170
HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT
maintain as many playgrounds as possible for children and young persons living in overcrowded areas. The playing fields attached to this Association's two Centres, (the Queen Elizabeth II Youth Centre and the War Memorial Welfare Centre), and also the Maple Street Playground are all equip- ped with football and basket-ball pitches and are used by nearly 16,000 school children and non-school children weekly, in addition to the large number of young apprentices who use the grounds daily.
The acute need for low-cost hostel accommodation for young workmen was in part met by the establishment of a hostel by the Chinese Y.M.C.A. in the very congested district of Shamshuipo. This Hostel provides accommoda- tion for 400 residents. Two Y.W.C.A. Industrial Girls' Hostels house nearly 100 factory girls, whilst the W.M. Thomson Memorial Hostel run by the Salvation Army for apprentices has reached its maximum capacity of 56, but plans are in hand to provide accommodation for a further seventy.
During the year, just over 3,000 children from poor families and orphanages spent a week's holiday at Silvermine Bay Holiday Camp, the Management Committee of which is appointed by the Standing Conference of Youth Organiza- tions.
The Club Leadership Training Course for prospective Youth Leaders continued to be run by the Social Welfare Office in co-operation with the Grantham Teachers' Training College. Refresher courses, round table discussions and practical training classes in handicrafts for all club leaders were organized by the Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association.
Towards the end of the year the Rotary Club of Hong Kong was completing plans for the building of a Youth Leaders' Training Centre which will be handed over to the Boys' & Girls' Clubs Association to run. This centre will serve as the Colony's first training centre for social workers,