XN000022-1977-04-25 — Page 2

MONDAY, APRIL 25, 1977

PLAN FOR PREVENTIVE SOCIAL WORK

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A PROGRAMME PLAN IS BEING DEVISED FOR PREVENTIVE SOCIAL WORK FOR THE YOUTH OF HONG KONG, THE SECRETARY FOR HOME AFFAIRS, MR. DENIS BRAY REVEALED TODAY.

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE THIRD REGIONAL YOUTH WORK CONFERENCE FOR ASIA AND WESTERN PACIFIC, MR. BRAY INDICATED THAT THIS FOLLOWED THE EXPERIENCE GAINED FROM FOUR PILOT PROJECTS AIMED AT TACKLING YOUTH PROBLEM BY TESTING VARIOUS APPROACHES.

YOUTH:

+HAPPILY NOT MANY CHILDREN ARE INVOLVED BUT THEY DO NEED HELP,+ HE TOLD THE GATHERING DISCUSSING DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INVOLVEMENT'.

REFERRING TO THE PLAN, MR. BRAY SAID THAT IT WOULD BE COSTLY AND THERE WAS NO SURE GUIDE TO SUCCESS.

HE HOPED, HOWEVER, THAT THE CONFERENCE WOULD GIVE SOME ATTENTION TO THIS ASPECT OF YOUTH SOCIAL WORK.

MR. BRAY RECALLED THAT A POPULAR THEORY IN HONG KONG AT ONE TIME WAS THAT YOUNG CRIMINALS WERE MADE FROM THOSE WHO LEFT SCHOOL AT 12 BUT COULD NOT, BY LAR, START WORK

ATIL THEY WERE 14.

+THERE WAS SUCH STRENGTH IN THIS BELIEF THAT SEVERAL PROJECTS WERE STARTED AIVED AT RESCUING THESE CHILDREN.

+ IN ONE CASE WE TRACED EVERY CHILD OF THIS AGE LIVING EN A LARGE HOUSING ESTATE. WHEN WE GOT DOWN TO IT WE FOUND MOST OF THE CHILDREN WHO WERE NOT AT SCHOOL WERE HELPING AT HOME OR IN SOME FORM OF LIGHT EMPLOYMENT A FEW WERE FOUND IN FACTORIES WHERE THEY SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN BUT VERY FEW.

+THEY WERE FOR THE MOST PAPT ORDINARY CHILDREN WIE NO CRIMINAL TENDENCIES.

+ IT BECAME CLEAR THAT SECONDARY SCHOOLING FOR ALL WILL NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEMS OF THESE CHILDREN,+ MR. BRAY SAID. +THEY NEED SOMETHING MORE.+

HE SAID THAT FOR THE GREAT BULK OF YOUNG PEOPLE IT WAS POSSIBLE TO OFFER SOMETHING MORE POSITIVE. A VARIETY OF SERVICES AND ACTIVITIES WERE AVAILABLE.

THE IR VALUE, MR. BRAY BELIEVED, SHOULD BE MEASURED BY THE SUCCESS THEY HAD IN TURNING OUT YOUNG PEOPLE WHO CAN CONTRIBUTE TO A SATISFYING AND WORTHWHILE COMMUNITY LIFE.

/+THIS IS