

SoCO is a non-profit-making, non-governmental community organization, formed in 1972 and financially supported by donations from churches, overseas funding bodies, the Community Chest and individuals.

Through civic education programmes and social action, SoCO nurtures the sense of civic responsibility and political muscle in Hong Kong’s grassroots poor. 香港社區組織協會主任何喜華先生協助本港貧窮基層人士逾 30 年。 他認為現在香港貧窮人士所面對的問題跟以往有很大差別。過往的 貧窮問題較為簡單，因為整個社會處於發展階段，貧窮人士透過工 作能慢慢增加收入，以及分享到社會發展的成果；然而，現在的貧 窮人士很多均為失業者，因為社會只集中供應金融及旅遊等服務業 職位，貧窮人士缺乏向上流動的機會，以致他們對將來失去寄望。 何先生認為，政府首要的工作就是要確保生活在貧窮線以下的市民， 不用再住在板間房、劏房等惡劣環境，並且成立一站式的扶貧服務， 免除貧窮士人申請不同援助時的繁複手續。 * CSSA Comprehensive Social Security Assistance ** US$1 = HK7.80

1. Submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child on the Second Report of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China under the Convention on the Rights of the Child, by Society for Community Organization and Hong Kong Human Rights Commission. January 2013.

2. Society for Community Organization. “Research report on the quality of life of the children living in poverty.” 2011.

3. ibid 4. http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/public-housing/tenancy-matters/transfer/territory-wide-overcrowding-relief-transfer-exercise/index.html 5. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1106988/subdivided-flat-misery-much-worse-realised-study-finds 6. Submission to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child . (January 2013). op cit.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

Tackling problems

M

r Chua Hoi-wai, Member of the Commission on Poverty and Chairperson of the Task Force for Special Needs Groups, talked to the HKFYG team and a university student. He began with strategy.

“Decisions are best reached by dealing with the simpler issues first and identifying those who are worst hit, while bearing in mind that government should commit more of its recurrent budget to poverty alleviation in future.”

Identifying the worst hit In the past ten years, trends in the poverty rate have fluctuated between 17% and 19%, which represents a marked increase on 20 or 30 years ago when it was 13%.

“The biggest increase in poverty is among the elderly although the most serious problem is that of youth poverty. Today, more young people stay at school and go to university.

But job opportunities on graduation are not good at the managerial level.

The escape from poverty for those from low-income families is less likely than was once expected.”

One in three of the elderly is poor.

In the absence of an official poverty line the Hong Kong Council of Social Service uses its own, defined as an income of half or less than the median for a given household size. Now, that is HK$3,600 for a 1-person household, HK$8,000 for two, HK$11,750 for three and HK$14,525 for four.

We are now in a position to plan ahead.

In ten years’ time it will be too late.

“I prefer not spend too much time and finite resources on making adjustments to the basic poverty line according to equivalence scales adopted overseas.

I prefer to get on with tackling the serious practical problems.”

Mr Chua Hoi-wai, Business Director, Policy Research and Advocacy, Hong Kong Council of Social Service. Mr Chau is a social worker by training.

Ages of the poor 40.0% 33.4%

35.0% 30.0% 25.0%

22.4% 18.4%

20.0%

15.4%

15.0%

10.4%

10.0% 5.0% 0.0%

Children (0-14 yr)

Youth (15-24 yr)

Adult (25-44 yr)

Adult (45-64yr)

Elderly (65yr +)

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Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

The most serious problem is youth poverty.

Dilemmas for families The poorest families have access to CSSA* but eligibility ceases for those in post-secondary education, unless they are doing certain vocational training programmes with IVE**. Instead, they are eligible for grants for educational expenses and loans for daily living expenses.

“On graduation, there is a dilemma, because with a monthly income of about HK$12,000 the family is no longer eligible for CSSA. Therefore, some graduates move out of the family home. Yet, if they do so, two poor families result. A review of CSSA policy is needed with so many more youth doing degrees.”

Other anomalous situations arise in consequence of current policy. One of these involves the so-called “bad child letter” sent as a statement of no financial support for elderly relatives. Such a statement means that the elderly persons concerned are entitled to welfare benefits where in the absence of such a declaration they would not be. The number of those aged 65 and over is forecast to rise from 13% to 30% in the next three decades.

Already, one elderly person in three is poor and longterm planning is needed to achieve the necessary ends.

“Specific goals and top priorities include ensuring that lowincome groups like the elderly can at least afford to cover their basic needs. I believe a sum of HK$3,000-4,000 per month would achieve this. It is very basic, and whether it is adequate depends on availability of housing. For a grassroots household with access to public housing it should be enough.”

Photo by courtesy of SoCO

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Photo by sheilaz413

Interviews

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Interviews

One-off funding, not one-off hand-outs

CSSA as a proportion of government spending 10%

9.5%

9.2%

9.0%

8.6%

9.3%

8.1%

8.7%

8.8%

7.5% 7.3% 19.5

18.4

18.0 17.6 17.8 17.6

17.3

17.5

6%

19.0

18.6

18.5

9% 7.6% 8% 7.8% 7%

17.4

4%

16.1

16.5

5%

3%

15.5

2%

14.5

13.6 13.6

0% 1

01

“I don’t think we can see any long term benefits from oneoff handouts. In fact people are getting used to having them and don’t appreciate them.” “But I don’t expect other new poverty alleviation programmes to be implemented in the near future although many want to see a low-income family allowance as well. This will require recurrent expenditure and I can’t say that I am very optimistic.”

Working poor households (’000s) 205 200

199 197

195

200

198

No quick fix, no secrets Poverty is quite high on this government’s agenda, according to Chua Hoi-wai, but he thinks public consultations are needed too. If the government gets public support for its plans it may give it courage.

189

190 185 180

200

197

191

185 181

The surplus announced in the 2013 budget speech was nearly HK$65 billion, despite handouts the previous year, and the accumulated fiscal reserves amount to HK$734 billion. This year, government will implement the Old Age Living Allowance of HK$2,200 a month which will benefit about 400,000 seniors.

20

11

-2

0

01

10

-2

9

01 -2

09

20

7

00 -2

08

20

20

6

00

20

06

-2

5

00

20

05

-2

4

00

04

-2

3

00 -2

03

20

2

00

00

-2

-2

02

01

20

20

20

1

00

00

-2

-2

99

00

19

20

2

1%

12.5 0

13.5

“Government leaders did not think of poverty as a serious problem until recently. Instead, it was believed that poverty was a natural by-product of a free market economy that could be solved naturally by employment.

But although there are enough jobs to go around in such an economy, salaries have not matched the rising cost of living. Widening wealth disparity has resulted.

The reaction was to implement the minimum wage.”

181

175 170 2002 2003

2004

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

2012

“There are no secrets. We all know what the problems are and what they will be in the years to come. We are now in a position when we can plan ahead to look after ourselves. In ten years’ time it will be too late. I don’t think we can wait any longer.”

Notes Figures in the tables are derived from HKCSS publications: *CSSA Comprehensive Social Security Assistance **IVE Institute of Vocational Education

Cindy Chau Yuen-ying doing Physiotherapy at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, took part in this interveiw.

香港社會服務聯會政策研究及倡議業務總監蔡海偉先生認為青年貧 窮問題不容忽視。受家庭背景所限，即使擁有學位或副學士學位， 部分青年人都難以在社會階梯向上流動。同時，現行福利政策亦有 不足之處，容易令青年人陷入兩難情況──收入增加便失去接受援 助資格；但維持相等收入，便沒有向上流動機會。他認為，除了透 過實行最低工資外，政府亦應該善用龐大盈餘，制定長遠措施協助 市民。

15

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Youth watch

Caught in a

trap

A

s society develops and nations get richer there are always some who get left behind. In Hong Kong there are a surprisingly large number of poor people. To understand the situation better, we present comparative information about other parts of the world, side by side with data on Hong Kong.

Definitions of the “poverty line� vary considerably around the world and figures are not always strictly comparable. Nevertheless, the table below shows that Hong Kong is not far from the average in the group of countries we have chosen as a representative sample. It includes well developed and less developed areas with both high and low Gini coefficients.

Population living below national poverty line

Poverty in context The Gini coefficient around the world

<.25 .25-.29 .30-.34 .35-.39 .40-.44 .45-.49 .50-.54 .55-.59 >.60 No Data

GINI Coefficient

Source: CIA - The World Factbook 2009

Source: Wikipedia

In Hong Kong, the starkest facts concerning poverty are easily accessible.

They are regularly published by the HKSAR government, the Hong Kong Council of Social Service, and non-government organizations such as Oxfam and the Society for Community Organization. No absolute poverty is thought to exist in Hong Kong but relative poverty is a serious problem.

16

Brazil Canada China Denmark Germany Hong Kong India Japan Philippines South Africa South Korea Taiwan United Kingdom United States

21.4% 9.4%* 13.4%* 13.4%* 15.5%* 17.6% 37.2% 16%* 26.5% 23% 15% 1.16%* 14%* 15.1%*

Sources Data based World Databank figures except asterisked countries which are based on The World Factbook, CIA. retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ countries_by_percentage_of_population_living_in_ poverty . Hong Kong data from Hong Kong Council of Social Service. No data for Singapore or Sweden.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth watch

Poverty indicators: Hong Kong YOUNG AND OLD Poverty rate

17.6%

One in every six

HONG KONG WELFARE

Public housing for over

Child < 15 years old

100,000 in inadequate housing

Elderly person aged 60 or above

2.1 million HK$2,490 Rents HK$260 to HK$3,530 Adult under 60 : per month, average HK$1,400 HK$2,070

people in Hong Kong lives under the poverty line.

281,900 children under 18 live in poverty.

10% of children

HONG KONG HOUSING

in the city receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA).

At least 20,000 children live in cage homes, subdivided flats and rooftop huts.

HONG KONG MINIMUM WAGE

HK$28

per hour, to rise to

HK$30

HK$2,935

Maximum benefits for ablebodied persons per month

GINI CO-EFFICIENT

per hour in May 2013

0.537

Note Housing and welfare figures from http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/housing.pdf and http://www.swd.gov.hk/doc/social-sec1/ CSSAG0213_Eng_.pdf . Rents inclusive of rates, management costs and maintenance expenses. Sources of all other figures can be found on page 20.

Poverty line Hong Kong does not yet have an official poverty line but the Hong Kong Council of Social Service has established an informal threshold. In its Summary of Poverty Statistics in First Half Year of 2012, it gives an income of HK$3,600 or less for a one-person household as representing the poverty line.1 Oxfam’s report on Employment and Poverty in Hong Kong Families (20032012) defines a household whose monthly income is less than 50% of the median income. The poor increased from 1,126,000 persons (403,800 households) in 2003 to 1,176,500 persons (451,000 households) in the second quarter of 2012. This corresponds to a poverty rate of 17.6% and means one in every six people in Hong Kong lives under the poverty line.2

Child poverty According to a report prepared by the Society for Community Organization (SoCO), the Hong Kong Human Rights Commission and the Children’s Rights Association, the city’s child poverty rate is

over 26%. There were 281,900 children under 18 living in poverty in 2011. Of that number, 113,482 children – or about 10% of children in the city receive Comprehensive Social Security Assistance (CSSA).3

Youth employment and unemployment In its third quarter (Q3) economic report the government noted that the unemployment situation of youths (aged 15-24)4 was of particular concern. The youth unemployment rate in Hong Kong was 11.6% in the third quarter of 2012, slightly up from 10.4% over a year earlier, whereas the total unemployment rate for Q3 was 3.3%. The statutory minimum wage of HK$28 per hour came into force on 1 May 2011.

In May this year it will rise to HK$30 per hour.

Continued on page 20

17

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Youth watch

Hong Kong

Poverty indicators: Asia and beyond The figures we give here are for 2011, or the latest available, for a group of representative countries.

2 ●● Gini coefficient 0.537

●● Poverty line: Hong Kong’s formal poverty line is to be defined this year ●● Half the city's median income or HK$8,000 for a 2-person household3 has been used hitherto ●● Nearly 1.19 million people were living in poverty in the first half of last year, up from 1.15 million in 2011, according to the Hong Kong Council of Social Service4 ●● 2012, third quarter, total unemployment rate 3.4%

Income disparity: the Gini Coefficient Sweden Denmark Germany Canada Taiwan Japan India South Korea Singapore China United States Philippines Hong Kong Brazil South Africa

●● 2012, third quarter, youth (15-24) unemployment rate: 11.6%5

0.230 0.248 0.270 0.321 0.326 0.348 0.399 0.405 0.452 0.4741 0.450 0.450 0.537 0.551 0.631

Source: The Economist 26 January 2013 p28 Note The Gini coefficient measures income inequality.

