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can, the main yardsticks of our housing programmes—how many people do we feel we ought to resettle (2 million, 3 million)? or at what economic value should we work out priority claims to housing units subsidized heavily by the tax-payer. We have heard this afternoon the suggestion that people in public housing should be allowed to buy their own property. This would suggest to me at any rate that they must be in a much better financial position than others rehoused. This is the sort of thing that worries me. How many libraries should we have, what is the limit? As Chairman of the Library Select Committee I have had occasion recently to give a full report of our work and for this reason I am not going to add anything further this afternoon.
In two years I've asked about a Youth Department I still do not consider a small section at the Colonial Secretariat to be anything but ludicrously inadequate. I waited patiently for the Annual Census but the questions were so general that it seems doubtful that we would ever know enough about those of our young people who left school very early, or never attended school at all. Then last year I turned my attention to children of pre-school age. Here and there, in the community, interest in this sector of our population has been shown, noticeably in the Child Care Project organized by the Medical Society of the University of Hong Kong. A noble effort. But has Government done anything? A royal Princess, like so many of her age-group is intelligently interested, but is Government?
Since our last Debate, crime figures particularly in the realm of juvenile delinquency, have shot up dangerously high. On all sides opinions are expressed, cures suggested, someone (never ourselves) is blamed, but who in Government is taking a good hard look?
Overseas experts come and go. Committees sit, detailed reports, often well documented, are produced, but whose ultimate responsibility is it to co-ordinate all the findings, hammer out a policy viable in the context of Hong Kong, ready to implement it?
Mr. Chairman, at the risk of repeating myself, I must advocate a Ministry of Youth, no less; or in terms of our constitutional government in Hong Kong a YOUTH DEPARTMENT for all under the age of 21 not in school or university.
This Department must find out who and where our young people are, their educational and sociological background, their motivation, their non-academic interests and activities, their hopes, their ambitions. I will not be satisfied only with reports of summer activities, however well planned and attended or the participation of the young in the coming Festival of Hong Kong. Though I recognize the value and high standard of our Annual Music Festival, Athletics meets, Art Exhibitions, I cannot help but feel that those outside schools often cannot join these activities, and certainly not in a meaningful way.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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Daily words like involvement, identity, generation gap, are bandied about. We adults are not prepared to think these words through. Some of us give in as teachers, parents or advisers Urban Councillors to every whim of the young, anxious only to be kind and popular. This is being insufferably insulting to the young; and unhelpful in the long run.
Turn out what we may from our factories and the economic miracle of Hong Kong seems perennial we have to a dangerously wide extent ignored our best product—our youth. Piecemeal legislation, piecemeal and lukewarm condescension, a passing interest. How long will our young tolerate the status-quo?
I believe that the time has come for us to be honest with ourselves. If on all our various select committees we can concentrate on our very awkward problems as they affect the young, we would be more responsible councillors. Those who consider us ineffectual and there are many, we can ignore; after all, we can only do our best.
It is the Herculean task of improving life for the young that should be our prime target. We will have to train ourselves afresh to face the students and unschooled, we will have to be strong to face the weak, to be tolerant to face the intolerant, to be patient to face the impatient, to be responsible to face the irresponsible.
To do this I would suggest we seek Sabbatical leave for six months, wind ourselves up, let the Urban Services Department run itself, and plan using that time, with what help we can get from all levels of our community to work out a NEW DEAL for our YOUTH.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let us form our own YOUTH DEPARTMENT in fact, if not in name, within this Council, almost in the last year of its existence, as such.
No other task will be more worthwhile, no other task is more vital.
At this juncture, if there are any left to listen, I would like to suggest another new approach. There is in the Secretariat the embryo of such a Youth Department, started very recently. This small co-ordinating unit is headed by the Principal Assistant Colonial Secretary (Social Services). My suggestion is to develop this unit into a Class 3 Department, headed by an experienced and professional Physical Education specialist. This chairman should be assisted by a secretary who should be a senior member of the Secretariat. They in turn will have as advisers well-known leaders of sports and physical recreation, ready with
Page 186 of 242
Page 186 of 242
352
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
can, the main yardsticks of our housing programmes-how many people do we feel we ought to resettle (2 million, 3 million)? or at what economic value should we work out priority claims to housing units subsidized heavily by the tax-payer. We have heard this after- noon the suggestion that people in public housing should be allowed to buy their own property. This would suggest to me at any rate that they must be in a much better financial position than others rehoused. This is the sort of thing that worries me. How many libraries should we have, what is the limit? As Chairman of the Library Select Com- mittee I have had occasion recently to give a full report of our work and for this reason I am not going to add anything further this afternoon.
