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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 1986
+EACH GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT MAY HAVE ITS OWN SET OF OBJECTIVES AND PLANS FOR YOUTH BUT THERE IS A LACK OF A CO-ORDINATED, CLEAR-CUT, COMPREHENSIVE AND LONG-TERM YOUTH POLICY, + SHE SAID.
MRS TAM SAID THERE WERE PROS AND CONS IN THE INTRODUCTION OF A YOUTH POLICY. THE MAIN ADVANTAGES OF HAVING A YOUTH POLICY WERE THAT YOUTH SERVICES PROVIDED BY DIFFERENT DEPARTMENTS AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF RESOURCES COULD BE BETTER CO-ORDINATED, RESULTING IN MORE EFFECTIVE SERVICES.
A YOUTH POLICY WOULD ALSO HELP TO OPTIMISE HUMAN RESOURCES AND PAVE THE WAY FOR HONG KONG TO BE GOVERNED BY HONG KONG PEOPLE AFTER 1997.
ON THE OTHER HAND, A COMPREHENSIVE YOUTH POLICY MIGHT RESULT IN OVER-CENTRALISATION OF POLICIES RELATING TO YOUTH AND CHANGES IN THE EXISTING GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE, SHE ADDED.
MRS TAM SAID THAT ANOTHER POSSIBLE IMPLICATION OF HAVING A YOUTH POLICY WAS THAT OTHER GROUPS SUCH AS CHILDREN AND THE ELDERLY MIGHT ALSO DEMAND SEPARATE POLICIES OF THEIR OWN.
ANOTHER SPEAKER OF THE SEMINAR, DR AGNES NG, OUTLINED THE YOUTH POLICIES OF DIFFERENT COUNTRIES, ANALYSING THEIR SPECIAL CHARACTERISTICS.
SHE SAID MOST COUNTRIES HAD YOUTH POLICIES BECAUSE THE MAJORITY OF THEIR POPULATION WERE YOUTH. SOME FELT THAT YOUTH WAS IMPORTANT TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF A COUNTRY AND THEIR NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS MUST NOT BE IGNORED. OTHERS FEARED THAT YOUTH PROBLEMS MIGHT LEAD TO SOCIAL UNREST.
DR NG POINTED OUT THAT THERE WERE GREAT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUTH POLICIES IN WESTERN COUNTRIES AND THOSE IN ASIAN COUNTRIES.
SHE SAID THAT YOUTH POLICY SHOULD BE DECIDED ACCORDING TO NEEDS, THE CULTURE AND THE POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC CLIMATE OF THE SOCIETY.
SPEAKING ON YOUTH SERVICES IN HONG KONG, CHAIRMAN OF THE YOUTH ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE, MR NG SHUI-LAI, SAID YOUTH SERVICES DATED BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THE CENTURY. THEY COULD NOW BE SUMMARISED INTO 12 TYPES, MOST OF WHICH WERE PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT AND SOME BY VOLUNTARY AGENCIES.
ON THE NEEDS AND ASPIRATIONS OF YOUTHS, CHAIRMAN OF THE SUMMER YOUTH PROGRAMME COMMITTEE, MR LEE SHUNG-TAK, SAID THAT IN AN AFFLUENT SOCIETY LIKE HONG KONG, YOUTH LACKED CONCERN AND CARE FROM THE FAMILY AND SOCIETY.
"THEY WOULD ...................