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Education

Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education

The Committee on the Promotion of Civic Education advises the government on civic education, collaborates with the government and other parties in arranging civic education activities, and funds community organisations to arrange activities promoting civic education outside school. In 2014, the committee concentrated on encouraging a positive attitude towards life, fostering family harmony to cultivate an integrated and harmonious society, instilling core civic values, and promoting understanding of the Basic Law and the Mainland.

The committee promoted the core civic values of 'Respect and Inclusiveness, 'Responsibility' and 'Love' in 2014 to encourage mutual respect in the community for those from different cultural backgrounds and with different points of view. The committee also organised activities such as the Civic Education Exhibitions and seminars and a quiz about the Basic Law. Civic education publications produced included a family magazine and a youth magazine.

The Civic Education Resource Centre at the Youth Square comprises a 'Resource Corner' with reference materials on civic education and youth development, a 'Civic Square' and a 'Gallery! Equipped with audio/visual facilities, the Civic Square is used for training courses, seminars, sharing sessions and youth activities and film shows about civic education. The Gallery's videos and interactive games help visitors to experience and explore different aspects of civic education. Guided tours are provided and periodic exhibitions promote core civic values.

Commission on Youth

The Commission on Youth's main tasks include advising the government on youth development, initiating studies on youth, promoting youth development, enhancing communication between young people and the government, and providing young people with exchange opportunities in the Mainland and overseas, and internship opportunities in the Mainland.

To enhance communication between young people and the government, the commission invites senior government officials and representatives from advisory bodies to attend 'Youth Exchange Sessions, so that they can communicate directly with young people and gather their views on relevant policy issues. The commission's biennial 'Youth Summit' provides a platform for principal officials to exchange views with young participants.

To promote youth development, in 2014 the commission approved sponsorship under the Large-scale Youth Programme Funding Scheme for 16 large-scale youth programmes run by qualified organisations in Hong Kong.

In 2014, the commission sponsored 135 exchange tours to the Mainland run by community organisations to enhance young people's awareness and understanding of China, strengthen their sense of national identity and foster exchanges with Mainland people. The commission also sponsored 38 projects run by community organisations providing young people with internship opportunities in the Mainland for better understanding of the Mainland employment market, work culture and development opportunities. Youth delegates visited Ireland, Japan, Poland, Russia and Singapore under the International Youth Exchange Programme, to broaden

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