Balancingplay and pressurea parent’s dilemma

YouthVolume 6 Number 2June 2014a quarterly journal from the hongkong federation of youth groups

H O N G K O N G

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YOUTH HONG KONG published quarterly

by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

EDITORIAL BOARD

Rosanna WongElaine Morgan (Editor)Ada Chau (Assistant Editor)Angela NgaiLakshmi JacotăWilliam ChungHenry Poon

CIRCULATION (unaudited)

11,000-12,000 in Hong Kong, throughout the region and overseas

VIEWS EXPRESSED are the authors’ and interviewees' may come from official sources, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board or publisher

REPRODUCTION OF CONTENTS without written permission from the publisher is prohibited

INTERVIEWS & PERSPECTIVE

Elaine MorganAda Chau

OTHER CONTRIBUTORS

Lakshmi JacotăEducation PostAmanda XiangIvan ChauVirginia AddisonSam IpMindy LiHilary LokNg Tsz-manCindy LamHKFYG unit staff

TRANSLATIONAda ChauHenry Poon

PHOTOGRAPHS

Courtesy of The HKFYG KK Cheng Kindergarten and the Playright Children’s Play Association.

Other photographs by Elaine Morgan, Ada Chau, acknowledged as captioned, or in public domain.

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CORE SERVICES Counselling, Creativity Education & Youth Exchange, Education, Employment, Leadership Training, Leisure, Cultural & Sports, M21 Multimedia, Parenting, Research & Publications, Youth at Risk, Volunteering, Youth SPOTs

MEDIA PARTNER Education Post

4-6HIGHLIGHTPressured parentsPressured children

19-25TEACHERS SPEAKTutorial schoolsKindergarten principals

EDUCATION POST

26-31YOUTH SPEAK

YOUTH WATCHVirginia Addison

32-50FEATURESFood, culture & sportCity space

HKFYG

ContentsHIGHLIGHT4 Lakshmi Jacotă Pressured parents, pressured childrenINTERVIEW7 Nirmala Rao, HKU Faculty of Education, HKUPARENTS SPEAK9 Eight parents talk about balance13 Lau Yu-lung, HKU Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine PERSPECTIVE15 Kathy Wong Playright18 HKFYG Youth Assessment & Development CentreTEACHERS SPEAK19 Tutorial schools Choice for parents20 Two principals Kindergarten admissionEDUCATION POST24 Educational and clinical psychologists & brain development specialist Quality time, not force-feedingYOUTH SPEAK26 Amanda Xiang27 Ivan Chau Too much pressureYOUTH WATCH28 Virginia Addison Early childhood care and education around the worldFOOD, CULTURE & SPORT32 Sam Ip35 Mindy Li36 Hilary LokCITY SPACE37 Ng Tsz-man39 Cindy Lam Communicating and innovation40 William Wong Alternative energyHKFYG42 China Week 201444 Hong Kong 20045 10,000 Xu Beihong horses46 Jade Art at PMQ47 Community Studio Hong Kong Youth Service Award48 Five-Year Plan, Book Fair49 On the agenda

Youth Ho n g K o n gJune 2014Volume 6Number 2

7-8INTERVIEWNirmala RaoFaculty of EducationHKU

9-18PARENTS SPEAKLau Yu-lung, HKU

PERSPECTIVEKathy WongPlayright

HKFYGYADC

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Cover image

Every parent wants to give their child the best possible advantages in

life, beginning with education at the earliest age. However, instead of

this life journey starting with fun and play, and an ease of learning, it

is now accompanied by packed schedules and numerous classes in all manner of

disciplines. All this, parents argue, so the children might have the competitive

edge – and the portfolios – to get into the primary schools of their choice.

This is a dilemma that I believe faces parents around the world:

how to provide every possible learning advantage for their children,

encouraging them to learn, but also allowing them time to play.

We discuss this topic and hear from parents, youth, and specialists in education, medicine

and psychology. Each share their experience and wisdom. While most conclude that the

current situation is unsatisfactory, the pressure on parents to conform remains strong.

If you are a parent, an educator, or had a pressured childhood yourself, do

let us know about your experience. We need a broader understanding of how

we raise tomorrow’s adults and look forward to hearing from you.

Dr Rosanna Wong, DBE, JP

Executive Director, HKFYG

June 2014

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Pressured parents,pressured childrenWhen should children go to school? How much should they learn?

What types of extracurricular activities should they do? For how long do they need to play? Why is everyone so stressed? The author

addresses all these questions and argues that the pressures parents feel are passed on to their children.

By Lakshmi Jacotă

An article in the New Scientist1 raised the question of what age is best for a child to begin formal education. The article, published at a time of vigorous debate among education experts and politicians, explores anthropological, psychological, neuro-scientific and educational studies that argue the later a child’s entry into formal education, the better. It reports on a group of childhood experts who are calling for it to be deferred until the age of seven.

The debate in England, where at present children go to primary school at four years old, intensified this year. In March, the UK Department for Education advocated earlier formal teaching of literacy and numeracy and earlier formal assessment of children. It then announced a new assessment test for four year-olds, to be introduced in 2016.2 Next, the annual report from OFSTED, the UK Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills, was issued. It called for schools to take two year-olds,3 saying that a change of emphasis from a play-based approach to teaching of language and counting skills was needed at nursery school, especially for disadvantaged children.

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The anxious parent, burdened by such contradictory opinions and societal pressures, is confused, naturally. No one disputes the importance of early learning. Scientific research has long validated the receptivity and responsiveness of the brain from the moment of birth. Children are born ready to learn, and early life experiences coupled with environment are accepted as strong developmental influences. In the 1960s, American parents were already being told that, “If you did not start teaching children when they were young…a golden opportunity for learning would be lost.”4

For both parents and educators, the problem lies in deciding what type of learning the child should be exposed to, and at what age. Should pre-school learning be concerned with an emphasis on academic achievement? Should early learning be about exposure and experiences in a more loosely constructed environment without being oriented towards results of assessment tests?

In Hong Kong, as early as 1984, Early Childhood Education Curriculum Development Documents stressed “play”, “active participation” and “first-hand experience” as the basis of early learning. One 1996 document went so far as to state, “Factual knowledge obtained through stereotype textbook teaching or rote-learning is only superficial. These teaching methods will only curb the creativity and cognitive thinking of children, and do not guarantee that children can remember and make use of the knowledge acquired.”5

In fact, this official guidance does not match today’s reality. Hong Kong kindergartens, and kindergarten-cum-childcare centres, are registered with the Education Bureau but are privately run. As a result, the type of learning offered and how it is offered, falls under the general guidelines of the Guide to the Pre-primary Curriculum. According to the Education Bureau, the curriculum should be formulated simply, “according to the basic principles of ‘children’s development’ and ‘children’s learning’. ”6

This autonomy allows many institutions to be more rigorous in their offerings than was recommended back

in 1984. They emphasise measurable accomplishment and achievements through class and home work, as well as tests. And for many parents here, as elsewhere in the world, this is the preferred option.

Such parents argue that because entry into both kindergartens and primary schools is so highly competitive, their children need to have a portfolio of impressive testimonials and certificates. They feel the need to be able to prove that the child is bi-literate

in English and Chinese, trilingual in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, and has rudimentary knowledge of addition and subtraction, not to mention the ability to play a musical instrument, some

artistic potential, competence in at least one sport, and possibly some experience of voluntary work. All before the age of five years and eight months!7

Meanwhile, nursery schools, pre-kindergarten and other pre-school institutions, when asked to justify their heavy academic and learning styles, claim that they are simply responding to parental demands. In the Hong Kong context this is what Dora Ho Choi-wa of the Hong Kong Institute of Education has called the “intensification of pre-school learning” which has resulted in “kindergarten graduates” already having learned “what has to be learned in Primary One.”8

Are parental expectations at the root of this increasingly intense early learning because of pressure to get children into reputable kindergartens and primary schools? Or do the early learning institutions play – perhaps unwittingly – upon parental insecurities, thereby fostering the pressurized and often profitable acquisition of knowledge? The likelihood is that each work upon, and intensify, the other.

