a community centre include a day nursery, vocational training classes, family casework services, special services for disabled children, recrea- tional facilities, a library and a communal assembly hall. Social centres provide a more limited number of services. Comparable kind of centres with a community purpose are also run by voluntary agencies. The new Estate Welfare Buildings (described under 'Family Services') can make a contribution towards more integrated communities, and will be developed with this aim in mind.
24. Community development and group work are not confined, however, to community and social centres. Since February 1969 four District Community Officers have been appointed on an experimental basis to extend community work beyond and outside the limits of the various centres. These four officers work in close relationship with the City District Offices of Yau Ma Tei and Sham Shui Po in Kowloon and of the Western and Wan Chai Districts on Hong Kong Island. Their main task has been to foster the growth of responsible attitudes and social consciousness among people and to enlist the active participation of individuals and groups.
25. Since the implementation of the District Community Officer Scheme, increased co-operation has also been achieved among voluntary welfare agencies and district organizations. Special emphasis has been placed on the training of young volunteers and the formation of youth groups and social services teams with the aim of mobilizing youth resources in community service. During the year simple surveys investigating the needs of the community and the family situation in the older urban areas were conducted with the active participation of young volunteers. The initial response suggests that this scheme should be extended and a review is being made by the Department with a view to additional appointments of District Community Officers being made on a permanent basis.
YOUTH WORK
26. The Division aims at stimulating and developing new and improved facilities for young people. It does this partly by direct pro- vision of services and partly by lending support and encouragement to the many voluntary agencies which are active in this field.
27. Typical of its direct provision of service are the children and youth groups run at community or social centres. On average there are usually about 1,000 active young members in each centre. They participate in a wide variety of interest, club and uniformed groups.
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