Zero expresses perfect equality where everyone has the exactly equal income. 1 = maximum income inequality. The warning level set by the UN is 0.400.

1

China: See footnote to p.20

Child poverty in developed nations A Unicef report on child poverty in developed countries published in May 201230 found that 30 million children in 35 of the world’s richest developed countries live in poverty. Over 20% of children in Romania and the United States live in relative poverty. Latvia, Bulgaria and Spain are the others in the worst five. Northern European countries and the Netherlands have the lowest rates of relative child poverty, at about 7%. Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Britain have rates of 10-15%.

Philippines 25 ●● Gini coefficient 0.450

●● Poverty line is set at less than 16,841 pesos (HK$3,210) a year.26 In 2009 about 26.5% of the population lived below the poverty line. 27 Based on the 2009 statistics for the basic sectors, fishermen posted the highest poverty incidence for nine basic sectors in the Philippines at 41.4%, followed by farmers and children at poverty incidences of 36.7% and 35.1%. 28 ●● Almost 10 million Filipinos are currently working overseas, mostly in North America, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Their remittances bring in more than US$20 billion a year.

29 ●● Unemployment average 7%

●● About 25 million people, a quarter of the population, lived on US$1 or less per day in 2009.

18

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth watch

Taiwan 6 ●● Gini coefficient 0.326 7 ●● Relative poverty line: 60% of median disposable income per capita 8 ●● In 2010 1.16% of the population was considered under the poverty line

●● In 2010 in Taipei, a single adult earning less than NT$14,614 (HK$3,544) a month was considered poor 9 ●● Total unemployment rate 4.4%.

Average income of young people stagnant or falling over the past 15-17 years10. As in Hong Kong, with low entry-level salaries and the stagnation of wage growth, there has actually been little opportunity for young people to save over the past 15 to 17 years, which has discouraged them from getting married because they cannot afford to have children or buy a home.11

Japan ●● Gini coefficient 0.348 ●● Poverty line: household disposable income of below half the median12 ●● Median per capita monthly income approx.

HK$12,630 (2007)13 ●● Almost one in six Japanese, or 20 million people, are poor ●● 15.7% of Japanese people are living in poverty, above the 11% average for OECD member states14 ●● Approximately one in every 6.5 children, 15.7%, living in relative poverty15 16 ●● Total unemployment was 4.4%

South Korea

Singapore

17 ●● Gini coefficient 0.405

20 ●● Gini coefficient 0.452

●● South Korea sets its poverty line according to a minimum cost of living monitored under the National Basic Livelihood Security System by the Ministry of Health and Welfare

●● No official poverty line

●● Under the OECD framework 15.2% of South Korea’s population was under the poverty line in 2008. ●● Relative poverty rose to 15% in 2008, the seventh highest in the OECD area18

●● Median monthly household income per capita: S$1,99021 (approx. HK$12,500) ●● On a measure of prosperity among developed nations, Singapore ranked 19th, compared to Hong Kong’s 18th22

●● Nearly half of Koreans aged 65 or older lived on income below the median per capita income, with their poverty rate the highest in the OECD

●● A total household income level of S$1,500 (approx.

HK$9,730) is the threshold level specified by government which determines eligibility for support programmes. In 2008 it was estimated that 1214% (less than 131,000) households qualified23

●● Median per capita monthly income approx HK$12,460 (2007)19

24 ●● A public housing survey showed 30% of oneroom apartment residents had no earned income

●● Total unemployment rate 3.8%

●● Unemployment rate 2% for Singapore citizens

19

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Youth watch

Housing About 100,000 people live in inadequate housing and at least 20,000 children in Hong Kong are living in cage homes, subdivided flats or rooftop huts, according to the SoCO report. Hong Kong also has a group of people called the “N-nothing families” or working poor who receive no government assistance, including CSSA and housing. In 2012, Oxfam surveyed 501 “N-nothing” households and found that more than 70% had been on the waiting list for public housing for an average of 4.4 years without being offered a flat.5 Oxfam says housing is the structural cause of poverty in Hong Kong.

Poorer people are often paying more than half their household incomes on rent. Nevertheless, the Housing Authority provides homes for over 2 million people, at approximately 160 estates.6 The government plans to build 100,000 new public housing units by 2018,7 and has planned for 17,000 subsidized flats to be available for a home ownership scheme by 2020.8 The proportion of people in public housing is now about 30%.

Education Twelve years of education are free at Hong Kong’s state schools, but poor children have difficulty getting into the better schools and have little money for participation in extracurricular activities such as music and sport.

A study conducted by The Hong Kong Institute of Education revealed that although the number of publicly funded undergraduate places has increased in the past two decades, education inequality between the numbers of rich and the poor receiving university education has also increased.9 According to the study, the university degree enrolment rate of young people (aged 19-20) living in the top 10% richest families (48.2%) is now 3.7 times that of those living in poverty (13%).

Welfare

20

Hong Kong has a well-developed social welfare system.

CSSA is intended to provide a safety net for those who cannot support themselves financially. It is designed to bring incomes up to a level which meets basic needs.10 In addition, there are payments for single parents, the elderly, community living, transport and residential care if needed. Health costs are minimal in public hospitals, but those living in poverty with chronic illness or special medical needs often cannot meet the costs required.

Notes and Sources Hong Kong data 1. Hong Kong Council of Social Service. Summary of Poverty Statistics in First Half Year of 2012. February 2013.

2. http://www.oxfam.org.hk/filemgr/1972/20121113_povertyreport_EN_final.pdf 3. http://www.soco.org.hk/publication/press_release/central/2013/HKHRC%20 and%20SoCO%20Submission%20to%20CRC%20committee_18_Jan_2013.pdf 4. http://www.hkeconomy.gov.hk/en/pdf/box-12q3-5-1.pdf 5. http://www.oxfam.org.hk/en/news_2040.aspx 6. http://www.housingauthority.gov.hk/en/public-housing/index.html 7. http://washpost.bloomberg.com/Story?docId=1376MGNV1C6TTDSC01-0HBNTTNF3INENRS2QQLDASDA0A 8. http://www.gov.hk/en/about/abouthk/factsheets/docs/housing.pdf 9. www.ied.edu.hk/web/news.php?id=20130131 2/2 10. http://www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/ page_socsecu/sub_comprehens/ Regional data 1. The Economist 26 January 2013, p28. On January 18, 2013 the central Chinese government announced a Gini coefficient for the first time in 12 years. It was 0.474. In 2000 the figure released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) was 0.412. At that time, NBS said the figure had decreased every year since 2008, when it peaked at 0.491 2. http://www.hkeconomy.gov.hk/en/pdf/er_12q2.pdf, box 5.2 3. Hong Kong Council of Social Service. Summary of Poverty Statistics First Half Year of 2012. February 2013 4. ibid 5. http://www.hkeconomy.gov.hk/en/pdf/er_12q3.pdf, box 5.1 6. http://www.indexmundi.com/taiwan/distribution_ of_family_income_gini_index.html 7. http://thepovertyline.net/?p=412 8. http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/taiwan/taiwan_economy.html 9. http://www.gfmag.com/gdp-data-country-reports/166taiwan-gdp-country-report.html#axzz2KDwofHMz 10. http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/ archives/2012/09/09/2003542304 11. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-16920951 12. http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/stats-on-human-rights/ statistics-on-poverty/statistics-on-poverty-in-japan/ 13. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_household_income 14. http://theglobalintelligence.com/2012/04/03/poverty-in-japan/ 15. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2012/05/20/commentary/poverty-stalksthe-land-and-its-long-term-victims-will-be-todays-young/#.USA5TR0sCSo 16. https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ 17. http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?QueryId=26068 18. http://www.oecd.org/korea/economicsurveyofkorea2012.htm 19. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Median_household_income 20. http://app.mof.gov.sg/newsroom_details.aspx?type=speech&cmpar_ year=2012&news_sid=20120228701057177352 21. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/ singaporelocalnews/view/1182869/1/.html 22. The Economist Special Report on Nordic Countries 2 February 2013 23. http://www.lcsi.smu.edu.sg/downloads/SocialSpace2011-Bottom%20 Fifth%20in%20Singapore%20-%20Jacqueline%20Loh.pdf 24. http://www.hdb.gov.sg/fi10/fi10297p.nsf/ImageView/ Survey2008/$file/Monogram+1+Lores.pdf 25. http://www.manilatimes.net/index.php/business/4104-gini-coefficients 26. http://www.slideshare.net/ldelacruz/poverty-situationer-2011-8294418 27. http://www.indexmundi.com/philippines/ population_below_poverty_line.html 28. http://www.nscb.gov.ph/pressreleases/2012/PR-201206-SS2-01_pov2009.asp 29. http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/127557/philippineunemployment-rate-falls-to-7-from-7-4 30. http://www.unicef.org.uk/Latest/Publications/childpoverty-uk-statistics-report-card-10/

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth speak

Unaffordable, unfair and unsustainable

A

n online forum of six university students discussed the problems and symptoms of poverty. They talked about the fear and the psychological pain, the loopholes in the welfare net and the responsibilities of society to look after the poor.

Sheila, 20, Year 2, Economics

Unaffordable housing: who is to blame?

Most fresh graduates earn $9,000-$12,000 a month. Given today’s prices, many are paying 50% of that on rent. It’s far too much. In my view, 20-35% is the affordable maximum.

Why is property is so costly? Because landlords hoard developable land while the supply is limited. It makes an unbalanced supply even worse.

Providing a subsidy for graduates is just another way to aggravate the problem. In effect it is just a palliative. We don’t need a government subsidy, just a balanced housing market.

POST A COMMENT

Elysia: I agree with Sheila. If the government provided a subsidy, the landlords would simply raise the rents. All the benefits would then be transferred back to the landlords and the young people would still suffer. I think the answer is more public housing schemes, like the Home Ownership Scheme and youth hostels which really would give young people more options.

Zoe: It’s undeniable that property prices are unreasonable in HK. The government should respect free market policy, but also has the responsibility to ensure a basic standard living for all. We all agree that “HK land is for HK people,” so I think our government needs to launch more anti-speculation measures to prevent mainland investors heating up the property market.

Ronald: Young people have emerged as the keenest home hunters, with almost two-thirds of applications for new government-subsidized housing schemes being made by the young and single.

Cyrus: But do you believe they really need them? The ultimate solution is to increase the supply of both private and public housing and ensure that Hong Kong citizens have the priority to purchase these homes. As Zoe says, property prices are being boosted by wealthy mainlanders.

Frankie: Young people always worry about their future. Some of them don’t even want to raise a family because rents just go up and up. Shouldn’t they get some help if we want to boost the birth rate?

Next topic >

Zoe, 19, English Language and Literature

Unfair means test?

For the old age allowance, I think recipients should not be means-tested. It is the privilege of the elderly to enjoy welfare payments when they reach a certain age as they have contributed a lot in the past. However, as public housing demand always exceeds supply, so a means test is necessary to give priority to those in real need. I think young people should be reviewed regularly for all the benefits they get because their status changes quickly.

POST A COMMENT

Elysia: Yes, the means tests should reflect the real situation and be fair. Take public housing as an example. Many university students are eligible if they are 18 but have no full time job. But after graduation, these students would get a better job than those without a degree. It is kind of unfair that after the means test, they are still eligible.

Cyrus: Resources should be distributed fairly and I agree that a well-established means test system should ensure only the needy get the appropriate welfare benefits. But I do think, like Zoe, that the elderly should not be means-tested for the old age allowance. It is government’s responsibility to take care of them. They should also review whether responsible government departments and civil servants follow guidelines strictly. I have heard of a case where somebody wanted to return a flat to the Housing Authority but the staff asked him not to because they did not want the extra work!!

21

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Youth speak

< Previous topic

Elysia, 21, Year 3, Social Work

Next topic >

Who is responsible for the elderly?