There are parents, albeit a minority, who refuse to succumb to such pressures and are reluctant to put their children under so much stress. They seek alternative early learning opportunities in an environment that emphasizes play and interactive engagement, with less reliance on books and formal classroom teaching. They are looking for ways to stimulate and motivate

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The anxious parent, unsure what to do with their children, is confused by contradictory opinions from professionals

and societal pressures…

their children through learning that is not just about examination results but about strengthening social skills, enhancing emotional wellbeing and encouraging health and fitness as indispensable elements of all-round development and cognitive growth.

In Hong Kong, this type of multi-faceted learning exists but there is no clear or unified approach on how to practise teaching through play alone. One study has found that teachers themselves, due in part to parental expectations, tend to lean more towards the “instrumental value rather than [the] intrinsic value of play.”9 They see play serving multiple functions, including recreation, learning, development and even class management, especially in kindergartens. Research quoted in the same source also shows that play in Hong Kong kindergartens “is perceived as peripheral to learning,” a form of reward for academic learning, but in most cases play that is directly related to children’s learning outcomes is preferred.

Sources and further reading

1. Whitebread, David and Bingham, Sue. “Too much, too young: Should schooling start at age 7?” New Scientist Magazine Issue 2943, 18 November 2013. At http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg22029435.000-too-much-too-young-should-schooling-start-at-age-7.html?full=true&print=true

2. The Guardian, “Schools will be allowed to test four-year-olds from 2016, government confirms” http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/mar/27/four-year-olds-compulsory-tests-2016-government-confirms

3. OFSTED, “First Early Years report highlights importance of teaching and learning in pre-school settings “at http://www.ofsted.gov.uk/news/first-early-years-report-highlights-importance-of-teaching-and-learning-pre-school-settings-0

4. Elkind, D. The Hurried Child. Cambridge, Mass: Da Capo, 2007.

5. Fung, Chanel Kit-Ho and John Chi-Kin Lee, “A Critical Review of Early Childhood Education (ECE Curriculum Documents in Hong Kong” in Journal of Basic Education, Vol. 17 No. 1, 2008. The Chinese University of Hong Kong 2008, pgs 40-41. http://hkier.fed.cuhk.edu.hk/journal/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/jbe_v17n1_33-57.pdf

6. “Overview of Kindergarten Education in Hong Kong”, Education Bureau, HKSAR Government. http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/preprimary-kindergarten/overview/index.html

7. According to the Education Bureau, a child who reaches 5 years and 8 months is eligible for entry to Primary One. For the September 2014 intake, this would mean a child born on or before the 31st December 2008. See http://www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/primary-1-admission/index.html and http://www.edb.gov.hk/attachment/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/primary-1-admission/poa2014_leaflet_en.pdf

8. Tam, Luisa. “An innovative way forward in childhood education is gathering pace,” South China Morning Post, 11 November 2013. http://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/family-education/article/1350858/innovative-way-forward-early-childhood-education

9. Yang, Yanjuan and Ye Yang, “Teachers’ Interpretations of Play in Chinese Early Childhood Classrooms.” European Conference on Education, 2013, organized by The International Academic Forum. http://www.iafor.org/offprints/ece2013-offprints/ECE2013_Offprint_0191.pdf

This discrepancy between the “rhetoric and reality of play” helps assuage parental anxiety to a certain degree. On the one hand, they can convince themselves that their children are not being put through rigorous classroom learning too early in life. On the other hand, they can comfort themselves that pedagogy is still taking place and their children’s journey to primary school is not hindered in any way.

What all parents want is an educational journey for their child that is not wholly dissimilar to that of their peers. This is pressure to conform and it is transmitted to their children, in the name of competitiveness, aspiration and excellence.

世界競爭日趨激烈，作為家長，當然加倍重視自己子女的教育，且愈來愈多人相信要「贏在起跑線」。但種種催谷行為不僅令孩子吃不消，連家長也感到無比壓力。到底小孩應該甚麼時候開始學習，應該怎樣學習呢？今期我們一起探討這些問題。

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Are parental expectations at the root of today’s increasingly

intense early learning ?

Many Hong Kong parents who can aff ord the fees enroll children as young as 18 months in playgroups and classes. Is this because they expect them to face a lot of competition, or is it just to help them develop? Professor Nirmala Rao of the

Faculty of Education, University of Hong Kong, told us what she thought of the trend.

Why do you think so many Hong Kong parents want to send their children to classes when they are young?

Just as many parents see kindergarten/pre-school as a preparation for primary school, they see pre-k classes as a preparation for kindergarten. They feel it will help them to get into the kindergarten of their choice.

Do you think this is good for children of average ability?

It really depends on the child and the focus of the classes. If the child does not have siblings or playmates in the neighbourhood, attending playgroups provides them with an opportunity to socialize with their peers. If the “classes” focus on “playing” and doing things that children enjoy, I do not think there is any harm in children participating in such activities.

What is good for children to learn before the age of three?

Early childhood educators want to promote children’s holistic development. Hence, it is good to provide opportunities for the promotion of their physical, social, emotional, cognitive and language development. For example, opportunities for physical play and outdoor activity help, because even young children in Hong Kong tend to have sedentary home-based leisure activities such as TV and computer games.

Children also need to be exposed to other children. It is also important that parents are sensitive to the child’s needs and interests. If a young child really enjoys swimming or playing the piano then it is good to offer them opportunities to do so.

Play and learningtwo sides of the same coin

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Is there an ideal balance between early structured learning and learning-through-play?

Actually I do not think there is a dichotomy between play and learning. For young children, play and learning are two sides of the same coin. Children need both free play and “playful” learning with adult guidance to prepare them for formal primary school.

Can pressure to learn in pre-kindergarten years have negative effects on children when they are older?

It has been argued that putting too much pressure on children when they are too young leads to stress and has negative effects on their motivation.

What advice would you give to parents who want to build their child’s portfolio at a very early age?

I really would not recommend building a portfolio for a young child. Parents should provide opportunities for holistic, all-round development and be attuned to children’s interests, within limits.

Do you think there has been any significant change in attitudes to early learning recently in Hong Kong?

Yes, there in an awareness of the importance of the early years and a concern about getting the child into the pre-school of choice, hence parents want children to be well-prepared to get into that pre-school.

Can anything be done to ease the pressure for early learning that now affects both parents and children?

Public education can help, such as that offered at a seminar for parents during the International Forum on Kindergarten Education at the University of Hong Kong last autumn.

Professor Nirmala Rao is an expert researcher in the fields of Early Childhood Development and Education; Child Development and Educational Policy; Developmental and Educational Psychology; Culture and Pedagogy and a member of the Faculty of Education, University

of Hong Kong. She is also a member of the Committee on Free Kindergarten Education, set up in 2013.

In the 2014 Policy Address, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive said that, “Providing 15-year free education and better quality kindergarten education is our aim. We have set up a dedicated committee to study how to practicably implement free kindergarten education.” The committee is consulting stakeholders. It is expected to make recommendations in 2015-2016.

