ENG-1994 — Page 245

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SOCIAL WELFARE

1 871 individuals had become subscribers of the charter. The commission has also set up a liaison network among organisation subscribers to prepare for the first biennial review of the implementation of the charter, to be held in 1995,

The commission completed two studies in 1994 - on youth participation in community activities and on the supportive system for youth. The findings of the two studies were released to the public. A seminar was also held in November to discuss the findings of the latter study.

Working groups have also been set up to study the moral values, education and career plans of youth; underage drinking and the classification of films and publications.

In June, the commission published a collection of articles on the influence of the mass media on youth. This publication was circulated to youth-related organisations and secondary schools.

Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education

The Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education was set up by the government in May 1986 to promote civic awareness and responsibility throughout the community. Made up largely of non-government members, the committee advises the government and community organisations on the objectives and scope of civic education. It encourages, through sponsorship, community efforts in organising civic education activities among different age groups.

The committee focussed on the promotion of public participation in representative government in 1994–95. Its programmes included a ‘Legislative Council Members Role Play Contest'; radio programmes on citizens' voting rights; a computer animation software design competition on the theme of elections and representative government; and a territory-wide intra-secondary school civic education quiz.

The promotion of human rights education continued to be a major task for the committee. A six-day civic education exhibition, featuring human rights and representative govern- ment, was organised in July. A human rights educational video was co-produced by the committee and Radio Television Hong Kong for secondary school students.

The promotion of the rule of law was another major area of concern. A teaching kit on the subject was produced for secondary schools.

The committee continued to liaise closely with voluntary agencies and district civic education bodies. It continued to offer sponsorship under the Community Participation Scheme to these organisations to encourage them to organise civic education activities. An allocation of approximately $1 million was made available for 29 projects in 1994–95.