Hong Kong is known as a city of skyscrapers, cars and luxury, but people still live on the minimum wage and those who cannot support themselves apply for government allowances, housing and subsidies. We always say it is government’s responsibility to provide but have we ever really thought about the family’s responsibility? It would be rational and pragmatic for them to look after their older relatives and it would fit in with Chinese beliefs and customs.

POST A COMMENT

Ronald: These old people contributed a lot when they were young. I think our society has the responsibility to support them.

The government should use part of its huge surplus to set up a retirement fund.

Zoe: Not long ago, it was common for young generations to take care their parents and they had the ability to do so. But

nowadays youngsters have difficulties even to take care of themselves. To be practical, our government should be proactive in seeking ways to help the future elderly support themselves. And a retirement fund sounds good.

Sheila: The poor and the elderly need our love and care. The government has the responsibility to protect them and give them more welfare benefits including free health checks.

Cyrus: I always hope that the government can set up a retirement scheme and take care of all the elderly. I know this would mean higher taxes but to ensure a better retired life, I am willing to pay more tax when I am young.

Also, I believe that if sons and daughters have the ability, they should be willing to support and take care of their aged parents.

However, the situation in Hong Kong is that high inflation and expensive housing take up a large percentage of a household’s income, so many sons and daughters actually do not have enough to support their elderly relatives.

+ New Topic

Cyrus, 20, Year 2, Politics and Public Administration

Why is there no safety-net for the “N-nothings”?

When the 2013 Policy Address was published it sparked public debate about omitting the needs of a group in society called the “N-nothings”. They get no benefits, not even public housing, but they are very poor.

Government has never tackled the problems of these unfortunates. To tackle their problems, the government should no longer wait to provide more free education opportunities to enhance their competitiveness in the market. Then they will be more likely to find jobs and be able to look after themselves.

POST A COMMENT

Elysia: One of the reasons such a large group of people falls through the welfare net is that the application procedures are too complicated. Many “N-nothing” people are waiting for public housing and CSSA. Some of them are not eligible because they haven’t lived here for 7 years. It is time for government to review its policies.

Zoe: I think the government has introduced schemes to help unemployed people - there are subsidized or even free courses provided by Labour Department and VTC. Moreover, there are subsidies for NGOs to create temporary posts for the less educated youngsters or those with little experience. However, this kind of short-term subsidy needs to be incorporated into long-term policy to really help the “N-nothings”.

Frankie: I think there are several types of “N-nothings”. Some are not qualified to apply for welfare benefits as they do not have permanent citizenship of Hong Kong yet. In this case, I do not think we should help them as benefits should be distributed to those who have contributed to Hong Kong.

For others, like those who are queuing for public housing, but did not apply for social assistance, I think the government should try to reach them and provide assistance.

+ New Topic

22

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Youth speak

< Previous topic

Frankie, 22, Year 3, Finance

Next topic >

Are these equal opportunities?

You might think that Hong Kong’s unemployment rate, about 3.3%, is relatively low, but one of the central causes is sheer discrimination. It is true that Hong Kong has the Equal Opportunities Commission to alleviate this, but numbers show that unemployment is much higher among 50-59 year-olds. There are not enough job opportunities. We need job creation schemes but this has never been prioritized, especially for the less well-educated or the minority groups. There is so much prejudice. Some banks won’t even let you open an account if you have no tenancy agreement!

POST A COMMENT

Elysia: Ethnic minority groups and middle-aged people have many problems nowadays in Hong Kong. Their children tend to

get jobs only after tertiary education. They also have babies later in life so the middle-aged stay as the main financial supporters of households much longer. I think if the government is going to create more jobs, it should also do something to encourage employers to take on these middle-aged people.

Zoe: I agree that low-skilled jobs are diminishing. Government should create more jobs in new industries like IT and the arts, as well as reinforcing support for the less well-educated by giving them new skills and retraining. The ethnic minorities and newcomers from the mainland are a different problem. As Frankie says, they are discriminated against and need special help.

Cyrus: They say the low birth rate in Hong Kong will lead to a drop in the labour pool, and this will greatly affect economic

growth and tax revenue so we need to encourage more new arrivals and people from overseas. I think government should provide more support for youngsters who want to start their own business too, and private companies should be encouraged to create more jobs- part-time jobs for example, for the middle-aged and the seniors.

+ New Topic

Ronald, 18, Year 1 Business Studies

Street sleepers and cage dwellers: unsustainable future

I felt so sad after visiting cage dwellers and seeing street sleepers. If your "home" was only one metre by two metres, encased with wire mesh, how would you feel? If your "home" was a place where you could barely stand up, could not walk around, do homework or sleep properly, with poor hygiene and no privacy, would you still call it home? And what if you did not have the $1,000 to rent that cage? The best you can expect is probably to sleep on the street, in constant fear that someone will steal your belongings, or worse, that the things that you hold dear are treated as rubbish and thrown away by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.

POST A COMMENT

Elysia: The cost per square foot is impossibly high for those cage homes! I think the only reason for living there must be that

they are preferable to public housing because the district is familiar and friends or relatives nearby give support. It’s a disgrace that our rich city has thousands of them.

Zoe: The truth is that HK land is very limited. It seems the government is facing a dilemma: increasing public housing/ rental

control versus free market policy for developers. I wonder if the government can consider new ways to solve the problem. For examples, grant subsidies to encourage people to move to neighbouring cities on the mainland. But in the end I think it would be unsustainable.

+ New Topic

How expatriate and middle-class pupils in Hong Kong learn about poverty The International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP) includes collaborative, crossdisciplinary exposure, with research about real-life issues and possible solutions. At the English Schools Foundation Bradbury School, PYP students this year explored poverty and how it affects children and young people. They have started to understand another side of life in Hong Kong, far from the glitz and bright lights, imagining life in one of Hong Kong’s notorious cage homes, collecting for families who have little money but also learning what they can do to help.

Do you have initiatives for learning about poverty?

Write to youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk and tell us your views.

23

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Insight

Optimism

overcoming hardship

T

hree stories: from a school principal in Tai Kok Tsui, a social worker at a food bank in Sham Shui Po, and a single mother with her son in Lei Muk Shue, struggling but full of optimism. Their attitude and courage give insight and inspiration.

Single parent family in Lei Muk Shue

New Territories

Lei Muk Shue Kwai Chung

St James Settlement People's Food Bank in Shek Kip Mei

Shek Kip Mei Sham Shui Po

Kowloon Mong Kok

Tai Kok Tsui

Hong Kong Island

Lantau Fresh Fish Traders School in Tai Kok Tsui

24

Fresh Fish Traders School

Food for homework

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Insight

Principal Leung Kee-cheong

Take home prizes

Instilling hope

Another time, another world Most children at the Fresh Fish Traders School in Tai Kok Tsui are from poor families who rely on welfare benefits and live in crowded Sham Shui Po flats. Their mothers often have little education cannot help their children with homework. Fathers are usually much older and work on building sites or as guards and cleaners. The primary school’s headmaster, Mr Leung Kee-cheong explained his strategy for helping such families make ends meet.

It was not as simple as it sounds. Some parents didn’t care whether or not their children studied. I tried asking them to stay on at school until 6pm to finish their work. Then I asked the parents to come and pick up them up. When some failed to arrive I insisted, and said I would send their children to the police station if nobody came by 6pm It worked in the end and many of those parents began to understand better why I insisted. Where originally 3040% didn’t finish their homework, now it’s only 20%.

There was one outstanding boy with stubborn parents.

He was offered a place at DBS.* But the parents turned “I was a child in Hong Kong in the 50s and I know about down the offer. They said the school was too good, that being poor. In those days, the family could all work together all the other students came from rich families, ‘from another world’ they said. The to make ends meet. The money helped DBS principal asked me to a bit. But now it’s against the law if any of the children do bring the boy to see him. We for children to work so they cannot their homework on time went, but in the end it made no help their parents. Our schemes they win a food parcel difference. The parents refused. let them contribute in a different They thought the boy would way. By finishing their homework be a misfit and would not be happy there.” on time they can win a prize of food to take home.

Prized food

The idea came to me during the financial crisis. One parent was in a very difficult situation. I saw her daughter had only a goose neck in her lunch box. She said she wanted to lose weight, but when the same thing happened day after day I kept asking her why. Eventually she told me. The family had no money for food. They went to the markets in Mong Kok late at night for the cheapest prices or to scavenge for food others threw away.

I had to help. Originally we just gave food away. But then I thought of something better. Now, if any of the children do their homework on time they win a food parcel with rice, biscuits, sweets and canned goods. I believe in positive reinforcement. Those students are growing up with a sense of responsibility and the habit of studying hard. That will stay with them later in life.

Notes *DBS, Diocesan Boys’ School, a prestigious, well-established Direct Subsidy School with a long-standing reputation for its academic results.

Principal Leung says he tells his students that poor people have fewer opportunities but he always encourages them. “Never give up, work harder. Be determined.”

A mother commented: “I have two children. One is autistic and the other has heart disease. I need to take care of them so I quit my job and depend on CSSA. The school has done a lot to help us, much more than any other school I know of.”

Interview by Ada Chan (Professional Publications) & Chloe Ng (Education Services) 位於大角咀的鮮魚行學校，大部分學生均來自低收入家庭。 校長梁紀昌先生透過獎勵食物計劃鼓勵學生，並協助他們 建立責任心及發𡚒向上的決心。梁校長本身來自貧窮家庭， 他小時候可以透過工廠外發工作協助家人增加收入；但現 今社會全面取締童工，以上光景已不復再。故此，為鼓勵 學生發𡚒向上，梁校長想出交齊功課便可以獲得食物包， 同時為學生的家庭提供實質援助。計劃實行後，學生欠交 功課的情況果然大有改善。梁校長希望所有學生繼續努力， 不為貧窮背景所限，發𡚒為將來打拼。

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Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Insight

Looking up, looking out

M

Photo by Dim Sum

rs Lee met us with both work-roughened hands outstretched in welcome.

She led us away from the deafening traffic up a staircase to a sub-divided flat.

With a confident smile and an expansive gesture she opened her door. We’d expected someone down-trodden and desperate. Mrs Lee was the opposite.

Welcoming hands

She said she liked the area with its nearby tree-covered hills, despite her shabby, crowded flat with its leaking windows blocked from sunlight. Introducing us to Ming, her 13 year-old son, she handed round chocolates, grapes and snacks, the perfect host offering the best possible hospitality in surroundings that were an eye-opener to us. Inviting us to take a seat, Mrs Lee laughed, and began her story.

Rudimentary bathroom

Mrs Lee's stores from the mainland

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“The village where I was born on the mainland is about four hours away from here by bus. I got married there but my first husband and I argued all the time. We got divorced when Ming was three. My second husband, Ching, was a divorcee like me. He was a good man and came from Hong Kong. We got married in 2000 when I was 40 and then I lived with him in Kwai Hing Estate. At that time I could only stay in Hong Kong for three months at a time, on a 2-way permit, so Ming stayed with my sister and went to school on the mainland for almost ten years.

I was Ching’s second wife but he promised me money in his will. His children by first marriage thought I was just after his money but that wasn’t true. He was kind and meant a lot to me. Maybe it was fate, but he died of bladder cancer in 2004 and his son told me he had changed his will with a lawyer in the hospital just before he died. I didn’t get a cent and I’ve never seen them again.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Insight

“The trees here remind me of my village.”

That’s when I moved here. I found a job in an old people’s home. To start with, I was working 12 hours a day, but the minimum wage means I can now earn HK$6,500-7,000 a month. It’s enough and I could cut back my hours. Now I finish at 6pm and can look after Ming. He’s been here for about a year now. I had no idea how to get him into a school but the district office assigned one. People I work with said it was a bad school and the boys fight, but it’s not far away so we tried it.

I get up at 5.30am and before we leave I cook food for the day, enough for three meals for us both. I get a lot of the food from mainland because it’s so much cheaper. I’d never think of going to a restaurant. They are far too expensive! Food banks? I’ve never heard of them and would never go. I work for a living and that means I can support the pair of us.

We walk to the school and then I walk on to work which is not much further. In the evening I usually walk home so there aren’t many fares to pay. We never see doctors here either. One day I fell and hurt my back but I kept working for another ten days before I went back to see a mainland chiropracter. He put the bone back with his bare hands. He also told me to eat pork cooked with earth worms. Imagine! Disgusting! But lo and behold, in a few days I felt a lot better and came back, started doing some stretching before I got up in the morning, and soon I was back at work.