Publications include:Rao, N., Zhou, J., & Sun, J. (eds.) Early childhood education in Chinese societies. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer (in preparation).

Rao, N. et al. Teaching in primary schools in China and India: Contexts of learning. Abingdon, UK: Routledge, 2013.

Rao, N. et al. Early childhood development and cognitive development in developing countries: A rigorous literature review. DFID, UK Government, 2013.

Rao, N. et al. Final Report. Development of the East Asia-Pacific Early Child Development Scales (EAP-ECDS). Singapore: Asia Pacific Network for Early Childhood, 2012.

Rao, N., & Sun, J. Early childhood care and education in the Asia-Pacific region: Moving towards Goal 1. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, University of Hong Kong/UNESCO, 2010.

Chan, C.K.K., & Rao, N. (eds.). Revisiting the Chinese learner: Changing contexts, changing education. University of Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre/Springer, 2009.

香港一些家長為了讓子女入讀心儀的幼稚園，打從幼童時期便已安排他們就讀各式各樣的課程。劉麗薇教授認為三歲前應讓幼童全面發展，遊戲和學習要適當平衡。不應為了升學給小孩子太多壓力。她建議多安排家長講座，幫助父母建立正確的觀念。

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Parents are very aware of the pressures related to early learning. On the one hand, they believe that to ensure competitiveness, their children should attend as many diverse classes as possible. On the other hand, they worry about the fatigue, and

the mental and emotional stress that accompany too much organized activity. Eight of them recount their experience and explain how they try to balance lives.

A delicate balance

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Jane, a single mother with a professional career, has two children in junior secondary school. She is particularly aware of the dilemma that parents face. “Of course every parent wants their child to succeed and to learn. The issue is not about learning per se, it is about wanting your child to learn far more than is necessary for a specific age group. But if every other parent is pushing their child to succeed, who is brave enough to stand up against the flow?”

In some instances parents insist that they do. Frank, an engineer, and his university professor wife have a six-year-old boy. He is waitlisted for a place at a Montessori school. Frank believes that free play is critical for children’s creative development. He argues that his son should be as free to play and read as much as he likes. “Outside the home, we prefer playgrounds and public playrooms to organized play. Kids are able to develop better when few expectations are placed on them. They learn by interacting with others, find playmates and improvise.”

“I certainly do not want to put too much pressure on my son either,” says Ah Keng, an NGO worker with a retail manager husband. “I will teach him about basic discipline, the alphabet, numbers and understanding simple instructions. I will also practise good manners with him.”

Being acutely aware of the numerous classes on offer to parents who want their children to have a more formal learning environment, Ah Keng knows it will be difficult to resist. She tells herself to “stand firm” and hopes “not to end up sending my son to too many classes.” But she is fully aware that the reality might change as her child gets older.

Carol, who works in the financial sector with her husband, had a baby girl earlier this year. Already she feels the pressure to conform. “It’s easy to point the finger at so-called ‘monster parenting’, but it can be hard to resist the pressure. Hong Kong is a competitive society and the rivalry for places in desirable schools has progressively worked its way down: from secondary schools, to primary schools, to kindergartens, to pre-nursery classes and even to playgroups.”

While not yet faced with actually putting her daughter into a structured learning environment, Carol finds that other members of her family have conformed to the norm. “My relatives have children aged three to seven, and all of them attend language classes at weekends, not to mention swimming, ballet and drawing lessons on weekdays after school. The parents tell me that they

actually don’t want to put their children through all of these, but because of Hong Kong’s system, they think they’ll be at a disadvantage if they don’t.”

Lisa, who works in logistics, and her husband, an IT software technician, have two boys. One is aged 14 months and the other is four years old. Lisa agrees that wanting to get into good schools prompts parents to send children to extra classes. Even though her four-year-old is enrolled in English, Putonghua, taekwondo and drawing classes, she argues that this is more to give him exposure rather than to pressure him to learn. “I don’t believe I am pushing him too hard. If I did, he would tell me. I think he should try out a few of these classes to see what he likes. There are so many of them, all very close to where we live.”

However, “Where language is concerned,” Lisa continues, “it’s different. A lot of research says that the key to learning languages is to learn them at a young age. I don’t expect my son to speak English and Putonghua very well yet, but I do hope he will find it easier to learn foreign languages in future as a result of the classes he is taking now.”

Most parents agree that acquiring language skills justifies sending their children to classes at an early age. Fang-wei, for example, who has a son in the third year of kindergarten. She and her husband work long shifts and really want a better future for their son. “I have heard from other parents that the children’s English level is so low that they will have trouble in primary school. This scares me and so I have started to prepare him early. My boy has extra tutorial classes for English spelling and English reading twice a week.”

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Who is this really for? Is it for the child or for the parent?

“It’s the education system that creates this awful pressure,” Fang-wei continues. “Originally I wanted him to start extra tuition at primary school. But after learning that the academic burden would be so heavy, we started in K3 instead. Some of my friends started private lessons in K1, but I am not convinced. It’s too early. Even if the children learn something, they will forget. If you push them too hard, they lose interest.”

By contrast, Dora, a full-time mother, believes firmly that pushing children is not a bad idea at all. She enrolled her four-year-old son in an English phonics class with a native speaker. “I make him go for his own sake, even though he is reluctant.” Dora argues that he is more capable than he seems. In her eyes, her son is lazy and pretends not to know the answers so that he gets more help. He also does taekwondo and violin classes. He has shown no obvious signs of undue stress so Dora does not think she is pressuring him.

Dora and her husband are both fluent English speakers. They want the same for their son because they believe it will help him succeed in life. However, one of his tutors is concerned. “The teacher tells me that he seems to have little self-confidence and low motivation in class.” She thinks he is afraid of making mistakes in front of the others.

Jane, although she says she understands the dilemma faced by parents, is concerned that extra classes might not always be for the child’s own sake. “My difficulty is when all this learning is not for fun or enjoyment, but rather to ‘prove’ something: that a very young child has achieved a certain level of competence validated by an exam or certificate. This results in added pressure on the child, a nagging parent, and stress all around. Music, art, sports and languages cease to be fun. Then I wonder, who is this really for? Is it for the child or for the parent? Learning is happening all the time, at home, in playgrounds, whether children are on their own, or with others. It doesn’t have to be in organized classes.”

that he gets more help. He also does taekwondo and violin classes. He has shown no obvious signs of undue stress so Dora does not think she is pressuring him.

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I make him go for his own sake, even though he is

reluctant.

Even socially conscious parents may find themselves trying to push their child to

the head of the queue.

Paul, who is doing a part-time postgraduate degree and looks after his two-year-old daughter while his wife runs her own company from their home, agrees. “The current system places too much emphasis on assessment rather than guiding individual development and advancement,” he says. “We all have to take on a certain amount of pressure in life. What is most important is teaching young ones how to deal with pressure positively, enabling them to learn basic social skills, how to share and not become too self-absorbed or selfish.”

“Hong Kong’s educational system doesn’t provide a level playing ground for all children. However, even socially conscious parents, who believe in an equal chance for everyone, may suddenly find themselves trying to push their child to the head of the queue, in order to get into a well-known kindergarten or a prestigious primary school. The system places too much emphasis on assessment rather than individual development and advancement.”

None of these parents argues against early learning for their children. Frank, while seeing the fundamental importance of play, has no doubts about the importance

of education. However, although he thinks it can be a route to success, “…how that success is measured is debatable. Success should not be just about beating your peers or learning as much as you can as early as possible. Success should be about getting to know what your real interests are and where your talent may lie. Pressuring children to learn through classes, tutorials and repetitive homework will do nothing to make them ‘successful’ in the future. I also object to putting kids through classes and competitions so that they have certificates, awards and qualifications to put in a portfolio, but to find a good primary school I now have to do it.”

