encourage regular activities in the form of sports and art competitions, fun-fairs, various kinds of recreation, as well as such local projects as cleansing campaigns, cultural exhibitions, debates, etc. The involve- ment of people in their planning, organization and even enjoyment of these activities not only enriches the life of the community but also encourages individuals, groups and organizations to be more closely associated with the problems, interests and aspirations of the com- munity of which they each form a part.
25. In addition to community centres the Department also runs a social centre at Sheung Shui in the New Territories and another at Sai Ying Pun on the western side of Hong Kong Island. Subject to the limitations of space and staff, amenities comparable to those in the bigger centres are provided here also, for although the need for community work is most noticeable in the resettlement estates there are similar and other developmental needs in the more traditional rural townships and in the congested, older urban districts. The recognition of this need has resulted in the completion and planning of similar social centres at Peng Chau and Sai Kung respectively, with financial assistance from the Sir Robert Ho Tung Charitable Fund.
THE DISTRICT COMMUNITY OFFICER SCHEME
26. Community work in the urban areas is a comparatively new field of social work, no less in Hong Kong than elsewhere, although community organization is recognized as one of the three main social work methods. It is a responsibility which touches the activities of many departments of Government and the importance of this re- sponsibility in a territory such as Hong Kong cannot be overstressed. It is relevant to any proposals for the greater participation of ordinary people in the determination of their own affairs. The aims and duties of the Social Welfare Department are an essential complement to those political functions carried out by the New Territories Administration and the Secretariat for Home Affairs. A community or social centre provides one focus for this work, but it is neither the ultimate method nor an end in itself.
27.
The extension of community work beyond the limits of various centres began in February 1969 with the appointment of four District Community Officers on an experimental basis. Their appointment stems from the fact that the need for group and community services is evident as much in the older, more established urban districts as in
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