I always encourage Ming to do some after-school activities. There’s a trip to Taiwan in April and I told him to go. But you know he doesn’t always listen to me.

It’s because of those ten years he lived with my sister. Bit by bit we are getting to know each other again! I’m proud of him. The school gives him extra classes on Saturdays because he’s a good student.

You’ve got to give to others before you can expect anything in return.

There was one time when he did fight with the other boys. I don’t know why. Maybe because he’s different. I told him he’d end up in prison and it would break my heart. All that’s stopped now that he knows Zita, the school social worker.

He’s speaking more Hong Kong Cantonese and making friends. Like I told him, you’ve got to give to others before you can expect anything in return.

With Zita’s help I’ve applied for a school textbook subsidy. I don’t apply for public housing or any of those welfare benefits she keeps telling me about. It’s too difficult! I wasn’t born here and getting the application forms filled in really put me off. They kept asking for Ching’s death certificate, and of course I don’t have it! As long as I can work why should I rely on government hand-outs? I think it makes you lazy.

Where I come from you don’t get hand-outs if you’re poor, you think of a way out. You have to!”

We asked Ming what he wanted to be when he grew up.

Silent throughout the interview, he was very shy at first, but eventually he told us how he missed his mainland friends. In class he was confident in everything but English. “I don’t know if I’m good enough, but I’d like to be a doctor one day.”

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Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Insight

Both Mrs Lee and her son eat healthy food and lead healthy lives. Their stoicism, frugality and optimism are an inspiration for others. Yet, they need a safety net in case something goes badly wrong. The school and its social worker are a back-up for them. For others, with a less independent, determined attitude, society has a duty to provide.

Where I come from you don’t get hand-outs, you think of a way out.

李太是一位單親母親。丈夫過身後，她把 13 歲的兒子從 內地接來香港一同生活。雖然老人院工作的收入不算豐 厚，但憑著農村人樂觀堅毅的性格，在劏房的生活也不算 十分艱苦。李太更經常鼓勵兒子把握學習廣東話的機會， 多見識世界並努力讀書。李太希望透過自己的勞力換取安 樂的生活，而非單單依靠政府的援助。同時，李太表示申 請援助的手續十分繁複，為兒子申請學校書簿津貼已經費 盡心神，故此暫時不會再考慮申請公屋等政府援助。

Story by Elaine Morgan and Ada Chau.

Interview arranged by HKFYG’s School Social Work Unit, and conducted with the assistance of school social worker, Zita Lui. Ms Lui helped Ming tackle his adjustment problems, giving strong emotional support, explaining all about Hong Kong and coaching him in communication skills.

Names have been changed to protect identities.

Safety nets for Hong Kong’s poor (in alphabetical order) Caritas Changing Young Lives Foundation Christian Action Christian Concern for the Homeless Association Christian Family Service Centre Crossroads Feeding Hong Kong Fresh Fish Traders School Helping Hand Hong Kong Church Network for the Poor Hong Kong Council of Social Service Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Hong Kong Women Development Association Limited

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Hope Worldwide Kwun Tong Methodist Social Service Missionaries of Charity Neighbourhood Advice-Action Council Oxfam Hong Kong Po Leung Kuk Pok Oi Hospital Salvation Army St. James’ Settlement (including People’s Food Bank) Senior Citizens Home Safety Association Society for Community Organization Street Sleepers’ Shelter Society Tung Wah Group of Hospitals World Vision Hong Kong

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Insight

Hand-to-mouth

P

oor families, like those who go to St James Settlement in Shek Kip Mei, depend on charitable help, explained Connie, who met us as people started to queue up for their food parcels.

“The People’s Food Bank here was intended for new arrivals, low-income and unemployed families, but many needy elderly folk live in public housing estates nearby. Most are alone or live with a spouse. They won’t apply for CSSA because the stigma puts them off but they come to us for food.

At most the family may earn around HK$10,000.

Monthly rent for those without public housing can be HK$2,000-5,000, even for the smallest sub-divided unit.

There’s little left for food after commuting, let alone extracurricular activities. How can they consider something like a Boy Scout’s uniform at HK$400, when there is barely enough for a school uniform? Equal opportunity schemes are what they need. Perhaps a barter economy could help too, exchanging expertise or time for other kinds of help. We have about 150 partners, including NGOs, churches and district offices. They refer needy people to us. Without enough money for food some of them are badly malnourished and we do all we can.”

A wife said:

Food pack from St. James Settlement

“One old lady said that before she came here she would buy seven apples for $10. They lasted her for a week and she ate little else.”

“I live with my husband and three kids aged 2-12. My 6 year-old is mentally handicapped and often has seizures. I get milk powder here and I eat less to save money in hard times. The real problem is housing. Our sub-divided unit is tiny. It’s not safe for the boy. I have to watch him all the time. If only I had a job, maybe we could have a better life. “

Photo by Jin Sheng

The younger people we help have usually arrived recently from the mainland. They may have only been to primary school. The men look for part-time, short-term jobs. Of course, they don’t want to rely on us, they want to work, but when they see employers they face the possibility of discrimination. Some of the mothers want to work too, but the jobs have to be near the children’s schools. Education is so expensive and even with the help of subsidies and vouchers, they still need to pay HK$1,500 -2,000 a month.

Courtesy of SoCO

Not everyone has the resourcefulness of Mrs Lee or the determination of Principal Leung who we met in the other stories we have told. St James Settlement, like similar NGOs, encourages “helping others to help yourself. ” This involves unpaid voluntary work but can build self-confidence. What everyone needs is optimism and something to aim for in the future. In an affluent society like Hong Kong’s it is unacceptable for anyone to face a bleak future of hunger and hopelessness because they cannot cope with the laborious process involved in obtaining benefits they are entitled to.

Interview by Ada Chan (Professional Publications) & Chloe Ng (Education Services) 聖雅各福群會眾膳坊服務經理吳雯賢姑娘表示，由於生活 費太高，很多新移民家庭在應付住屋開支後，餘下的收入 往往不足以應付整個家庭的生活開支，故此需要尋求食物 銀行的援助。眾膳坊提供各類型的食物援助，由初生嬰兒 奶粉、每周食物包，以至長者午膳餐盒等。除了提供食物 援助外，眾膳坊亦鼓勵受助人士多做義工，實踐「助人自 助」的精神。

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Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Youth write

Perceptions and Prejudices

T

hese essays address aspects of poverty including the stigma attached to it, the imbalance it reflects, and possible ways of breaking down the web of poverty. The relevance of education is a recurrent theme.

Facing the facts

by Lillian Ma

by Ross Hong Kong

Year 13, Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong

Hidden problems There is a pressing need to come to terms with and understand the stigma society attaches to poverty.

The daily activities of a beggar or a hawker are seen in a distinctively negative light. Yet, as young children we were taught to think of Hong Kong as a developed city, one with comprehensive health and education support, world-class infrastructure and a social security scheme. Never were we introduced to the idea of Hong Kong’s Gini coefficient, or to think in terms of the Human Development Index, with its indicators of life expectancy, adult literacy rate and GDP per capita. Yet, behind the grander scheme of things, poor people were unheard of and unspoken for.

How can we address the long-standing problems caused by the stigma of poverty? Children, from an early age, are faced with the reality of being treated differently if they are less well-off than their peers. They learn to tell the difference between public housing addresses and private housing addresses, by the use of the word “estate”. How can this be rectified?

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Children learn to tell the difference between names in public housing addresses from private housing addresses, by the use of the word “estate” Casting light I say education is the answer. Not book learning but experiential learning: being taken into the heart of Sham Shui Po to see the people who live in “cages”; going to the farthest corners of the city where children from ethnic minority families are faced with little or no support for learning Chinese; to the streets where elderly people scrounge for cardboard, for cans, for anything that can be sold. However, it is not merely seeing that will help us learn, it is actively helping those concerned.

In this way, education can not only change perceptions but also promote active support for the poor. By moving forward in such a way all can benefit, and perhaps we can begin to remove the stigma of poverty.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

by Thomas Hawk

Youth write

Reducing stigma

by Edward Mak 14, King George V School

The poverty cycle can also be broken by changing values and beliefs.

Hong Kong is very much a fair and equal society. We reward people for their skills and knowledge, not for their parentage or physical strength. According to recent research professionals with Masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degrees earn much more than those with only high school diplomas.

Education is clearly the backbone of success and this can be seen by the correlation between education and income.

One method of tackling this problem is to increase subsidies for tutoring or exam preparation but the poverty cycle can also be broken by changing values and beliefs. Ruby K. Payne, an American educator and writer, says the poor sometimes characterize themselves as helpless and unable to escape poverty. Children of such families often lack the motivation to study because As a society, we believe that everyone should have the life is so hard. Some find life unfair and think they will opportunity to succeed and prosper. Our ethos promotes fail no matter what. To change this, attitudes need to hard work and effort. From day one, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re told that change first. effort will eventually pay off. To a certain extent, the Hong Kong education system supports this idea. There Success story is a 12-year free education programme for all, regardless of social status or wealth. Concessions and financial aid One success story features Li Qi-Gwang, a student are provided for the underprivileged, with textbook, whose family always lived on welfare. His small, wooden travel and internet access subsidies, all intended for apartment had nothing more than a bed and a small equal opportunity. table converted into a makeshift study area. But through perseverance and effort, he obtained top marks in the HKCEE and eventually earned a doctoral degree in Opportunity: only skin deep medicine. Hundreds like him have climbed the social However, the facts and figures show a different story. ladder through pure effort and determination.

According to a recent article by Oxfam, 20% of people here live in poverty and poor people remain trapped in Realizing potential is the first step on the ladder. Hong the poverty cycle. Wealth can compensate for lack of Kong is a city full of possibilities and opportunities, if effort with tutorials and external exam prep classes. Low- only people realized and were encouraged to grasp them income families are simply not able to afford them. and make their own future.

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Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Youth write

No hackneyed solutions

by Tiffany Ip

17, Li Po Chun United World College of Hong Kong

Calling education the key to solving poverty is a hackneyed solution. Whilst it makes sense, we should rethink what it truly means.

A report from the Hong Kong Institute of Education in late January this year revealed that not only does a rich-poor gap exist on a broad societal spectrum, but also within education itself. According to the study, rich kids in 2011 were 3.7 times more likely to be enrolled into a university than poor kids, despite the increase in tertiary education places.

Inherent inequity Nevertheless, although the government provides free education to all school-aged children, and offers subsidies to low-income families, inherent inequity still exists. First, there are direct subsidy scheme schools and international or private schools, as well as government schools. One deeply embedded value in parents, universities and employers is that students from better schools with higher fees will also be brighter. Statistically speaking, there is evidence for this, as many students with perfect scores in public examinations and those who win international awards have often been to such schools.

However, since their fees are not affordable by lowincome families and there are not enough scholarships to go round, most poor children are deprived of such a promising beginning. If you have ever attended a university admission talk or even a secondary school

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…university admission criteria are related to the achievements of students from wealthy families. entrance interview, you will probably realize the importance of extra-curricular activities. It is no longer simply a question of getting straight-As. You have to present yourself as an all-round student with outstanding talent.

The more trophies the better Schools and colleges today look for applicants who have won international competitions, attended prestigious summer schools, or gained work experience with well-known companies. The more certificates and trophies they have the better. Poor students don’t even dare to apply to such schools. Early childhood education for them could counter this trend as could schools and universities which provide more financial assistance on a need-blind admission basis to ensure that places are accessible to talented students from all backgrounds.

It is understandable that universities want the brightest students, but we must re-think what we mean by “bright”. When designing policies that boost education quality, government should cater for low-income students and foster a holistic educational environment for them. Solving poverty requires long-term planning.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

by Carl Loven

Youth write

Don’t lose touch

by Jimin Kang Chinese International School.

of cage homes, and of begging on the streets in a city with one of the highest Gini coefficients in the world.

Is the true stigma attached to poverty purely associated with these signs, with a lack of education or a lack of housing? Perhaps, but maybe it is also a stigma of our own making, of the inability to share what we have, of the disparity between the haves and havenots and the imbalance of resources in our city.