Fang-wei says. “Even though my boy is still in K3, I know the burden of helping him will follow me, not only at primary school, but at secondary school too. When the day comes, I will give him the choice of whether to go to university. Even if he wants to teach swimming, it would be OK. At least he could feed himself. But in the end, what I want most for my son is a lifelong passion for learning and exploration. Above all, I don’t want him to end up like me with a poor education and a bad job.”

All parents want a secure future for their children. In Hong Kong’s extremely competitive environment, today this often begins with pressure on early learning. The issue is how to find the delicate balance between offering children a variety of learning and educational opportunities – perhaps ones that they never had themselves – while still ensuring that they grow up happy and healthy.

Note

Names of parents have been changed to preserve anonymity

除了專家外，今期我們訪問了多位家長，讓他們談談自己對子女的教育安排。他們來自不同教育背景、收入、社會階層，他們對子女的學習、發展及前途同樣關注，而且認為現今孩子面對的壓力太大，希望他們努力學習之餘，仍然能取得平衡，享受美好童年。

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Prof Lau, giving advice to other parents rather than speaking as a scientist, says that the first thing to remember is that all children are unique individuals who need a personalized approach. Therefore, he says there are no easy answers and no scientific benchmarks to guide parents when it comes to appropriate levels of pressure. “Young children need time to learn by exploring, and space for imagination and creativity to develop. Childhood should be a happy time, in my view, not a time filled with scheduled activities and homework from dawn till dusk.”

“Excessive pressure is not good but that does not mean that stress is necessarily a bad thing, if applied appropriately. There need to be balance and boundaries.” There are positive and negative forms and levels of stress. Every child responds differently, and each has different levels of potential. They cannot be pushed or pressured into achieving more than their potential. “The main thing is to avoid creating an environment like a pressure cooker. But if your child is evidently enjoying their classes and activities, why not carry on.”

“Parents need to be sensitive,” he continues, especially in a society like Hong Kong where there is such a high level of pressure. All of society is stressed and people communicate stress to one another. “The pressure they feel is often due to chasing after materialistic goals and some parents are so driven to achieve as high income-earners that they become obsessive about their children’s success as a result of peer pressure or [perceived] loss of face.”

However, as Prof Lau says, while acknowledging his own privileged circumstances, success should not be measured in dollars and the most important things in life cannot be counted. “They are health, physical and emotional well-being, friends and family. Parents who offer children the gift of time, and not just ten or fifteen minutes, will learn how to understand them.” Children aged five cannot verbalize thoughts well and so clear communication with parents may not always be easy, he noted. They do not understand the outside world, or life and death, and may only just be starting to understand the needs of others.

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Professor Yu-lung Lau, a paediatrician at the University of Hong Kong and a father of three children, all now in their 20s, talks of his perceptions of pressured childhood. He emphasizes that parents will learn what is best for their child only by spending

enough time with them.

Professor Yu-lung Lau is Chair Professor of Paediatrics and the Doris Zimmern Professor in Community Child Health at the Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at The University of Hong Kong.

香港大學兒童及青少年科學系的劉宇隆教授本身有三名子女。他認為父母需要花更多時間主動了解子女的需要，才能為他們安排最好的學習。他認為在學習路上，適量的壓力無可避免，但家長應該留意子女的真正需要，盡量提供良好的學習環境，讓子女能取得平衡。劉教授將教育子女比喻為放風箏，雖然有一定程度的監察，但父母必須讓子女安心在天空上翱翔。

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Parents speak| June 2014

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If children are central in the family, “parents cultivate them, understanding them like fragile flowers, by caring and responding to their needs with genuine concern so that they can blossom, instead of becoming anxious about winning the next contest or excelling in exams.What is needed for that is time, time and more time.”

At the other extreme, where there is misunderstanding and too much pressure, it can result in physiological and psychological symptoms such as nightmares, bed-wetting, eating problems, temper tantrums and school phobia. “These are the danger signals,” says Prof Lau. When they get a bit older there is the danger that they may become depressed and in the most severe cases, suicidal.

Knowing the optimal level of pressure to exert in order to help children make the best of themselves is a skill that must be learned. “Being a good parent is not easy. There is no end to lessons if you want to understand your children. To enjoy them, and respect them as people very different from yourself, you have to take a step back first. Then you will see them in a more holistic light.”

Professor Lau concluded with an anecdote from his own experience as a father. “Perhaps they would disagree with me, but when my children were young, I used to think of them as kites, flying in the sky, with myself as the holder of the reel. The long thin thread on the reel was attached to them, barely perceptible most of the time, but always there so that I could give a tug on it from time to time. Otherwise, as long as the wind is blowing from the right direction, I let them fly.”

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Unhurried play a basic rightIn a city where time for spontaneous play has dwindled greatly and there is extreme

pressure on space, Kathy Wong believes it is vital to help parents understand how important free play is for children. She works through the NGO Playright to raise awareness,

and with relevant government agencies to improve the situation.

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Perspective June 2014 |

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Free, spontaneous, unorganized play is essential to the health and well-being of children. It promotes, among other things, the development of creativity, imagination, and self-confidence, all of which contribute to learning. Play also has a significant role in the development of the brain, particularly in the early years, and those who are chronically deprived of it will not only have smaller than average brains, but also suffer from social dysfunction, Ms Wong reminds us.

“How can play be defined?” we ask. The official definition* says that children’s play is any behaviour, activity or process initiated, controlled and structured by children themselves. It takes place whenever and wherever opportunities arise and its key characteristics are fun, uncertainty, challenge, flexibility, non-productivity and a certain element of risk. Most importantly, Ms Wong says, “the agenda is set by children, not by adults.”

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The importance of play for all children, of all ages, is proclaimed in the 1959 Declaration of the Rights of the Child and the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child. (See Further reading opposite page.) However, Ms Wong is concerned that children’s rights in this respect have been given poor recognition. This has resulted, in cities such as Hong Kong, in a lack of appropriate investment. Where investment has been made, it is in the provision of structured and organized activities, not in terms of providing homes and public facilities of adequate size and type for play. Therefore, part of the work of Playright consists of advocacy with many government departments and agencies, including the Education Bureau and the Social Welfare Department.

“I am not blaming parents for depriving children of play,” Ms Wong says. “They can’t help wanting their children to achieve,” and that goes for parents at every socio-economic level. Indeed, it is harder for those on low incomes to insist on free play for children because they see a greater need for stressing the importance of spending time learning in a structured environment. “The more they care about the child’s future, the more they take away the opportunities for play.”

Society has become increasingly risk-averse and overprotective. “There is not only pressured childhood, but pressured parenthood.” Parents think taking risks is bad for the children, that it is their responsibility to protect children from risk, even though risk is part of growing up. “There is fear of neighbours, of sunshine, of water, of falling over and grazing a knee,” says Ms Wong,

“and the media amplify these fears so that they become a psychological reality.”

In fact, the more serious risks are those to health, caused by pressure to achieve and

consequent lack of free time. She points out that the age of attempted suicide is getting younger and younger. For example, there was a recent Hong Kong case of suicidal behavior in a child of kindergarten age, severely stressed by interviews for admission for kindergartens.

The more parents care about the child’s future, the

more they take away the opportunities for play.

All photographs in this article are courtesy of the Playright Children's Play Association

Playright, an NGO established in Hong Kong in 1987, promotes awareness of the importance of play through a fourfold approach - Advocacy, Play Resources, Play Outreach and Play Environments. Ms Kathy Wong, Executive Director of Playright since 1996, is a registered social worker and a board member of the International Play Association.

