ENG-1951 — Page 93

Youth Welfare

In Hong Kong early economic and social maturity is forced on the majority of the community, and youth welfare work is carried out chiefly for boys and girls between the ages of nine and sixteen.

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Early in the year there was an important exchange of letters between the Government and the Standing Conference of Youth Organizations. This resulted in a great measure of agreement as to The Boys' and policy and future aims in the field of youth work. Girls' Clubs movement developed steadily throughout the year and experiments in the establishment of clubs for the 16-21 age group were successfully undertaken. By the end of the year plans had been completed for the establishment in the New Territories of a children's holiday camp, the capital cost of this project to be borne by the Rotary Club of Hong Kong and the recurrent cost by the Government. of the greatest problems facing the Government and voluntary organizations alike has in the past been the lack of trained leaders for every branch of youth work. In September a twelve months' training course for youth leaders was started under arrangements concerted between the Standing Conference and the Government, seven students being accepted for the course. In all these activities and plans the Standing Conference played a major part and as a result of the work of this consultative body close and effective coordination was achieved in all matters pertaining to youth work.

Direct Relief

The Social Welfare Office operates six welfare centres to which The circumstances of application for direct assistance can be made. applicants are investigated by caseworkers and preference is given to persons who were born in Hong Kong or who have lived in the Colony for many years.

The assistance which can be given includes the issue of free meals and clothing and the placing of children in free schools. During the year under review an average of 1,107 free meals per day The Social Welfare Office were supplied at the welfare centres.

continued throughout the year to operate three residential camps: of these the one at North Point is a public assistance institution, that at Morrison Hill is a settlement where free communal accommodation without food is made available to selected applicants, and Rennie's Mill This last Camp is a temporary refugee camp in the New Territories. was started in mid-1950 as a partial solution to the problem of refugees from the Chinese civil war. During 1951 no new refugees were admitted and the number of inmates fell from 6,800 to 5,489.

In the field of direct public assistance and the care of vulnerable groups a number of voluntary agencies, both religious and other,

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