No distant dream In our constantly shimmering, never sleeping and always bustling city, at some point we tend to lose touch with humanity. The do-good and feel-good quality of being alive, of simply stopping working and starting living, is something that has, slowly and insidiously, been overshadowed by our more pressured, Today, many of us are so caught up in a web of work and manufactured and purely work-based priorities. study that we begin to lose our neighbourly connections, Taking the time to break out of our busy lives and our sense of caring, and our longing for sharing. begin to share what we have with all the community What’s worse is that we’re not the only ones trapped. can, in fact, loosen the grip of the otherwise sticky web of poverty. This is more than a distant dream.

One side of Hong Kong we rarely see but hear so Organizations across Hong Kong have already taken much about, there are tens of thousands of people the initiative to facilitate and channel sharing into who are caught in an entirely different web: the web simple, reachable actions. Kids4Kids is one example. of poverty, a web intricately built of subdivided flats, Since 2008, Kids4Kids has worked to empower kids of all ages to give back to the community.

Through regular programmes and outreach, it fosters a sense of advocacy, leadership and willingness to help those who are less fortunate. The annual Sharing for a Cause collection drive, with corporate and school support, brings Hong Kong together to collect items for needy kids. Kids4Kids is now looking for volunteers to sort donated goods ready for distribution.

Photo by Carl Coven

Full details at kids4kids.org.hk

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Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Arts, culture and travel

Psychology of travel W To truly understand the relationship between being human beings and travel, we must venture deep into the human mind. Two traditional questions, “where?” and “why?” play a crucial role.

For students studying a foreign language, travel can give the perfect opportunity to practice. There is no easy way to master a new language without actually being where it is used every day. Indeed, you may find that the “everyday phrases” in your textbooks are only used by people over 50 and that people your age use very different expressions.

by Moyan_Brenn

by Sheep R US

Why we travel

As well as travelling for relaxation, there are many other fascinating and worthwhile reasons to travel.

Perhaps you have already seen the Taj Mahal, climbed the Eiffel Tower and followed rhinos in the wild, but you can never stop learning.

by ndj5

henever people decide to leave the comforts of their daily life and venture around the world, there is usually a good reason. Think back to your last trip, did it have a purpose? Did you fulfill it?

by Anselm Au

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March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Wikimedia

Arts, culture and travel

against the participants’ subjective ratings. While all participants While some of us may like to rated adventurous activities as their be seen as “adventurous types,” favourite, the brains of almost travelling to the most exotic half of them reacted with the least corners of the world, others would engagement when they looked at feel exhausted by it, and some are pictures of such activities. Instead, really a lot less daring than they pictures of relaxing, reading a would like to think. There is a book, even going to heritage sites perfectly rational explanation for reflected the most engagement. this. The explanation appeared in 2010 when Dr Richard “Jack” Taking myself as a test subject Lewis, a neuroscientist well known when my family had the urge to do in the British media, conducted something out of the ordinary on a study on how the human holiday a few years back, we went brain reacts to different stimuli on a four hour hike in the densely provided by various holidays. forested mountains of Malaysia. At the time the decision was made it First, photos were collected seemed perfectly reasonable, even depicting various places and exciting. But you need not be a activities, like sitting on the sportsman to realize that walking beach, visiting galleries, going among all those insects and wild clubbing, taking part in extreme animals up a steep slope for hours sports and jungle trekking. Then is not enjoyable at all for everyone.

1,000 volunteers were measured for their reactions while viewing There is a clear difference between these photos and data on their liking and wanting. As Dr. Lewis brain engagement were collected said, “In the context of our study, it

by EEG (electroencephalography). is perfectly feasible to like the idea This enabled researchers to of trekking through the jungle but compare objective measurements at the same time not really want to Sources http://www.drjack.co.uk/psychology-of-travel-by-dr-jack-lewis/ http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/are-we-forevergoing-on-the-wrong-kind-of-holiday-2195269.html# www.themindlab.co.uk

by ikilledhertheniran

Where we travel

waste our precious week’s holiday being bitten by insects, sleeping amidst predators and struggling to preserve our last precious drops of drinking water.” Personally, I felt much better and less anxious when we went to a cultural show in a South Korean village where the locals performed ritualistic movements according to ageold traditions. Somehow, it just felt more peaceful watching that amazing array of moving colours.

Certainly, from my own travels, I can tell you that to experience nature at her best, it is unnecessary to put your life at risk. You can be inspired simply by reading or visiting an aquarium.

Anselm Au, Form 4, La Salle College, Kowloon.

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Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Arts, culture and travel

Fashion:

why do we care?

by Claudia Tam

We should also care because fashion changes the way we act.

If we like what we’re wearing, we carry ourselves with much more confidence and authority. A New York Times study has proved that wearing a doctor’s white coat improves your attention, while wearing a painter’s coat or regular clothes doesn’t. Those who wore doctors’ coat in this study were found to make fewer errors, half as many as those who were wearing painters’ coats. Maybe next time you have an exam you should consider wearing a doctor’s coat to test this finding! The point is that what you wear can really affect your daily life, so best to dress appropriately to achieve the best results.

Fashion statement Our city, Hong Kong, is a paradise for shopaholics and fashionistas.

From Times Square in Causeway Bay where pristine Coach handbags hang from a mannequin’s hand, to Pacific Place where a Hermes tie can cost a few thousand, fashion is everywhere. We even throw it around in the words we speak: fashionably late, in and out of fashion, fashionconscious, fashion statements, and the list goes on. Fashion has become a crucial part of all of our lives, whether we like to admit it or not, but why do we care about it?

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We care because fashion is form of free speech. What we wear sheds light on our personalities, our likes and dislikes, and our emotions.

Even something as simple as the colour of your top can convey many hidden messages that are subconsciously absorbed. What does colour say about you? Research suggests that social butterflies tend to wear bright reds and oranges, while introverts tend to wear blue. Yellow is the preference of intellectuals, while well-balanced characters like to wear green. White gives the wearer a sense of peace, neutrality and optimism, while black traditionally represents grief.

I know for a fact that when my school has a spirit day to dress in pink for breast cancer awareness or green for the environment, all the students seem to have so much more energy and charisma. Fashion allows us to express ourselves to the world with every step we take, so in the way we think before we speak, we might also want to think before we dress.

by The Doctor

by Steve Web

Free expression

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Arts, culture and travel

You might be familiar with the phrase “you are what you eat”, but have you ever considered the phrase “you are what you wear”? Think about it. Personally, I like to go for a comfortable and casual skinny jeans and sweater outfit in bright hues, because it can really wake me up and make me feel more optimistic,

by kara brugm

Many of us also care because fashion represents our identity.

First impressions are often built upon what one wears. Although it is ideal not to read a book by its cover, the truth is that judgments based on how you look are passed all the time. That’s why it’s almost a given to wear a suit to an interview or a cocktail dress to a nightclub.

It’s built into our society to identify people by the way they dress. Judges wear long robes and white wigs, soldiers wear camouflage uniforms, and brides wear long white wedding gowns. It’s also probably one of the most common reasons for wearing school uniform. Fashion gives us a sense of unity with those who share the same passions, interests or jobs.

Sources http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-psychology-dress/201202/the-psychology-fashion http://fashion.about.com/cs/historycostumes/a/whatisfashion_2.htm http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/03/science/clothes-and-self-percepti

by by BerniceSheppard

especially early in the morning. You might not have guessed that fashion actually has such deep implications but what you wear can completely change the way you are seen, the way you act, and who you identify with.

It only makes sense that we care so much about fashion. Next time you step into your wardrobe, go through your outfits and think about what they say. Are you what you wear?

First impressions

Claudia Tam, 16, West Island School

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Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Arts, culture and travel

I

ntroducing a new section on what’s happening in Hong Kong, with info on shows, music, sport, exhibitions and community programmes of interest to local youth.

EXHIBITIONS Wonders of Ancient Mesopotamia

This exhibition from the British Museum showcases more than 170 artefacts, dated 3500 BC to 539 BC. Ancient Mesopotamia, commonly referred to as the cradle of civilisation, is known for its literature, art, and astronomy. School groups welcome. Educational pamphlets provided to encourage students to search the exhibition for specific information.

More information at http://hk.history.museum/en/ex_special_20121116a.php

by Mirsasha

Date till May 31 Cost HK$10 Venue The Hong Kong Museum of History

from the British Museum collection

SPORT

MUSIC & THE ARTS HKFYG Jockey Club International a cappella Festival 2013

Football highlights

Date 14 March - 27 April Cost varies; free admission to outdoor events; tickets available from Urbtix Venues include Queen Elizabeth Stadium, Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong Cultural Centre, Shatin Town Hall Sponsor The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust 5 indoor concerts with overseas performers The Exchange (US), MayTree (Korea) and Oxford's Out of the Blue (UK) and The House Jacks (US) 2 outdoor concerts and a workshop series plus the HKFYG Hong King Melody Makers

Hong Kong Melody Makers

Details http://acappella.hkfyg.org.hk

Date July 2013 Venue Hong Kong Stadium Fans of English Premier League teams are in for a treat this summer. Local teams Kitchee and South China FC will line up against Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland.

Details www.kitchee.com www.hkfa.com

by vpickering

Date till September 2013 Venues For new Wong Chuk Hang, Lei Tung and South Horizons MTR Stations.

Youth from Southern District invited to join in and individualize the stations with 3-dimensional relief of wildlife, mosaics and paper cuts featuring local scenes Details: http://www.hkyaf.com/projects/VA/2013/MTRSIL/eng/

by bernardoh

Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation Community Arts Programme: MTR South Island Line East

Date 7 April 3pm Cost HK$120-HK$180 (50% discount for students). Tickets from www.urbtix.com Venue Hong Kong Cultural Centre Concert Hall, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon.

A family event introducing the wonderful world of baroque music.

Details http://www.hkphil.org/eng/concerts_and_ticket/concerts/index.jsp

by Pixoeil

The Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra – Baroque for Family

Dates 7 June at 5pm, 8-9 June at 11am, 2pm, 5pm School performances 5 and 6 June 5 Cost HK$195 (10% discount for groups) upwards from www.hkticketing.com Venue Drama Theatre, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, 1 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, HK.

38

Julia Donaldson’s tales of under the sea, on the farm and in the jungle, with live music and puppetry, make for a slick and professional show.

Details www.aba-productions.com

courtesy of www.festmag.co.uk

Tiddler and Other Terrific Tales

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

City space

Private Tutoring of Students in Hong Kong a poll survey with comparative data

Figure 1 Private Tuition Rate in South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong

90.0%

Primary School Students

Secondary School Students

84.6%

75% 72.2%

71%

67.5% 61.2%

by the HKFYG Youth Research Centre

T

he HKFYG Youth Research Centre has long been concerned about the practice of students having private tuition, and surveys in this area were conducted in 1996* and 2009.** To follow up on the situation and update findings, the Youth Research Centre conducted a survey on a similar topic in December 2012.***

53.5%

45.0%

25.9%

Background Hong Kong is a highly competitive society which is concerned about academic performance and examination results. Many students have private tuition in an attempt to obtain good academic results, making it a prevalent practice among students in Hong Kong. What are the latest phenomena of students in having private tuition? Is there any difference between students in Hong Kong and her neighbouring regions such as South Korea, Japan and Taiwan with regard to this area? This survey set out to discover the facts.

Major findings Private tuition is prevalent in all the other developed countries presented in the survey and both South Korea and Taiwan have a higher rate than Hong Kong according to the statistics. Dates of statistics for countries vary. (See Figure 1)

22.5%

0%

Korea 2011

Japan 2007

*Taiwan 2010

Hong Kong 2012

Sources Korea Survey of Private Education Expenditure http://kostat.go.kr/portal/english/surveyOutlines/8/3/index.static Japan http://epaper.edu.tw/windows.aspx?windows_sn=1778; http://edu.big5.enorth.com.cn/system/2008/08/26/003654618.shtml Taiwan http://www.bctest.ntnu.edu.tw/20101224news.pdf http://mag.udn.com/mag/campus/storypage.jsp?f_ART_ID=290591 *No recent relevant data about primary students in Taiwan.

Hong Kong Youth Research Centre, HKFYG. December 2012. Private Tutoring of Students in Hong Kong.

39

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

City space

Figure 2 Perceived effect of private tuition on academic performance

Nearly 70% of participants in the 2012 survey considered their academic performance improved by extra-curricular tuition. (See Figure 2). The percentage of students in Hong Kong who receive private tutoring has almost doubled since 1996, from just over 34% to over 63%. (See Figure 3).

The time spent in private tuition has also risen rapidly since 2009, from just over 3 to almost 5 hours per week. (See Figure 4).