Further reading on early childhood learning, stress and playBray, M and Kwo, O. Regulating Private Tutoring for Public Good. CERC Monograph Series, no 10. Hong Kong: Comparative Education Research Centre, Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with UNESCO Asia and Pacific regional Bureau for Education, 2014.Center on the Developing Child. Harvard University. http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/key_concepts/toxic_stress_response/Chan, LKS & Chan, L. “Early childhood education in Hong Kong and its challenges.” Early Child Development and Care, 173(1), 7-17, 2003.McEwen, BS. Effects of Stress on the Developing Brain. The Dana Foundation. https://dana.org/news/features/detail_rop.aspx?id=33204Morgan, H. Early childhood education: history, theory and practice. 2nd ed. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2011.Opper, S. Hong Kong’s young children: Their preschools and families. Hong Kong University Press, 1992.Opper, S. Hong Kong’s young children: Their early development and learning. Hong Kong University Press, 1996.Play deprivation. Play Education, 2003. http://issuu.com/playwales/docs/play_deprivation?e=5305098/5309703Shonkoff, JP & Phillips, DA (eds). From Neurons to Neighborhoods: The Science of early childhood development. Committee on Integrating the Science of Early Childhood. Development. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2000.United Nations. Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989, Article 31

Early childhood from one to five years old is a critical period. Children of this age are constantly developing, physically and emotionally. Stress can be beneficial, helping them to develop skills in order to adapt to new situations and deal with danger, but prolonged stress becomes harmful and can lead to serious health problems. When the body undergoes stress, the hormone cortisol is released. It gives a quick burst of energy, heightened memory, lower sensitivity to pain and heightened memory. However, when cortisol is present in the body at high levels for extended periods of time, the body’s immune response may be suppressed, leaving it vulnerable to damage and illness.

Causes of stress include being over scheduled and feeling pressured to perform; parents' own stress levels

Symptoms include heightened fear and anxiety, loss of interest, depression, anxiety, low self-confidence

Effects may include reduced cognitive functioning, poor retrieval from memory, lower attention-span, emotional problems, lack of energy and motivation to learnSources

Center on the Developing Child. Harvard University. http://developingchild.harvard.edu/index.php/key_concepts/toxic_stress_response/

McEwen, BS. Effects of Stress on the Developing Brain. The Dana Foundation. https://dana.org/news/features/detail_rop.aspx?id=33204.

Early childhood stress

智樂兒童遊樂協會總幹事王見好女士認為，每個兒童都應享受自由玩樂的時間。這不單是兒童基本的權利，亦對他們身心健全發展有重要影響。她表示，很多家長誤以為透過遊戲學習，就能讓孩子有足夠的玩樂時間；其實，讓孩子自由、自主地玩耍，才是讓孩子真正快樂的事情。她提醒所有家長，人生大部分時間都能用來學習、進修，但錯過了快樂的童年就一去不返； 因此千萬不要抹殺孩子擁有快樂童年的機會。

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The upside of media coverage of extreme cases like this is growing awareness of the need to slow down, the need not to hurry childhood or the process of growing up, the need to make time for playing. “If you ask me how much time is enough for play, I could say an hour a day, seven hours a week,” Ms Wong says, laughing, “but the main thing is to remember that you can afford to lose a year of study. You can always catch up. But if you lose a year of playful, happy childhood, you will never get it back.”

* http://article31.ipaworld.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/IPA-Summary-of-UN-GC-article-31_FINAL1.pdf

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The HKFYG Youth Assessment and Development Centre (YADC) holds talks, seminars and workshops for parents and parent-child groups, with child psychiatrists and psychologists, as well as celebrity parents who recount their personal experience of parenting and trying to bring up balanced young children.

Ability assessment tests using word and number cards, building blocks, toy, cars etc, are given for two to six-year-olds, on request. Those in need of help usually join training groups run by YADC. Its staff advise on children with developmental problems and those who lack concentration, have poor social skills, reduced fine motor control, poor sensory integration, or find difficulty controlling their emotions. Training is offered by occupational therapists and speech therapists, social workers and childcare workers.

Developmental and interest classes are run as well, including phonics, creative writing and oral practice with a native English-speaking teacher. Visual arts, music, liberal studies and physical exercise are offered too. Classes are designed to strengthen social and problem-solving skills plus fine motor coordination in three to six year-olds. Younger children are welcome at the baby playgroups, conducted in Chinese or English.

The Federation’s Youth Assessment and Development Centre team provides services for parents and children up to 18 years old. The aim of

its Smart Parents series earlier this year was to show how to avoid putting age-inappropriate academic pressure on children. More workshops coming soon.

Assessment, training and interest classesguidance for balance at HKFYG centre

Parent-child training groups July 2014At a four-part workshop series for parents, to be launched this summer, a childcare worker will show how toys and books enrich children’s cognitive development. Advice on handling emotional control problems and stubbornness about following rules will also be available.Monday 14, Tuesday 15 & Thursday 17 JulyMonday 21, Tuesday 22 & Thursday 24 JulyGroup A Nursery-K1 1.45-2.45pmGroup B K2-K3 2.45-3.45pmFee HK$1,680/ 6 sessionsEnroll Online at yadc.hkfyg.org.hk Tel 2130 4050

Youth Assessment & Development Centrehttp://yadc.hkfyg.org.hkTel 2130 4050Fax 2130 4060Email yadc@hkfyg.org.hk

香港青年協會轄下青少年評估及發展中心為18歲以下兒童及青年提供服務。其中「精靈家長星級學堂」就是透過生動有趣的方式，讓家長學習放下過高的期望，讓子女健康發展。

Opening hours10am-6pm from Monday-Thursday10am-8pm on Friday10am-6pm on SaturdayClosed Sunday

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Last year, a Hong Kong survey1 found almost 72% of Secondary 6 students had private tutoring. This rate is comparable with South Korea and Taiwan but is much higher than elsewhere in the world. Students include those who are struggling and those who are already doing well but whose parents want to ensure they go on to a preferred school.

Large companies, make up more than half the local tutorial market, but there are many smaller ones. The I-Square Education Centre2 is an example. Assistant Business Development Manager, Claudia Chong, explains its philosophy and goals: “When I founded I-Square it was because I longed to give Hong Kong children a head start by providing them with an experience that proved to them and their parents that learning English can and should be a fulfilling and painless experience. I am extremely proud of the difference we have been able to make with our students. We have gained the trust of parents in our teaching philosophy and our teaching crew.”

Much of the education that takes place in Hong Kong’s tutorial schools is geared towards examinations. Hong Kong has also become famous for its “star tutors,” who are popular with students because they teach useful tricks for memorization. Professor Mark Bray of The University of Hong Kong says tutoring has “spread and intensified in Asia and become more commercialised … [The star tutors] have found a way to appeal to young people … They create a buzz …Students who would not otherwise have had tutoring may now do so in order not to be at a competitive disadvantage.” 3

Managers of many Hong Kong tutorial schools say they have to be results-oriented. “When the system doesn't deliver what parents expect, they are willing to pay for tutors. This is why there will always be money to be made in tutoring in Hong Kong,” said the founder of one tutorial school.4 The implication is clear: choice is being offered.

