Concern for Our Young People

111. I will now talk about youth services. Recently, I attended the Youth Summit, where I was moved and encouraged by the commitment of our young people to become responsible and contributing members of our society. Young people have always been the major driving force in our community's development. The Youth Summit elicited two clear messages: first, both the Government and the community agreed that more needs to be done in the area of youth services and that the holistic development of youth should become an important area of the Government's work plan. Second, to fulfil our commitments to the younger generation, we have to strengthen our work in three areas. These are to provide good education to enhance the quality of our human resources; to provide support and assistance to help young people at risk overcome the difficulties they face in their development; to provide room for our young people to reach their full potential and to play an active role in building our community. We will continue to work hard in these areas.

112. As young people grow up and develop, they face many risks and difficulties. In this period of economic restructuring, they face even more problems, and are most in need of our care and understanding. Services for youth cover various areas including education, arts and recreation, employment, training, counselling and rehabilitation. The delivery of these services must fit in well with the family and community environment. Therefore, we need to promote co-operation between different departments and sectors. In particular, active parent participation and school health services are important elements that complement our work. With these joint efforts, we are able to provide a healthy environment for the growth of our young people. In addition, they are encouraged to play a more active role and become committed to building our future.

113. We need to adopt a different approach and provide additional support to those young people at risk. The Government spends about $1.2 billion a year on youth welfare services. These include a full range of developmental, preventive, supportive and remedial services. We will create more integrated teams and promote 'peer counselling and peer support'. To do this well, we must better understand the mindset, habits and needs of our young people. The Commission on Youth plays an important role in furthering work in all these areas.