MONDAY, DECEMBER 19, 1983
6
COMMUNITY BUILDING BEHIND SOCIAL PROGRESS
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COMMUNITY BUILDING AT THE GRASSROOT LEVEL WILL BECOME THE DOMINANT FORCE PROPELLING SOCIAL PROGRESS IN THE YEARS TO COME, THE SHA TIN DISTRICT OFFICER, MR DONALD TSANG, SAID TODAY (MONDAY).
HE STRESSED THAT COMMUNITY BUILDING IS AN AREA TO WHICH ANY SELF-RESPECTING CIVIL SERVANT, SOCIAL WORKER IN THE WIDEST SENSE AND FAR-SIGHTED POLITICIAN SHOULD PAY UNDIVIDED ATTENTION.
SPEAKING TO THE ROTARY CLUB OF NEW TERRITORIES, MR TSANG NOTED THAT COMMUNITY BUILDING AT THE DISTRICT AND NEIGHBOURHOOD LEVELS FORMED THE CENTRAL THEME OF THE DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION SCHEME AND THE MISSION OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS.
LORD MACLEHOSE HAD DEFINED COMMUNITY BUILDING SIMPLY AS BUILDING A SOCIETY IN WHICH THERE WAS MUTUAL CARE AND RESPONSIBILITY, HE SAID.
A HAPPY COMMUNITY, HE ADDED, PROVIDES NOT ONLY THE FULL RANGE OF SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITY FACILITIES, BUT ALSO UNDERSTANDS THE ASPIRATIONS AND FEARS OF THE PEOPLE IN THE DISTRICT.
+IT IS THE TASK OF THE DISTRICT OFFICE TO GUIDE THE PUBLIC, THROUGH THE DISTRICT BOARD AND OTHER FORUMS, TO MONITOR THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF PUBLIC FACILITIES AND SERVICES.
+THE ACHIEVEMENTS AND FAILURES OF THE PHYSICAL ASPECT OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IS READILY MEASURABLE BY SIMPLY COUNTING THE ROADS, BUILDINGS, CEMENT AND MORTAR AGAINST POPULATION BUILDUP,
+QUALITATIVELY, ONE GETS A FAIRLY ACCURATE ASSESSMENT IN HONG KONG THROUGH THE MASS MEDIA. +
MR TSANG EMPHASISED INTERACTION OR TRANSACTION AS THE
HUMAN ASPECT OF COMMUNITY BUILDING.
AS A SIMPLE EXAMPLE, HE SAID: +COMMUNITY BUILDING TAKES PLACE WHEN A HOUSEWIFE DISCUSSES A DISTRICT MEASURE IN A MUTUAL AID COMMITTEE (MAC) MEETING WITH A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE RELEVANT GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT.
+THIS SIMPLE EXERCISE, IF DONE WELL, ACCOMPLISHES THE OBJECTIVES OF BOTH COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT.+
MR TSANG ALSO SAID THAT THE DISTRICT OFFICE AND THE DISTRICT BOARD MUST BE VERY SELECTIVE AND NOT DUPLICATE WORK MORE ABLY PERFORMED BY OTHERS IN THE AREA OF CULTURE, FUN AND GAMES+.
THUS IN SHA TIN, THE DISTRICT BOARD HAS SUPPORTED NEW ACTIVITIES SUCH AS CYCLING AND LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL THIS YEAR AND IS THINKING OF EMBARKING ON ARCHERY AND HOCKEY FOR GIRLS NEXT YEAR.
THE RIGHT