However, there are intrinsic benefits in an emphasis on exams, as the Learning Curve Index, published in May this year, indicates. It analyzes information about learning outcomes around the world. Finland has slipped from first place. The top four are South Korea, Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong. “For them, high-stakes testing has proved to be effective because it mobilizes kids, parents and schools,” said one of the report’s contributors.5

Topping up a child’s education with classes at tutorial schools is popular today. Recent research concludes that while too much pressure is a bad thing, it is good

to foster a culture of learning early in life.

Top 10 Countries in The Learning Curve index 21041 South Korea 6 United Kingdom2 Japan 7 Canada3 Singapore 8 Netherlands4 Hong Kong 9 Ireland5 Finland 10 Poland

Source Economist Intelligence Unit, 2014. http://thelearningcurve.pearson.com/index/index-ranking.

Includes data from the 2013 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment), PIRLS ( Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), TIMSS (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study)

Sources

1. Bray, M. “Benefits and tensions of shadow education.” Journal of International and Comparative Education. 2, (1) 2013. 18-30. http://crice.um.edu.my/downloads/bray.pdf

2. I-Square Education Centre Unit 503, 5/Fl., Cameron Commercial Centre, 458-468 Hennessy Road, Hong Kong. www.i-square.edu.hk

3. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-20085558

4. http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-South-Central/2010/0302/In-Hong-Kong-star-tutors-earn-1.5-million-salaries

儘管我們不希望孩子在學習上太早面對過多壓力； 但有研究指出，本港有七成以上的中六學生在校外參與補習，比 例 遠 高 於 世 界 各 地。 我 們 訪 問 了I-Square Education Centre的負責人莊小姐，她表示當初成立該中心的主要原因，就是希望讓香港的家長了解到，學習英文其實可以很輕鬆很愉快。

p I-Square Education Centre

Choice for parents top marks for Asia

Parents, anxious for success on the academic ladder, feel pressured to ensure their children get into the best possible schools. Professionals in the kindergarten sector tell us that this is partly because parents have too little

information, but they say special circumstances apply in Hong Kong.

Kindergarten admissionmatching goals with expectations

§ In general, parents cannot, or do not, obtain enough information. As a result, they try to play safe by putting in as many applications as possible. Even when they don’t know what kind of kindergarten they want, and don’t know much about the schools they apply for. As a result, too many applications are made haphazardly and this results in extra work for everyone.

§ Parents should not apply to just one kindergarten, but they really don’t need to apply for 10-20, as some do. About five should be enough and parents should visit them all to find out which of them fit their expectations, instead of just listening to other people’s views.

§ However, I do think the government gives out too little information and there is lack of communication and coordination between the government departments concerned. Officials always say that overall there are enough places for kindergarten-age students, but they don’t give statistics by district and it is pointless for a family living in the North District to get a place in the South District.

§ Usually, there is not such strong competition for places in Hong Kong kindergartens as there was last year. However, the news reports which made headlines focused only on North District. They were extreme cases and had a good news angle, but in other districts, it was quite different. Nonetheless, the problem was exacerbated by the policy of some schools. Long queues of parents formed because the schools only distributed application forms for one or two days. If forms were available on the web, parents would not worry so much.

Ms Dorothy Chan, Principal of the HKFYG Ching Lok Kindergarten (Yaumatei) and Ching Lok Nursery (Yaumatei), commented on the shortage of official information available to parents applying for kindergarten places. This was exacerbated last autumn by unusual problems.

Parents should not apply to just one kindergarten, but they really don’t need to apply for 10-20, as some do. About five should be enough and parents should visit them all to find out which of them fit their expectations, instead of just listening to other people’s views.

However, I do think the government gives out too little information and there is lack of communication and coordination between the government departments concerned. Officials always say that overall there are enough places for kindergarten-age students, but they don’t give statistics by district and it is pointless for a family living in the North District to get a place in the South District.

Usually, there is not such strong competition for places in Hong Kong kindergartens as there was last year. However, the news reports which made headlines focused only on North District. They were extreme cases and had a good news angle, but in other districts, it was quite different. Nonetheless, the problem was exacerbated by the policy of some schools. Long queues of parents formed because the schools only distributed application forms for one or two days. If forms were available on the web, parents would not worry so much.

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§ The needs of children at different stages, the balance between learning-through- activity and free play, and the age at which the transition to more structured, academic learning should take place, all need to be clear in parents’ minds to reduce pressure.

§ Children start to learn at birth and it is important that they learn in stages. I think three years old is the time to start academic learning. Even if parents request it, we should not ask students to learn in advance of their developmental stage. It is not good for them.

§ Many students find it very stressful when they leave kindergarten to go to primary school, so we prepare them emotionally, helping them understand what it means to be in primary school. We do not give them extra lessons on this. They would just cause extra pressure. Instead, we arrange our classrooms as primary schools do for a while, so they get the feeling of a primary school setting and build confidence for the transition.

§ I find that there are two extreme kinds of parents. Either they are so humble that they think they cannot help teach their children, or they are too eager to help their child to learn everything. They think they know best. The trouble is, in Hong Kong, we always think good academic results equal a bright future.

§ Too many interviews are not good for children. They cause a lot of stress and all this “interview training” usually means just asking children to memorize information, like their names and their parents’ jobs. We know it cannot reflect the child’s character and potential.

§ I definitely do not want to see portfolios for young children! If a parent handed in a child’s portfolio, we wouldn’t refuse it, but frankly, it would not affect our choice. These portfolios only contain paper. What I am concerned with is the child.

§ Our school holds group interviews with parents and children. Several teachers watch three or four of them playing together. We don’t need pre-prepared “answers” that have been practised a thousand times over. What we need is to see the child’s character, ability and stage of development. This is not possible if they are stressed or “on show.” We are not only looking for talented children. We are looking for children who we think will fit into our school.

§ The parents themselves are important too, so we really hope to find those who share our concepts of education. They are the most important role models for children and if, for example, they are impolite or inconsiderate, we know they will not be a good influence.

Youth Hong Kong

Teachers speak June 2014 |

21Photos courtesy of The HKFYG KK Cheng Kindergarten

When asked about early learning activities and whether children are expected to have portfolios of certificates from classes they attended before they enroll, Mr Western’s answer is, “definitely not.”

Up to par § On the other hand, I think that Hong Kong

Cantonese parents worry that their child won’t be “smart enough” at interview to get into a good pre-school which will lead onto a good primary school and then a good secondary school. They see getting into a good kindergarten as the critical first step in their child’s long educational journey, so they seek learning activities outside the home for very young children to bring them up to par.

§ Still, for playgroups and pre-schools, I think looking at a child’s portfolio would be a ridiculous method for allocating spaces. Unfortunately for many parents, the “school your child attends” is a huge part of how they define themselves. Their personal, and family, identity is tied into it.

Traditional and Montessori approaches are offered by Woodland. In Montessori schools, children can work alone or with others - it's their choice. There are no pressures, forced homework or rote learning.

Options for breadth § At Woodland, we offer two different teaching

philosophies. However, the approaches tend to overlap. When you examine them closely in terms of what actually goes on in the classroom, in fact they are very similar. Both approaches include both child-directed and teacher-directed learning, whether it’s learning how to share, how to paint, or how to ask questions during Show & Tell.

Mr Mark Western, Head of the Woodland Pre-School in Pokfulam, says that the parents often send the children to their playgroups to prevent boredom rather than because of pressure to learn. Where applying for admission is concerned, the situation is also very different. Orientation tours are arranged on request for families considering registering at Woodland schools which generally serve more affluent families.

Choice, but at a price § There is always strong competition for a place

at Woodland schools and we generally have waiting lists. My advice is to apply early, contact several schools and be flexible about morning and afternoon class options. In fact a number of new kindergartens have opened in the past year or so, on Hong Kong Island, so there are plenty of schools and plenty of places at the moment.

