ENG-1959 — Page 238

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HONG KONG ANNUAL REPORT

twelve, two of whom are also Camp Trainers, to continue this important work.

The Holiday Camp at Silvermine Bay on Lantau Island provided a week's holiday by the sea for some 3,500 children from poor families living in squatter areas, crowded tenements and resettle- ment estates. At the Lions-Y.M.C.A. Camp at Junk Bay over 800 poor children enjoyed a ten-day stay with plenty of good, nourish- ing food, and indoor and outdoor recreation. The Y.M.C.A. also ran special week-end camps for over 600 children from less poor families.

Children's libraries continue to be very popular, particularly with those who cannot afford to buy books and cannot get into school. The two libraries run by the Children's Playground Association at the War Memorial Welfare Centre and the Queen Elizabeth II Youth Centre were together used by an average of 650 children daily. The Hong Kong Junior Chamber of Commerce equipped and stocked another library in a resettlement estate during the year, making a total of sixteen since the first library was established in 1951. The Mobile Library van presented by the Chamber to the Department continued to serve children, and some adults, in the New Territories; the van visited fifteen different districts regularly and the number of readers averaged 2,500 a month.

The need for simple but good hostel accommodation for young people is still acute. Hostels operated by the Salvation Army, the Y.M.C.A. and the Y.W.C.A. enabled nearly 700 young workers to have a home away from home'.

Two experimental recreation centres have been started by the Youth Welfare Section of the Department in resettlement estates, where children who attend bi-sessional schools and are conse- quently free either all the morning or all the afternoon spend two to three hours a day at organized games, film shows, news quiz, discussions, etc.

Youth work in Hong Kong is co-ordinated by the Standing Conference of Youth Organizations, on which the Department and the main organizations in this field are represented; this co- ordinating body also runs the Silvermine Bay Holiday Camp through a Management Committee.

Members of the various organizations working with youth took part in the Youth Rally held at the Hong Kong Stadium on 7th