1396
HONG KONG LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 11 May 1988
problem is no worse than that in other countries and as the Secretary for Health and Welfare has just said, most of our young people, grew up without experiencing any problem.
Youth is not a homogeneous group in which all face similar problems, have similar needs, and require similar services and facilities. The needs of our young people tend to vary depending on the stages of development and circumstances they are in. In view of their broad and diversified needs, Hong Kong has developed a fine tradition of providing our young people with a full range of services and facilities in the changing circumstances. The Government, on its part, seeks to cultivate our young people on two different levels. On a general level, there is the community building strategy which aims to foster among our young people a sense of belonging, mutual care and civic responsibility. These objectives are promoted through purpose built facilities such as community centres for group and community activities, formation of residents' organisa- tions, encouragement of public participation on matters affecting their daily life, and campaigns to fight crime, to clean Hong Kong, to fight corruption and so on. Activities such as the summer youth programme and commonwealth exchange scheme are also designed to meet the special needs of our young people.
On a functional level, there are Government policies and related services on areas such as education, vocational training, recreation and culture, rehabilitation and employment counselling, to meet the basic needs of our young people. Most of these great varieties of services are designed to enable our young people to exercise a freedom of choice. The objective is to equip them with the necessary skills and knowledge so that they may find a positive role to play in the community.
In view of our aims to treat young people as an integral part of our society and to meet their different needs in mental, physical and cultural development, it is not possible to apportion precisely the resources devoted to the services for our young people. However, Members may wish to note that for instance out of the Government's total Budget in 1987-88, nearly 20 per cent is spent on education for our young people, $270 million for welfare services for youth, and $800 million on recreational, cultural and sports programmes. Furthermore, a considerable proportion of the services for young people is also provided by the voluntary sector. The Government values this spirit of partnership, and looks forward to further co-operation with the voluntary sector so that our services can continue to improve to meet the changing needs of our young people and help them achieve balanced development.
Sir, many Members have pointed out the need for youth leadership training, particularly to help equip our young people to face the challenges which lie ahead of them. I share their views. There exist a considerable number of young persons in our society who have the potential to become youth leaders and indeed leaders of our society when they grow up. They should, however, be
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