§ Expat parents seeking kindergartens don’t have so much stress when securing a place because many more choices are available to them. The main reason their children go to playgroups is that they’re bored. The parents figure it’s better for them to interact and play with other kids in a crowded playgroup than to be stuck at home in a flat, alone with the nanny.

Strong competition but more choice

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§ The youngest toddler classes, which we call “Rollers” and “Wrigglers,” are for children aged six to 18 months. They progress to the playgroup classes at one-and-a-half to two-and-a-half years old. At this stage they start to learn about group participation, such as singing songs, dancing, and playing group games. There is nothing like learning characters for two year-olds. At pre-school, for two-and-a-half to four year-olds, there is learning about sounds and phonics, letters, how to hold a pencil and so on.

In the older pre-school classes for three to five year-olds there is a more “balanced” curriculum, with both play and academic subjects, ensuring that children have the fundamental skills ready for Primary One, with a lot more emphasis on phonics, emergent writing, pre-reading, speaking fluency and confidence. With longer and longer waiting lists in good primary schools, which are being more and more selective in their interview process, it is important that the children are prepared. Year by year, the bar is being raised to weed out candidates from long lists of applicants.

Ms Lau Yin-king, Deputy Chair of the Council of Non-profit Making Organizations for Pre-primary Education, commented on the situation:

The prevailing atmosphere in Hong Kong means that parents want to push students to learn in advance of the normal stages. They want children in kindergarten to learn what they need for their primary education. Then they want students to learn in primary school what they need only for secondary education. It is not good for the children. Kindergartens are being “marketized” as a result and can provide what parents demand.

§ Although I think everyone would agree that academic achievement is important, the question is to what extent? If, in the pursuit of academic excellence, a child never plays a sport, or goes to summer camp, or travels overseas, or pursues a personal hobby, then I believe the focus has been too narrow.

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With longer and longer waiting lists in good primary schools,

which are being more and more selective in their interview process,

it is important that the children are prepared.

就幼兒面對教育的壓力問題，我們訪問了幾位專家表達他們的意見，包括香港青年協會青樂幼稚園（油麻地）/ 青樂幼兒園（油麻地）的陳鳳儀校長、非牟利幼兒教育機構議會副主席劉燕琼女士及The Woodland Pre-school (Pokfulam)的校長Mr. Mark Western。他們認為幼兒的學習必須按他們的發展階段來進行，過早催谷幼兒學習，對他們的長遠發展並無好處。雖然家長均希望子女入讀心儀的幼稚園，但幾位專家認為，家長不必過分緊張，亦毋需為面試預備太多資料或強逼子女學習面試技巧。

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Three specialists, Fritz Pang, an educational psychologist, Sarah Ip Miu-yin, a clinical psychologist, and Ricky Chan, a specialist in brain development comment on the negative effects that too much

pressured early learning can have.

Because so many parents in Hong Kong are worried their children will lose out at the starting line, they are willing to spend a small fortune and give up precious family time lining up extra classes. Whether it is music, art, languages or sports, parents seem convinced that for youngsters today, the more lessons and formal training, the better. The desire to equip sons and daughters with the knowledge and skills to succeed in life is entirely understandable. But psychologists are now pointing out that intensive learning at too young an age can do more harm than good.

Fritz Pang, a registered education psychologist at St James’ Settlement

Fritz Pang says that life is a marathon, not a sprint. He thinks parents are getting children to start rote learning too early and are failing to acknowledge their emotional needs. “I had a case of a five year-old girl. She was crying and saying she wants to leave home because she is forced to do English exercises every week,” says Pang.

“The girl’s parents sought counselling because they thought their daughter was rebellious, but it was actually their ‘force feeding’ and the extra lessons that caused her to feel so stressed.” Pang says parents should focus more on teaching children the right attitude towards life and the right way to handle adversity, rather than bombarding them with “knowledge.”

Sarah Ip Miu-yin, clinical psychologist at the private Fullife Psychological Practice

Sarah Ip points out that no scientific research proves that taking children as young as 10 months to playgroups and other classes is beneficial for their development. “Parents need to understand that there are various stages in brain development. There is no point force-feeding young kids when their brain development has not yet reached the right stage,” she says.

Ip notes a recent New York University publication on how the use of flash cards, flip books and watching videos affects the development of language learning ability. The study included two groups of children aged nine to 18 months. The experimental group was exposed to flash cards and other materials. The control group had none. Results revealed that the experimental group did not show stronger language ability despite being given different types of stimulation. “The most interesting part of the study was that parents of the experimental group refused to accept the fact that their children had gained nothing from the training,” Ip says. “Sometimes, parents can be too subjective. They might want to consider carefully what is really beneficial to their children.”

Ip also says parents “need to be more hands-on when it comes to nurturing their own children. I know of a parent trying to recruit a teacher to teach the child how to be polite. This is the responsibility of a parent, not a tutor.”

Quality time, not force-feeding

a contribution from Education Post

Youth Hong Kong

Education Post June 2014 |

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Ricky Chan, chairman of the Association of Brain-based Learning in Education and a specialist in brain development

Ricky Chan’s advice to parents is to understand how the brain works before enrolling their youngsters in many kinds of classes. “Until the age of five, children are developing their five senses. If parents sit them down to read and study note cards or a tablet computer, it will stunt the development of their senses,” Chan says. “Kids that young are better off running around in the natural environment, experiencing different forms of stimulation. Unfortunately, more parents are now keeping their kids indoors to read.”

Going to playgroups is a popular activity for young children, but Chan warns this might not help overall development. “Young children up to three years-old are rapidly developing the ability to express emotions like shame, regret and respect, but they might use facial expressions or other actions to express themselves. In a playgroup, it is common to see children express their emotions by crying, shouting and screaming. One child might pick up this undesirable behaviour from other children.”

Chan also notes that keeping kids on a tight schedule and rushing them from class to class can affect a child’s physical and mental condition. It can raise adrenaline levels and cause the child to

In the first three years of life, a child’s brain has up to twice as many synapses as it will have in adulthood. At birth, it already has about all of the neurons it will ever have. The brain doubles in size in the first year, and by age three it has reached 80 percent of its adult volume. Synapses are formed at a faster rate during these years than at any other. It is widely accepted that synapses play an important role in the formation of memory.

Young brains

be bad-tempered, which can later result in poor health and the inability to control emotions.

Every parent loves their children more than anything in the world and is eager to see them do well, but the experts agree that spending more quality time with them, not arranging more classes, is much the better approach.

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Source

http://www.urbanchildinstitute.org/why-0-3/baby-and-brain

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Too much pressure by Amanda Xiang

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I was two-and-a-half when my mother first enrolled me in a drama playgroup. Her aim was to provide me with an English-speaking environment, and to give me international exposure for language proficiency. Extra-curricular activities such as this continued until a couple of years ago. They ranged from academic subjects like Olympiad Mathematics, to French, to casual interests like piano or table tennis. When I was in Primary 5 or 6 they amounted to over 9 hours every Saturday, and for Hong Kong, that is by no means extreme.

According to research quoted by the South China Morning Post1, there are tutors who give English conversation practice to children as young as 15 months old, and it’s not unusual for primary school pupils to have 12 to 15 tutorials every week. Don’t children ever get to spend their time resting, playing or doing things they enjoy? Does early learning merely add pressure and deprive them of playtime?

The main reason children go to these classes is that their parents worry about their ability to get into a good school. As a result, the pressure to build a good resume starts long before the teenage years. Even selection for private pre-school programmes can be very competitive, and some parents consider “packaging” their preschoolers to meet schools’ requirements.