In two years I've asked about a Youth Department I still do not consider a small section at the Colonial Secretariat to be anything but ludicrously inadequate. I waited patiently for the Annual Census but the questions were so general that it seems doubtful that we would ever know enough about those of our young people who left school very early, or never attended school at all. Then last year I turned my attention to children of pre-school age. Here and there, in the community, interest in this sector of our population has been shown, noticeably in the Child Care Project organized by the Medical Society of the University of Hong Kong. A noble effort. But has Government done anything? A royal Princess, like so many of her age-group is intelligently interested, but is Government?
Since our last Debate, crime figures particularly in the realm of juvenile delinquency, have shot up dangerously high. On all sides opinions are expressed, cures suggested, someone (never ourselves) is blamed, but who in Government is taking a good hard look?
Overseas experts come and go. Committees sit, detailed reports, often well documentated, are produced, but whose ultimate responsi- bility is it to co-ordinate all the findings, hammer out a policy viable in the context of Hong Kong, ready to implement it?
Mr. Chairman, at the risk of repeating myself, I must advocate a Ministry of Youth, no less; or in terms of our constitutional govern- ment in Hong Kong a YOUTH DEPARTMENT for all under the age of 21 not in school or university.
This Department must find out who and where our young people are, their educational and sociological background, their motivation, their non-academic interests and activities, their hopes, their ambitions. I will not be satisfied only with reports of summer activities, however well planned and attended or the participation of the young in the coming Festival of Hong Kong. Though I recognize the value and high standard of our Annual Music Festival, Athletics meets, Art
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
353
Exhibitions, I cannot help but feel that those outside schools often cannot join these activities, and certainly not in a meaningful way.
Daily words like involvement, identity, generation gap, are bandied about. We adults are not prepared to think these words through. Some of us give in as teachers, parents or advisers Urban Councillors to every whim of the young, anxious only to be kind and popular. This is being insufferably insulting to the young; and unhelpful in the long run.
Turn out what we may from our factories and the economic miracle of Hong Kong seems perennial we have to a dangerously wide extent ignored our best product-our youth. Piecemeal legisla- tion, piecemeal and lukewarm condescension, a passing interest. How long will our young tolerate the status-quo?
I believe that the time has come for us to be honest with ourselves. If on all our various select committees we can concentrate on our very awkward problems as they affect the young, we would be more respon- sible councillors. Those who consider us ineffectual and there are many, we can ignore; after all, we can only do our best.
It is the Herculean task of improving life for the young that should be our prime target. We will have to train ourselves afresh to face the students and unschooled, we will have to be strong to face the weak, to be tolerant to face the intolerant, to be patient to face the impatient, to be responsible to face the irresponsible.
To do this I would suggest we seek Sabbatical leave for six months, wind ourselves up, let the Urban Services Department run itself, and plan using that time, with what help we can get from all levels of our community to work out a NEW DEAL for our YOUTH.
Ladies and Gentlemen, let us form our own YOUTH DEPART- MENT in fact, if not in name, within this Council, almost in the last year of its existence, as such.
No other task will be more worthwhile, no other task is more vital.
At this juncture, if there are any left to listen, I would like to suggest another new approach. There is in the Secretariat the embryo of such a Youth Department, started very recently. This small co- ordinating unit is headed by the Principal Assistant Colonial Secretary (Social Services). My suggestion is to develop this unit into a Class 3 Department, headed by an experienced and professional Physical Educa- tion specialist. This chairman should be assisted by a secretary who should be a senior member of the Secretariat. They in turn will have as advisers well-known leaders of sports and physical recreation, ready with
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