1.5%

5.9% Better No change Worse

22.8%

Don't know Sources Youth Research Centre, HKFYG. December 2012.

Private Tutoring of Students in Hong Kong. [Answered by all with private tuition]

69.8%

Figure 3 Percentage of students with private tuition

1996 Yes 2009 Yes 2012 Yes

NO NO NO

34.1% 65.9% 56.7% 43.3% 36.7%

63.3%

Sources Youth Research Centre, HKFYG. May 1996: Students and Private Tuition; August 2009: Students' Participation in Private Tuition; December 2012: Private Tutoring of Students in Hong Kong.

Figure 5 Spending on private tuition 1996-2012

1996

60.0%

51.9%

45.0%

38.0%

33.8%

30.0%

19.8%

23.5%

19.1%

15.0% 0%

18.5% 9.1%

HK$500 or less

Over HK$500- $1,000

Over HK$1,000

Sources Youth Research Centre, HKFYG. May 1996: Students and Private Tuition; August 2009: Students' Participation in Private Tuition; December 2012: Private Tutoring of Students in Hong Kong. [Answered by all with private tuition.]

Note: Amounts not adjusted to reflect inflation or changes in GDP.

40

2012

34.4% 27.7%

19.5%

2009

4.6%

Don't know

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

City space

Figure 4 Time in private tuition 2009-2012

3.06

Reasons for private tuition are also changing. A very significant increase was found in respondents who say they want such tuition in order to achieve their best possible academic performance rather than just to improve. The number has gone from 0% in 1996 to 17.3% in 2009 and 25.1% in 2012. The proportion who say they want the tutoring simply â&#x20AC;&#x153;to improve academic performanceâ&#x20AC;? was still the largest at 37.8%, but less so than in either 1996 or 2009 when it was 70.7% and 57.5%, respectively. (See Figure 6).

4.9

2009

2012

Sources Youth Research Centre, HKFYG. August 2009: Students' Participation in Private Tuition; December 2012: Private Tutoring of Students in Hong Kong. [Answered by those with private tuition.]

Figure 6 Reasons for wanting private tuition 80.0%

1996

70.7%

2009 60.0%

57.5%

2012 37.8%

40.0%

25.1%

20.0%

2.3% 3.8%

Needed to do examinations

Academic performance Want to achieve best not good/ need to possible improvement on improve current good level

12.7%

9.5%

8.0% 8.7% 0%

0%

19.0%

18.8%

17.3%

Parents' request

8.8%

Others/ Don't know

Sources Youth Research Centre, HKFYG. December 2012. Private Tutoring of Students in Hong Kong. [Answered by all with private tuition]

Agree

Figure 8 Enjoyment of private tuition

Figure 7 Private tuition: source of pressure

Most students do not find private tutoring enjoyable. They say it causes peer pressure because of the prevalence of private tutoring among primary and secondary school pupils today in Hong Kong. 25.0% said that if others took private tuition while they did not it put pressure on them to conform. (See Figure 7 and 8).

71.0%

80.0% 60.0% 40.0%

25.0%

80.0%

0%

60.0%

Notes on participation

Agree

80.0%

Do not agree

60.0% 40.0%

20.0%

I feel pressured if others have private tuition when I don't

Do not agree

40.0%

65.2% 29.6%

65.2% 29.6%

20.0% 0%

20.0%

I like having private tuition

0% Sources Youth Research Centre, HKFYG. December 2012. Private Tutoring of Students in Hong Kong. [All answered]

I like having private tuition

Participants polled successfully via territory-wide telephone surveys. *1996 507 students aged 10-19 **2009 521 students entering Primary 5 to Form 7 in forthcoming academic year ***2012 524 students in Primary 5 to Secondary 6 in a random sample survey from 7-30 December 2012. Telephone numbers were drawn randomly from mobile telephone numbers based on the numbering plan for telecommunications services in Hong Kong published by Office of the Communications Authority.

41

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

City space

Make glass greener

by Kevin Chan Environment Officer, HKFYG

T

he space in Hong Kong’s three existing landfills will be used up before 2020. This presents an urgent challenge to Hong Kong to reduce all types of waste, including glass, which has not usually been recycled in the recent past.

There used to be an effective “Deposit-and-Refund” scheme for recycling glass bottles in Hong Kong.

Convenience stores would charge customers a small deposit, say $0.50, which could be redeemed on the return of the bottle. The scheme covered mainly soft drink and milk bottles, not wine, spirits or beer bottles.

Operations like this have greatly diminished as a result of the switch to packaging made of plastic or aluminium and the high cost of cleaning glass. In consequence, a huge amount of waste glass beverage bottles are ending up in Hong Kong’s landfills.

Overseas glass recycling rates EU

68%

Japan

95%

Korea

70%

Taiwan

84%

USA

33%

Did you know?

The amount of waste glass bottles disposed of at landfills has stayed at around 250 tonnes per day since 1997, roughly equivalent to half a million 750mL bottles. Over 80% of waste glass in Hong Kong consists of glass bottles and a significant proportion has been used for alcoholic drinks.

HKFYG Youth SPOT Glass Collection Points Please bring your clean, empty glass bottles to Federation Youth SPOT and place them in our recycle bins. Souvenirs will be given in exchange for recyclable quantities above a certain level. Find locations at https://www.wastereduction. gov.hk/en/community/crn_outlet.htm#ngo_collect

New lives for old bottles Used glass is not waste, it’s a resource. A local solution for waste glass beverage bottles that provides a future for recycled glass is the manufacture of paving blocks.

Used bottles are either delivered to the EcoPark in Tuen Mun or stored at the Kowloon Bay Materials Transfer Centre. Local manufacturers of the paving blocks then collect the bottles and use them as raw materials. Such paving blocks are new in Hong Kong, but they are widely used in Europe and Japan.

42

The Hong Kong government is now actively pursuing their wider use in government projects according to the green procurement policy. Eco-paving blocks have advantages over conventional paving blocks.

They are lighter in weight, lower in water absorption value, have an enhanced surface appearance and, with the addition of titanium dioxide, can help in the removal of pollutant nitrogen oxide from the air.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

City Space

Tiostone ™, now being manufactured by three young entrepreneurs in Hong Kong, was invented by a research team led by Prof CS Poon of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.1 The technology, patented in Hong Kong, effectively uses recycled glass as a major constituent in the production of concrete blocks. In the manufacturing process, a maximum of 50% river sand and between 15% and 25% cement are replaced by glass sand and fly ash respectively. As more than 250 tonnes of glass waste is generated daily in Hong Kong, this invention reduces the disposal of waste glass as well as maintaining the use of natural materials (i.e. river sand). Eco-Glass Block is an environmentally friendly paving material and partitioning material. It can be in many different colours and is capable of taking occasional vehicular loads.

By jrodmanjr

Eco-Paving Stones patented in Hong Kong

Be friends with glass - make it glisten again 1 Think about it: if glass container can be reused don’t toss it into the garbage 2 Bring clean wine, spirits or beer bottles to designated glass collection points at HKFYG Youth SPOTs 3 Be proud: tell your friends, colleagues and family about your glass-friendly identity 4 Advocate glass recycling in your community Join us: we need volunteers

Act NOW – do your bit for eco-responsibility

As of this issue, Youth Hong Kong is being printed on environmentally-friendly paper. It costs a bit more but saving the environment is worth spending every cent. Do your bit too. When you make things with paper, try to use sustainable sources. When you no longer have any use for them, don’t just throw them away. Dispose of them responsibly, at your nearest recycling centre.

PSST! Please recycle Youth Hong Kong PASS IT ON TO THE NEXT READER Note http://hk.asia-city.com/city-living/article/hong-kongs-glass-recycling-system

43

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

HKFYG

of precious collectors’ items The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups is very happy once again to present its Charity Auction, courtesy of Lisa’s Collection. With some of the best, most exquisite artefacts reflecting China’s great culture and tradition, this is a wonderful chance to see and understand more Chinese art history.

A white jade dragon pendant

Premiums received will go towards diversified and professional services for young people in Hong Kong.

As with all our Charity Auctions, there will also be a learning component, with classes where young people learn how to value, understand and revitalize magnificent Chinese artefacts. They will also have the opportunity to participate in running the auction.* *Details available on request

A blue and white ewer

Preview Saturday 8 June 2013 10am – 8pm Auction Sunday 9 June 2013 10am onwards Venue HKFYG Museum, 5/F, HKFYG Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point Auction Lots Ceramics ∙ Jade & Jadeite ∙ Jewellery ∙ Works of Art

By Invitation Call Ms Cheng (852) 3755 7101 or Ms Yip (852) 3755 7102 Website: charityauction.hkfyg.org.hk

More about Lisa

44

Mrs Lisa Cheung Chung Lai-seung, highly respected antique jewellery designer and artefact restorer, is well known for her skill in authenticating and restoring Chinese works of art, especially pottery. She and her husband have a consuming passion for Chinese culture, and a broad selection of ancient Chinese treasures in their collection, including jade, ceramics, zitan wood. For more than thirty years, Lisa has focused on bringing out the historical and cultural background of these antique pieces. She is dedicated to spreading Chinese culture and art by teaching young people the magnificence of Chinese artefacts in person. Lisa is also an active participant and supporter of charity events, an enthusiastic contributor to charitable programmes and a great help to those in need. Her continuing philanthropy in Hong Kong is an expression of her dedication.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

Institute for Leadership Development at former Fanling Magistracy

T

he HKFYG Institute of Leadership Development, announced in February, is a revitalization project at the former Fanling Magistracy. It is hoped that by preserving a heritage site, the project will provide leadership training and symbolize continuity.

The new HKFYG Institute for Leadership Development (ILD) will be established on the site of the former Fanling Magistracy with the aim of providing education and training for those with leadership potential. This training will include not only classroom learning and public speaking, but also experiential learning, horizon-broadening activities, international exchange, and inspiration from prominent leaders.

ILD will offer a professional leadership curriculum according to a systematic 4x4x4 matrix with three dimensions: “Levels of Leadership”; “Segments in the Target Market” and “Types of Training”. There will

Highlights of Leadership Training at HKFYG The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups has been active in training for leadership skills since 2000 when its Centre for Leadership Development was set up. The centre, now called “Leadership 21”, has trained over 91,000 local secondary and university student leaders. “Hong Kong 200”, a 10-year leadership training project, was inaugurated in 2006 and has been organised annually for 200 of Hong Kong’s best students. A lecture series, “Leaders to Leaders”, jointly organised every year with the University of Hong Kong, lets young leaders meet community leaders and express ideas and opinions. Another annual programme, the “Summer School for Effective Leadership”, has been run for the past five years and is now one of the most popular summer schools in Hong Kong.

also be a hostel, and a catering unit. A conservation and property management unit will ensure the preservation of this heritage site and offer guided tours to the public in Cantonese, English and Mandarin.

Adaptive reuse of the Fanling Magistracy For “Hong Kong People Ruling Hong Kong” to become reality, the city needs home-grown leaders, to maintain economic and social stability, to embody civic mindedness, and to represent Hong Kong not only in the local community but on national and international stages. The vision behind ILD entails giving future leaders, whether they are in politics, social, economic, business, religious, academic or community affairs, the opportunities and environment necessary to develop intellectual and practical competencies.

As a magistracy, the building stood for integrity and the Rule of Law. As the revitalized ILD, HKFYG hopes it will instill in young leaders the commitment to a future with shared core values, a passion for serving others, a devotion to the common good and the determination to ensure progress and prosperity. ILD will combine these aims with the highest standards of instruction and experience.

More information: http://leadership21.hkfyg.org.hk tel +852 2169 0255

45

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

HKFYG

HKFYG • Jockey Club Hong Kong International

T

his annual star-studded international festival, with shows all the way through till late April, is being sponsored again by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. Events include concerts and workshops for schools. Side by side with the festival is the Jockey Club a cappella Education Programme which runs till August this year.

For several years now, HKFYG has been promoting the exciting vocal music known as a cappella at an annual festival in spring. Overseas groups for the 2013 festival include The Exchange (US), MayTree (Korea) and Oxford's Out of the Blue (UK). They were joined by Hong Kong’s Ivana Wong and The HKFYG Hong Kong Melody Makers in March. The House Jacks from the US are the big attraction at the major April concert at City Hall on 2 April and the Federation’s very own Hong Kong Melody Makers come back to star again in the finale concert on 27 April.

