ENG-1990 — Page 230

SOCIAL WELFARE

Commission on Youth

The Commission on Youth was established in February 1990, with members appointed by the Governor. The commission's main objectives were to advise the Governor on matters pertaining to youth, to initiate research, to promote co-operation and co-ordination in the provision of youth services, and to serve as a focal liaison point with other international youth organisations for exchange programmes.

The commission's first task was to investigate the impact of Hong Kong's future on the development of young people and to recommend to government how Hong Kong's youth should be better equipped to adapt to political, social and economic changes in the years ahead. To gain a deeper understanding of factors which influence the thinking and behaviour of young people, the commission undertook a number of research projects, probing the attitudes and expectations of youth towards the future, their participation in community affairs and the influence of the mass media.

The government requires the commission to develop a Charter for Youth which would set out the rights and obligations of young people in Hong Kong. International develop- ments and Hong Kong's unique social, economic and political circumstances will be taken into consideration in drafting the charter.

Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education

In 1986, the government set up the Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education to encourage all sectors of the community to actively promote civic awareness and responsibility.

Made up largely of non-government members, the committee advises the government and community organisations on the objectives and scope of civic education. It en- courages, through sponsorship, community effort in organising civic education activities among different age groups.

The committee sponsored 30 projects in 1990 with an allocation of over $900,000. In view of the elections to the three-tier political structure of Hong Kong in 1991, an ex- hibition entitled Free Choice was held to encourage greater understanding of the meaning and rationale of elections.

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A new promotional announcement carrying the message 'Get involved - it's your Hong Kong' was shown on television. Other promotional activities launched by the committee included two seminars and a number of projects to encourage people's participation in political and community affairs. The work of the committee has received strong support from district organisations, in particular district boards.

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