1973

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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL

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it would be best to set a part of the Low Cost Housing Estates to be rented to those old people with little to depend on.

(5) I call upon Government to give attention to the various problems concerning financial difficulties recently occurred. Apart from the effective assistance having done by the industrial and commercial circles, I hope that this Council would start a meaningful “Keep from lavishness" campaign. Quite a successful "Clean Hong Kong" campaign was started by this Council in the past. Instead of furthering the same, I propose to change it to "Keep from lavishness" campaign in a wider field. I believe it would not only be helpful to the public members' personal financial problems but also be helpful to meet shortage of goods. If this campaign is to be started in the same manner as the "Clean Hong Kong" campaign, I believe, as every one is happy to support it, it would be readily successful.

Finally, I give my full support to all the motions presented to this Council today. (Applause.)

MISS KO SIU-WAH (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, many people from all walks of life are raising the question of urban development in this way:

"What is human community? What does it mean to be human in the 20th century?" I propose to you that this is precisely the question that this Council must address itself to if we are to participate significantly in the growth and development of Hong Kong and its people. It is no longer possible to wait until everyone has reasonable housing or the like, critical as these needs may be, in order to raise this more comprehensive question relative to the larger population that resides here. It seems to me to be equally important at this time to forge out patterns of relationships between structures within Hong Kong that will enable the healthy and creative growth of the people who live and work here.

In the following remarks I intend to emphasize two basic areas of potential Council activity; namely, a Playleadership Scheme and secondly, expansion of cultural programmes; both are related to the creation of a more comprehensive framework for the development of a healthy community.

The Playleadership Scheme

In order to introduce this proposed scheme, I would invite you to listen to the following three points of view:-firstly the Need, secondly the Approach of Work, and thirdly Structural Patterns of Co-ordination.

The Need

It is my conviction that effective service occurs when programmes are developed where people naturally congregate.

We are all very much aware that the playgrounds in Hong Kong are not only utilized extensively by the schools, but they are also natural gathering places for children and youth of all ages when they are not under the direct supervision of the schools. To a large degree, children are left to their own devices and the playgrounds are a natural place for developing creative programme for growth. School activities will never be able to meet all of the needs of individual development, and recreation has always been a healthy supplement to more formal training. Planned recreational activity is not only able to contribute to an individual's physical development, but to his social and emotional development as well. Some people say some of the playgrounds in Hong Kong are monopolized by undesirable elements or gangsters for their activities, and these playgrounds are considered unsafe by some parents. With the development of playleadership, trained workers could be placed in public playgrounds and at the same time it is hoped undesirable activities would be eliminated.

Playleadership is an approach to work with children and youth in playgrounds in a "low organized" and "less structured" manner, which requires the use of recreation skills based on social work principles. The work will involve individual and group guidance through informal contacts and play, and it is not a mere coaching scheme. Young people enjoy themselves in the playgrounds in free active games and play, and generally they would not like to be organized. It is not envisaged to develop youth or children centres in the normal sense, but to develop a very flexible approach to guide young persons through activities. In the plan, it is proposed to provide a simple hut in the playground, which serves as a base for the group workers to function adequately and as a shelter for the more quiet type of activities.

From the nature of this type of work, you can see the type of worker required. He is neither a physical instructor, nor a park keeper type of person who is there only to maintain order. He is a group worker, and he is to be guided and supervised by experienced personnel, so that playleadership is not just to provide something to occupy the time of the young persons (they are already occupied), but to lead with purposeful activity and understanding. There is no need to stress that this is the sphere of social work.

As I mentioned before, the scheme implies a shelter facility in the park area, and I would propose that this facility be a 1,000 sq. ft.

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