46

a cappe

and a capp

The 2013 Festival Stars

The House Jacks USA The House Jacks are "the original rock band without instruments” according to the San Francisco Chronicle. After 3,000 riveting performances, plus groundbreaking recordings and award-winning song writing, they have energized and inspired live audiences around the world. The band's pioneering innovations laid the groundwork for the current a cappella renaissance.

They will be on stage at 8pm on Tuesday 2 April for their Hong Kong debut in the 2013 a cappella Master Series at the Hong Kong City Hall Concert Hall.

Ivana Wong, known in Hong Kong as the Queen of SingerSongwriters has a musical talent that touches the hearts of audiences. Nominated as the best Supporting Actress by the Hong Kong Federation of Drama Societies, for her performance in the 2011 musical, I Love You Because, she has taken the Asian musical world by storm.

Ivana joined the line up of this year’s guest artistes at the a cappella Festival.

Ivana Wong HK The Hong Kong Melody Makers youth choir was founded in 2004.

Its members are all dynamic young people with outstanding artistic talent. Their Artistic Director, Patrick Chiu, shares and stimulates their passion for music which benefits and enriches Hong Kong's cultural life. On stage at 8pmSaturday 27 April in the Hong Kong City Hall Theatre.

HKFYG Hong Kong Melody Makers

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG

ella Festival 2013

pella Education Programme

The Exchange USA

Also on stage in March this year was The Exchange, the newest American vocal boy band on the scene.

Diversity is their key and combined with their genuine love for people and talent for harmony, these guys charm their audiences and inspire participation in schools through their music.

MayTree Korea

Out of the Blue UK

MayTree, who went professional in 2000, have had a blossoming career including, concerts, TV and Radio shows, recording and education. Original pieces with delicate arrangements, and powerful vocal percussion are their signature features. They have a special way to make brand-new sounds with their voices as they showed at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s festival.

Out of the Blue is Oxford University's premier allmale a cappella group.

Since they got together in 2000, they have enjoyed international success on tour in Japan, Spain, Scandinavia and the USA, performing for to school kids, presidents and everyone in between. They were on stage for the March festival events this year in Hong Kong.

Tickets for April concerts HKFYG â&#x20AC;˘ Jockey Club Hong Kong International a cappella Festival 2013 CONTINUES Tuesday 2 April 2013 8pm 2013 a cappella Master Series: The House Jacks Concert Hall, Hong Kong City Hall.

Tickets $350, $250, $150

Jockey Club a cappella Education Programme

Saturday 27 April 2013 8pm

As a pioneer on the local scene, the Federation promotes a cappella throughout the academic year, with the generous support of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. The focus is on the needs of secondary schools and as of January 2013 over 6,000 students had already taken part. Demonstrations and training began in September 2012 and will continue till summer 2013.

Tickets $220, $150 Available from www.urbtix.hk

Secondary School A Cappella Demonstrations till August 2013 Introduction to a cappella singing with demonstrations and tutorials by experienced tutors

More information at http://acappella.hkfyg.org.hk

A Cappella Training Courses till August 2013 Singing skills and stage movements taught by professional tutors A Cappella Library Online platform with a systematic collection of scores, biographies, activity promotion and other learning resources

Many thanks to our major sponsor: The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust.

HKFYG Hong Kong Melody Makers Theatre, Hong Kong City Hall.

Enquiries Gabriel Lee at 2395 5753.

47

Youth Hong Kong | December March 2013 2012

HKFYG

Donation of rice and a popular musical from

NEIGHBOURHOOD First

T

he Federation’s Neighbourhood First community-building project runs a year-round rice donation scheme to reduce the burdens borne by underprivileged familie, thanks to the Au Bak Ling Charity Trust. Due to popular demand, the project will also run its youth-produced musical again in April 2013.

Since April 2010, over 7,000 families, chosen especially because of their size, low income and living environment, have benefited from the monthly distribution of rice donated by the Au Bu Pak Ling Charity Trust. Each year their number grows. The donations are made at Youth SPOTs and by young volunteers who visit needy households.

When visiting neighbours on this project, youngsters also have the chance to help build community networks in Eastern, Kowloon City, Kwun Tong, Shatin, Tsuen Wan, Kwai Tsing, Tuen Mun, Yuen Long, Tai Po, North District, Wong Tai Sin and Sai Kung, Sham Shui Po and Yau Tsim Mong districts.

Welcome Rice How many benefit? 2010 2011 2012

2,075 families 2,557 families 2,771 families

Target for 2013 3,650 families Delivered since 2010 210,000 kg To 14 districts in Kowloon & the New Territories How much rice?  Rice per household delivery  Rice eaten by the average family each year  Amount saved each year because of this donation  Elderly households receiving the rice?

5kg 96 kg HK$840 1,000

Giving Rice 2 Volunteers aged 16-35 take part and the majority are secondary students, recruited at school, by response to posters and on Facebook. They form teams to make home visits which deliver the rice on the last weekend of every month.

Youth Creativity! Youth Musical! On Show Again!

“Jumping for joy!” That’s the way one hundred musical youngsters describe how much they are looking forward to the forthcoming musical, Neighbourhood! Stand By You! On stage for the second time next month at the Y Theatre in Youth Square, Chai Wan, the musical, first performed in August 2012, was written by Federation youth members all over Hong Kong. The singers, actors and backstage hand will again be young HKFYG members, sending a message to the community, loud and clear, that not only do care about their neighbours, they also believe in the importance of caring with commitment.

Their creative efforts deserve your support! Come and see!

Where and when 8-9 April 2013 Y Square Theatre Tickets from Urbtix offices.

Visit neighbourhoodfirst.hk for more information Enquiries Ms Monica Mok, tel 3755 7076, Ms Jolene Chan, tel 2445 5777.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR For this issue that focuses on poverty and ways to help the poor, YHK has received the following letter. Please write to us with your views.

Sometimes poverty is the tool Dear Youth Hong Kong, There's no doubt that poverty controls the lives of its victims and forces people to make decisions that wouldn't normally be taken. It has however another aspect that can be truly evil. Poverty makes people vulnerable and more open to take risks. Poverty stricken areas become more susceptible to exploiters who, without mercy, prey on the vulnerability of the poor for their own profit. Poverty allows us to demonstrate the bad side of humanity with ruthless intent. It's not poverty that causes today's trade in human beings, although it fuels it and provides opportunities for the unscrupulous. Immediately after the 2004 tsunami, rescue services weren’t on the ground first, human traffickers were. Before the waters receded they were 'sweeping' up the most vulnerable women and children to sell to Asia's sweat shops and brothels.

Where you have vulnerable people you have those who will prey on them and exploit their vulnerability.

48

David McCracken Running to Stop the Traffik - The Hong Kong 24 hour race, is an annual event which raises funds to help victims of human trafficking. Like Kids4Kids, mentioned on page 33, it raises awareness among local youth of the needs of the vulnerable and underprivileged.

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Index

Youth Hong Kong Cumulative Index Volumes 1-4 2008-2012 This annual, thematic index, published with the March issue of the magazine, includes corporate sections as of 2012.

Theme titles

Youth Forums

Seeking a new balance The financial crisis The connected generation Education in China English: using it or losing it 18 plus on the move Pearl River Delta Time to act Always here 1960-2010 Stepping up innovation in China Mobile internet Young addicts talk Unlocking young love Do leaders matter Job hunting Youth crime and rehabilitation Creative ideas or creative disconnect

December 2008 March 2009 June 2009 September 2009 December 2009 March 2010 June 2010 September 2010 December 2010 March 2011 June 2011 September 2011 December 2011 March 2012 June 2012 September 2012 December 2012

Youth surveys including HKFYG publications Addiction Addiction Creativity Crime Crime, rehabilitation Drug abuse Education, China Education, Hong Kong Employment Employment Employment Employment Employment English Gambling Integration, cross-boundary Internet Internet Mobile internet Money Pearl River Delta Population Post-80s Generation Relationships Stress

March 2011 September 2011 December 2012 March 2010 September 2012 December 2009 September 2009 September 2010 December 2008 March 2009 March 2009 June 2010 June 2012 December 2009 December 2012 June 2010 June 2009 March 2011 June 2011 March 2009 June 2010 December 2008 March 2010 December 2011 September 2010

46 31 25 39 32 44 35 12 11 34 40 36 4,22,29,32 28 48 24, 36 34 42 31 34 36 6, 16 21 24 12

Alcohol dependence At-risk youth Compensated dating Creativity Crime Crime Depression Drug abuse Drug abuse Education, China Education, Hong Kong Employment Employment Employment Employment Employment English Entrepreneurship Entrepreneurship Gambling Gambling Integration, cross-boundary Integration, cross-boundary Internet Internet compulsion Internet compulsion Leaders and leadership Money Parent-child conflict Pearl River Delta Post-80s Generation Public participation Relationships Smoking Social networking Special needs Stress Triad gangs

September 2011 December 2010 September 2012 December 2012 December 2010 September 2012 December 2010 December 2010 September 2011 September 2009 March 2009 December 2008 March 2009 June 2010 June 2012 March 2011 December 2009 December 2010 June 2012 December 2010 September 2011 March 2010 March 2011 June 2009 December 2010 September 2011 March 2012 December 2010 December 2010 June 2010 March 2010 March 2010 December 2011 September 2011 June 2011 December 2010 September 2010 December 2010

24 10 17 10 12 8 22 8 1338 26 20 22 18 7 12 32 27 17 34 26 18 12 42 32 9 6 30 14 18 12 12 1028 13 24 8 10

Interviews (Elaine Morgan and Ada Chau) Anger, Adam Chik, Alice Bolton, Kingsley Butler, Grant Chan, Bernard Chan, Bernard Chan, Carol KK Chan, Herman Chan, Hubert Chan, Hubert Chan, Joseph Chan, Kara Ch'ien, Raymond Chan, Thomas Cheng, Kai-ming Cheung, Anthony Cheung, Kin-chung Chik, Alice Choi, Virginia Choy, Ivan Constantinides, Laurie Crampton, Thomas Eu, Audrey Fan, Susan Fennelly, Stephen Fong, Alex Fung, Allen Godfrey, Jeremy

Microsoft HK City University of HK City University of HK British Council HK Council of Social Service HK Council of Social Service University of HK University of HK Communications Association of HK Communications Association of HK Central District Council City University of HK MTR Corporation World Vision China University of HK HK Institute of Education Labour & Welfare Bureau HKSARG City University of HK Tamty McGill Chinese University of HK HSBC spousesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; programme Ogilvy Legislative Council HKSARG Family Planning Association HK ESF Bradbury School HK General Chamber of Commerce McKinsey OCGIO, HKSARG

internet creativity, music, Cantopop English English parenting leaders and leadership education, China careers parenting mobile internet leaders and leadership consumerism leaders and leadership education, China education, China education, China employment creativity, music, Cantopop employment leaders and leadership English mobile internet drug abuse relationships, sex e-learning integration, cross-boundary parenting internet and parenting

June 2009 December 2012 December 2009 December 2009 September 2010 March 2012 September 2009 June 2012 December 2010 June 2011 March 2012 June 2012 March 2012 September 2009 September 2009 September 2009 March 2009 December 2012 June 2012 March 2012 March 2011 June 2011 December 2009 March 2010 June 2011 June 2010 December 2010 June 2009

22 22 11 18 20 14 13 23 19 10 25 32 9 17 9 20 9 22 27 20 40 6 36 31 21 26 20 8

49

Youth Hong Kong | March 2013

Index

Interviews (Continued) Grant, David Ho, Vickie Ho, David Huang, Lester Hui, Yung-chung Hung, Chung-yam Ip, Regina Johnston, Warren Lam, Ming Lam, Herbert Lau, Denis Lau, Siu-kai Law, Chris Lee, Albert Lee, Trey Leung, Chun-ying Leung, SK Liu, Alex Lo, Kin-hei Lo, Alan Lu, Ronald Lui, Tai-lok Lui, Tai-lok Luk, Johnny Luk, Vivian Ma, Jennifer Ma, Kathy Ma, Siu-leung Mang, She McManus, Alison Mok, Nai-kwong, Charles Ng, Keo Ng, Stanley Pao Sohmen, Anna Pontzious, Richard Rao, Nirmala Samuel, Ajmal Shek, Clara Shek, Daniel Siu, Ka-yi Shen, Simon Siu, Helen So, Douglas Sun, Cliff Tam, Lisa Tang, Henry Tang, Raymond Tang, Winnie Tse, Calvin Tsoi, Peter Tsoi, Peter Tsui, Amy Tsui, Andrew Wong, Amy Wong, Ann Wong, Camay Wong, David Wong, Dennis Wong, Edison Wong, Janet Wong, KM Wong, Peter Wong, Po-choi Wong, Richard Wong, Sally Wong, Siu-lun Wong, Vivian Woo, Kelvin Wu, Anthony Yeung, Hoi-shan Yip, Lento Zeman, Allan Zhang, Qian

