XN000022-1980-07-01 — Page 5

TUESDAY, JULY 1, 1980

AS SOON AS THEY REACH THE THRESHOLD OF ADOLESCENCE, THEY ENTER A PERIOD OF CONFUSION AND CONFLICTS, MR KWOK SAID.

+THEIR FEELING, THINKING, BEHAVIOUR AND PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP ARE NO LONGER CONSISTENT AND PATTERNED, BUT ARE TRANSITORY, DIFFUSE AND ALMOST INFINITELY VARIABLE.

+THEIR BIOLOGICAL CHANGES BRING ABOUT TURBULENT SEXUAL FEELINGS AND STRANGE DISTURBING EXPERIENCE AS WELL, HE ADDED.

HE SAID THAT IN ORDER TO HELP YOUNG PEOPLE DEVELOP INTO MATURITY BY SATISFYING THEIR DEMANDS AND RELIEVING THEIR TENSIONS, THERE WERE THREE TYPES OF YOUTH SERVICES YOUTH ACTIVITIES, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK AND OUTREACHING SOCIAL WORK.

YOUTH ACTIVITIES ARE PROVIDED BY CHILDREN OR YOUTH CENTRES AND BY UNIFORMED ORGANISATIONS, SUCH AS SCOUTS AND GIRL GUIDES, FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF CHARACTER, LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL AND SOCIAL SKILLS.

SCHOOL SOCIAL WORK IS DESIGNED TO HELP PUPILS WITH ACADEMIC, SOCIAL OR EMOTIONAL DIFFICULTIES, AND TO ASSIST THEM TO MAKE THE MAXIMUM USE OF THEIR EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES,

WHEREAS IN OUTREACHING SOCIAL WORK, SOCIAL WORKERS REACH OUT TO YOUNG PEOPLE AT RISK, PARTICULARLY THOSE UNLIKELY TO JOIN ORGANISED AND SUPERVISED ACTIVITIES ON THEIR OWN INITIATIVE.

THESE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE ENCOURAGED TO BRING FORWARD THE IR PERSONAL PROBLEMS, HELPED TO UNDERSTAND THESE PROBLEMS, AND GIVEN COUNSELLING AND GUIDANCE WHICH INTEGRATE THEM INTO NORMAL SOCIAL GROUP ACTIVITIES, HE SAID.

IN ADDITION, FAMILY LIFE EDUCATION ENABLES YOUNG PEOPLE TO IMPROVE THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THEMSELVES, OF HUMAN RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE FAMILY, AND OF THE ROLE A FAMILY MEMBER PLAYS, HE ADDED.

MR KWOK STRESSED THAT THE SUCCESS OF YOUTH SERVICES DEPENDED TO A GREAT EXTENT ON THE PARTICIPATION OF YOUNG PEOPLE.

+I AM GLAD TO SAY THAT THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN HONG KONG ARE BECOMING MORE AWARE OF THEIR ROLE AND ARE MORE WILLING TO CONTRIBUTE, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER, TOWARDS THE COMMUNITY,

HE SAID.

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