austraLasia
1469
Key Government
appointment for Director of Youth Outreach, Hong
Kong
HONG KONG: 1st March 2006 --
The Hong Kong Education and Manpower Bureau (EMB) today announces new
appointments for its two year old Task Force on Continuing Development and
Employment-related Training for Youth. Despite the hint of bureaucracy in
these terms, the appointment to the Task Force of Fr Peter Newbery SDB, director
of Youth Outreach in Hong Kong, is an important one. The Hong Kong
Government has long been able to witness the Salesian contribution in general
and this man's experience and commitment in particular to what the HKSAR now calls non-engaged
youth.
Two years ago the incipient Task Force,
which administers a Youth Sustainable Development and Engagement Fund,
recognised a submission by Youth Outreach for its Hip Hop programme, a programme
which has given Youth Outreach worldwide recognition for its innovativeness and
effectiveness. Now the EMB wants the man behind it all to be part of their
team. Sitting on this group will involve, apart from the administration of
the Fund, monitoring, coordinating and evaluating programmes for non-engaged
youth, all with a view to re-engaging them, obviously. The appointment, if
it follows the same scheme as previously, will be a two year
one.
Fr Newbery, besides his high-profile work with young
people on Hong Kong's streets (but YO's influence extends into Mainland China
especially through its education programmes to 'train the trainers'), teaches at
Hong Kong's Chinese University. He began life, so to speak, as a teacher
of English, did a little re-training in psychology and counselling to help out
with school counselling, then worked for 10 years with the Correctional Services
Department of the HK Government. Now his qualifications include
Criminology and Social Work. He has received recognition for his work from
the Queen (he is a British Subject by birth and received a 'Badge of honour' in
the 1992 Queen's Birthday Honours list. In 1998 he received an SAR award
from the Chief Executive recognising the work done through Youth Outreach.
In 1999 he received the "Servitor Pacis" (Worker for Peace) award from a UN body
from New York (The Path to Peace Foundation). Fr Newbery is also the
author of several very practical books on youth work and youth leadership as
well as many scholarly articles on young people and their
problems.
GLOSSARY
HKSAR: Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region. Both HK and Macau are SARs under the one country-two systems
arrangement adopted by China.
non-engaged
youth: HK terminology has gone through some interesting evolution
for what we tend to call marginalised youth. It began with that term, then
went to 'double-out youth' (out of school, out of work), then to 'double-waiting
youth' (for a place in school for employment), then to 'hidden youth', and now
to non-engaged youth. The 'hidden youth' term is of interest. Anyone
see the UNICEF film All the invisible children produced in Italy,
premiered at 2005 Venice Film Festival, and a compilation of seven pieces by
seven of the world's best film directors? The segment by John Woo of China
is particularly interesting.
_____________________
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