Operation Breakthrough Ruder-Finn China AIDS Initiative PC Woo Queen's Coll Old Boys Assoc SS Sportsman Legislative Council, HKSARG YK Pao School Castle Peak Hospital Microsoft Hong Kong HK Judiciary, former Central Policy Unit, HKSARG Oval Partnership Chinese University of HK Musician Chief Executive, HKSAR, 2012Education Bureau, HKSARG Bak Kut King Restaurant Southern District Council HK Ambassadors of Design HK Architecture Centre University of HK University of HK Speedy Group Dress designer ARCH Academy IPC Media Fung Kai Public School Education Bureau, HKSARG University of HK HK Internet Society Teaspoon Ltd Employees Retraining Board YK Pao School Asian Youth Orchestra University of HK ASAP Transaction Processing Ogilvy ACAN, HKSARG Central District Council HK Institute of Education Yale University HK Jockey Club Charities Trust Federation of HK Industries Yahoo Former Chief Secretary for Administration, HKSARG Asst Comm'er Rehab, Correctional Services, HKSARG Internet Professional Association Mr Taco Truck President, HKFYG Council President, HKFYG Council University of HK Korn/Ferry International (HK) Education Bureau, HKSARG British Council HSBC spousesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; programme Narcotics Div, Security Bureau, HKSARG City University of HK PantaRei Design ITC, HKSARG Li & Fung Foundation HSBC Committee on Home School Cooperation University of HK Narcotics Div, Security Bureau, HKSARG University of HHK Mr Taco Truck Speedy Group Bauhinia Foundation Research Centre Kwai Ching Fight Crime Comm HK Internet Providers Association Lan Kwai Fong, Ocean Park HK University of Science & Technology

crime, rehabilitation mobile internet innovation, China public participation crime, rehabilitation health and fitness English education, China addiction internet crime, rehabilitation public participation, activism innovation health and fitness creativity integration, cross-boundary integration, cross-boundary entrepreneurship leaders and leadership creativity cultural heritage parenting public participation entrepreneurship entrepreneurship entrepreneurship mobile internet e-learning e-learning health, fitness and disease internet creativity employment education, China creativity, music education, China disabilities, sport parenting drug abuse leaders and leadership leaders and leadership youth policy volunteering integration, cross-boundary internet integration, cross-boundary crime, rehabilitation internet entrepreneurship depression, stress values English financial crisis integration, cross-boundary English English drug abuse crime creativity innovation leaders and leadership financial crisis internet and parenting education, Hong Kong drug abuse entrepreneurship entrepreneurship entrepreneurship integration, cross-boundary crime, rehabilitation internet creativity innovation

September 2012 June 2011 June 2011 September 2010 September 2012 September 2010 December 2009 September 2009 September 2011 June 2009 September 2012 March 2010 March 2011 March 2010 September 2010 March 2011 September 2009 June 2012 March 2012 March 2010 September 2010 December 2008 March 2010 Junre 2012 June 2012 June 2012 June 2011 June 2009 June 2011 September 2011 June 2009 December 2012 June 2012 September 2009 December 2012 September 2009 September 2012 December 2010 December 2009 March 2012 March 2012 December 2008 September 2010 June 2010 June 2009 June 2010 September 2012 June 2009 June 2012 March 2010 December 2010 December 2009 March 2009 September 2009 December 2009 March 2011 December 2009 March 2010 December 2012 December 2011 September 2011 December 2008 June 2009 March 2009 December 2009 June 2010 June 2012 June 2012 June 2010 September 2012 June 2009 December 2012 March 2011

30 9 28 32 24 46 16 28 22 22 20 18 23 24 34 8 24 18 23 35 45 8 8 21 20 17 8 26 21 41 16 14 25 28 6 13 44 18 36 24 17 14 26 30 46 4 26 45 19 27 16 8 16 24 18 40 36 39 39 28 34 18 18 12 36 14 19 21 9 24 45 14 20

HKFYG 2012-

50

A Cappella Festival Charity Auction China Week Continuous Learning Centre, Congregation House Going Green HK Jockey Club Media 21 HK Jockey Club Media 21 HK Jockey Club Sai Kung Outdoor Training Camp Kids Ocean Day Leadership 21

March 2012 September 2012 June 2012 September 2012 June 2012 March 2012 September 2012 June 2012 December 2012 March 2012

46 54 49 47 45 44 52 46 40 30

Organic farm and Summer Youth Programme Our Fifteen Years Neighbourhood First Professional Publications Service Directory Standard Chartered English Public Speaking Contest Step Out Award Scheme Youth Assessment and Development Centre Zhongshan Sanxiang Youth Training centre

June 2012 June 2012 March 2012 September 2012 December 2012 March, December, 2012 December 2012 September 2012 June 2012

50 48 45 54 51 46, 48 50 47 51

March 2013 | Youth Hong Kong

Index

Contributors guests and HKFYG Benson, Phil Chan, Wilson Chang, Raymond Cheng, Armstrong Chik, Alice HKFYG, staff Heilbronn, Gary N Heilbronn, Gary N HKFYG, staff HKFYG, staff HKFYG, staff Hsu, Siu-man Jacota, Lakshmi Jacota, Lakshmi Jacota, Lakshmi Jacota, Lakshmi Jacota, Lakshmi Jacota, Lakshmi Jacota, Lakshmi Lee, Edmund Lee, Shelley Lee, Shelley Lee, Shelley Lee, Shelley Lee, Shelley Martin, Diana Martin, Diana Martin, Diana Morgan, Elaine Morgan, Elaine Morgan, Elaine Ng, Chloe Pang, Tsz-ching Pang, Tsz-ching Poon, Henry Stokes, George Tse, Samson Wong, Rosanna Wong, Rosanna Wong, Rosanna Wong, Rosanna Wong, Rosanna Wong, Rosanna Yau, Joe

English crime, rehabilitation early learning, music weather apps English compensated dating social networking employment compensated dating leaders and leadership relationships addiction balance, psychological employment values internet compulsion English creativity integration, cross-border creativity travel courage disadvantage philanthropy volunteering financial crisis English education, overseas Chinese mobile internet employment crime, rehabilitation crime, rehabilitation compensated dating crime, rehabilitation education, Hong Kong history HKFYG 1960-2010 counselling, internet employment public participation parenting history HKFYG 1960-2010 innovation crime, rehabilitation internet

HK Institute of Education HKFYG City Chamber Orchestra HK HK Observatory City University of HK HKFYG Monash University Monash University HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HK Design Centre Former Perm Sec Home Affairs, HKSARG Guest columnist Guest columnist Guest columnist Guest columnist formerly HKFYG formerly HKFYG formerly HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG Lee Shau Kee College formerly HKFYG HKU HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG HKFYG

December 2009 September 2012 December 2012 December 2009 December 2009 December 2012 June 2009 June 2011 December 2012 March 2012 12/12 September 2011 December 2008 March 2009 March 2009 June 2009 December 2009 December 2012 June 2010 December 2012 September 2010 March 2011 June 2011 September 2011 December 2011 March 2009 December 2009 September 2010 June 2011 June 2012 September 2012 September 2012 September 2012 September 2012 September 2012 December 2010 September 2012 March 2009 March 2010 December 2009 December 2010 March 2011 September 2012 June 2009

24 11 29 33 24 4 30 34 4 26 4 4 4 18 18 38 4 4 33 18 34 26 27 38 30 30 21 28 4 4 14 11 17 8 50 48 42 38 4 42 6 4 4 12

Young writers edited contributions Au, Ka-lam Bali, Kanika Bibi, Asia Bibi, Asia Chan, Mei-yan Chan, Sugar Chan, Julia Chan, Vicky Chang, Jingyi Chen, Peter Cheung, Yau-man Cheung, Julian Cheung, William Chow, Serena Chung, William Datwani, Hanson Fung, Eva Fung, Jonathan Halton, Andrew Halton, Andrew Halton, Andrew Hau, Hilary Heng, Antonia Ho, Ivan Ho, King-yan Hong, Vicki Kai, Jay Teo Jun Kang, Jimin Ko, Shirley Kwok, Spruce Koo, Alan Kwong, Dixon Lai, Cynthia Lam, Justina Lam, Tara Lam, Joceyia

cultural heritage environment employment fashion employment overseas dance volunteering creativity creativity creativity cultural heritage creativity cultural heritage books and reading creativity, music , Cantopop laders and leadership environment creativity dance mobile internet calligraphy underpriveleged imbalance, China creativity environment creativity innovation, China film employment overseas leaders and leadership integration, cross-boundary environment creativity creativity calligraphy environment

December 2010 September 2011 June 2010 December 2010 September 2011 December 2010 June 2011 December 2012 December 2012 December 2012 September 2011 September 2010 March 2012 June 2012 December 2012 June 2012 June 2011 December 2012 December 2011 March 2012 September 2012 March 2012 June 2012 December 2012 June 2012 December 2012 September 2012 June 2012 September 2011 March 2012 March 2011 June 2011 December 2012 December 2012 September 2012 March 2012

45 40 41 46 37 40 45 30 30 30 53 41 35 40 42 38 41 30 16 40 40 36 43 30 44 30 48 41 37 13 18 40 30 30 40 42

Lai, Anthony Lee, Clive Lee, Michael Leung, June Leung, Lawrence Leung, William Li, Esther Lo, Shuk-yi Lo, Tsz-wing Luk, Flora Ly, Yong-sin Ng, Benny Mak, Agnes Poon, Betty Roberts, Sabrina Shen, Weihuang Shen, Weihuang Shen, Weihuang Shen, Weihuang Shen, Weihuang Sin, Wyman Siu, Armstrong Sooksripaisarnkit, Poomintr Tam, Antony Tang, Joey Tang, Joey Tao, Jimmy Tejpal, Anaita Tejpal, Anaita Wan, Fiona Wan, Fiona Wang, Lucien Wong, Terry Wong, Tony Yip, Yuki Yiu, Rachel Yu, Alvin

drug abuse integration, cross-boundary social networking fashion employment overseas integration, cross-boundary internet innovation, China environment environment innovation, China leaders and leadership social networking creativity internet social networking internet internet compulsion relationships leaders and leadership leaders and leadership environment integration, cross-boundary integration, cross-boundary integration, cross-boundary cultural heritage integration, cross-boundary internet cultural heritage volunteering disadvantaged leaders and leadership education, Hong Kong volunteering disadvantaged health, fitness and disease creativity

September 2011 March 2011 March 2011 December 2010 September 2011 June 2010 September 2010 September 2012 March 2012 March 2011 September 2012 March 2012 March 2011 December 2012 June 2012 March 2011 June 2011 September 2011 December 2011 March 2012 March 2012 March 2011 March 2011 June 2010 June 2010 September 2010 March 2011 September 2010 December 2010 June 2011 September 2011 March 2012 December 2011 June 2011 March 2011 June 2011 December 2012

19 19 27 47 36 40 43 48 43 36 48 12 28 30 42 30 34 44 16 34 12 38 16 42 43 47 14 43 44 46 39 48 32 46 32 30 30

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Launching on 27 April 2013!

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www.m21.hk Enquiries HKFYG Hong Kong Jockey Club Media 21, LG 2/F, Shek Pai Wan Shopping Centre, Shek Pai Wan Estate, Aberdeen, Hong Kong.

3979 0000 Publisher : The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

香港青年協會

www.hkfyg.org.hk．www.m21.hk．www.u21.hk

Youth Hong Kong: 21/F, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, Hong Kong Tel : 3755 7084．3755 7108．Fax : 3755 7155．Email : youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk．youthhongkong.hkfyg.org.hk The title of this journal in Chinese is Xiang Gang Qing Nian 香港青年