The other reason for the increasing pressure for learning from a young age is that parents have had to learn how to become increasingly efficient in balancing their work-home schedules. They want to make the most of limited time with their children and believe that giving them every opportunity to gain the maximum amount of knowledge will mean they are making the best use of that time.

Compare that with Finland, a country reputed for its good education system. Children there are not

Youth Hong Kong

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Ivan, now 19 and doing a vocational degree, writes about his happy childhood.

I always wanted to play basketball more than anything and wanted coaching after school. There was no chance. Piano lessons? Sure. Extra English? Obligatory. Sport? Never. A waste of time and money they always said.

I went to a very old-fashioned kindergarten where we started rote learning of Chinese characters when I was three. At primary school, mum and dad saw my English was no good so they spent HK$1,500 a month on extra lessons. My spelling got better but the teacher was a Hongkonger and my spoken English stayed just as bad as ever.

They all thought I was a naughty boy, always neglecting my studies, slow to do my homework. My dad used to sit over me, making me go through the maths exercises before he’d let me go out to play. But I think it was hard work for him too. At least I didn’t have to go to all those tutorial schools.

Actually, it must have been very hard for them to pay for extra lessons. Money was always tight. So most nights after dinner I went to play with my mates, down on the podium at our estate in Tseung Kwan O. Sometimes basketball, sometimes just running round, making up games, having fun. We were happy.

I know they always had high expectations of me but I’m glad they weren’t those monster parents you hear people talking about today. Perhaps they were anxious but they never made me learn too hard.

Not made to learnencouraged to start reading until the age of seven and the country has some of the best young readers in the world. Yet those Finnish children generally have around five hours of free time every day after school.

Logically, this means that playing and relaxing are beneficial for children. Playing allows them to develop imagination, dexterity, and both physical and emotional strength. The brain develops faster as a result. Playing also helps to build confidence, problem-solving skills and the resilience needed to face future challenges.2

The Finnish education system suggests that by allowing leisure to play freely after completing school work, children can move at their own pace, discover their own areas of interest, and ultimately find out where their real talents lie. In contrast to passive entertainment, free play builds active, healthy bodies. Above all, a Finnish education enshrines the place of play as a simple joy that is a cherished part of childhood, a joy of which young children in Hong Kong are generally deprived.

It would be wrong to assume that the current trend of increasingly early learning creates problems for all children. Society needs skilled young people who are well prepared as leaders for the future. For them, the advantages of increased exposure and an enriched academic life cannot be ignored. They thrive as a result of a highly driven schedule, but others excel when given a high degree of flexibility. Undoubtedly, even children who can benefit from an increased pace of early learning still need some free time for play, for creative growth and self-reflection.

Nevertheless, time to play has been markedly reduced for many young children from an early age and the benefits that can be derived from such play by both children and parents have been lost. For some children, this hurried lifestyle is a source of stress and anxiety. It may even contribute to depression. The challenge for society, schools, and parents is to strike the right balance: a balance that allows all children to reach their greatest potential, while allowing them free playtime to enjoy while they are still young.

Amanda Xiang17, Secondary 5, St Paul’s Convent School.Majoring in piano at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Sources

1. http://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/1414388/hong-kong-parents-requesting-tutors-their-toddlers-says-author?page=all

2. http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/1/182.full

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Early childhood care and education around the world

by Virginia Addison

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Mainland ChinaAccording to UNICEF, access to pre-schools or kindergartens staffed by qualified teachers is uneven in mainland China. In particular, girls, ethnic minority children, children with disabilities and children affected by migration lack pre-school or kindergarten opportunities.1 State kindergartens take children from three years old. Private facilities do not have an age limit.2 An independent early childhood care and education study says that China has been looking at seeking a balance between adopting western ideas and maintaining Chinese traditions in early childhood education.3 However, it found that free play accounted for only 17% of time in kindergartens and was considered “eduplay” in facilities caring for younger children. In 2012, a state television report said many kindergartens were introducing academic subjects and parents worried that their children would not get into good primary schools if they did not keep up.4 In 2014, the Ministry of Education reiterated its plans to provide more early education resources as the new second-child policy in some provinces and cities could result in added pressure on educational facilities. By the end of 2013, there were 198,600 pre-school facilities across the country serving 38.95 million children.5

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SingaporeCentres in Singapore that cater for children as young as 18 months say they are always busy. Some of the popular programmes among parents are Mandarin and reading classes. Many parents think that if they do not send their children for extra lessons they will not keep up with their peer group. They also think it will help their children adjust to primary school.6 In August 2012, Singapore’s Prime Minister, Lee Hsien Loong,7 pleaded with the country’s “tiger mothers” to let their children have a childhood, saying: “It’s good for young children to play, and to learn through play.” The Ministry of Education says the focus of pre-school education should be a “well-rounded” education that “builds a child's confidence and desire to learn.”8 According to a National University of Singapore report, one of the major issues with this system is that the children from age four are drilled, tested, and take home daily homework. They do not spend time in school doing creative activities. The report says that such early training leads to a young workforce that is lacking in innovation.9

p A Singapore public library

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JapanIn Japan, much early childhood education is conducted at home.15 Mothers also take on an intense burden as it is widely believed that parental effort at this stage is what determines success. Many parents also enroll infants and toddlers in pre-schools before they go to kindergarten. Reforms to the Japanese education system in 1997 introduced new guidelines for early childhood education, which aim to spur children’s creativity and zest for learning, among other goals.16 Teacher-pupil ratios in kindergartens are high and classes average between 30 and 35 children, to encourage children to play, be part of a larger community, and find the transition to primary education easier. Although kindergartens exhibit great variety, most target age-appropriate personal development, such as learning empathy, rather than academic programmes.17 However, some children are groomed from the age of three to pass the entrance examination for private primary schools. In Tokyo there are 50 such schools compared with 1,300 public schools. The admission process can be highly competitive and tuition is expensive.18 Estimates suggest 8% of five-year-old children in Tokyo take part in the process.

Children spend more time in class in most developed Asian countries than they do in developed western countries. They also often score higher on standardised international tests. But how much pressure do

they experience, and what are the reasons for it?

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South KoreaAccording to the Korea Institute of Child Care and Education, 76.4% of all South Korean households with infants and pre-schoolers opt to spend money on private education.10 South Korea planned to extend their early-education provision for all three and four-year-olds last year. Most middle-class parents send their children to private kindergartens from the age of three11 although these are not part of the formal education system.12 Here they learn to read, write, do simple arithmetic and in some cases, get an introduction to English, as well as playing. Classes are conducted in a traditional classroom setting, and children are given considerable amounts of homework. They may also attend specialized afternoon schools, taking lessons in art, piano or violin, taekwondo, ballet, soccer or mathematics. In 2012 the government increased childcare benefits for those with kindergarten children between the ages of three and five.13 Children start primary school when they are five to six years old.14

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Scandinavia In Finland, most children do not enter child care until they are three. Mothers get financial support if they choose to stay at home for that period. Pre-school programmes are play-based and have good child-teacher ratios. Children enter formal education at the age of seven. Nevertheless, Finnish high school students consistently rank at or near the top in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).19 In Sweden, nursery school is open to children from one to five years of age and the state must provide such facilities for children whose parents work or study. More than 80% of children from one to five years of age spend part of their weekdays at nursery schools, which emphasize the importance of play in a child’s development and learning. Primary school starts at seven, with an option to attend at the age of six.20 In Denmark children start full-time schooling at six.21 Prior to that, the majority attend public and private childcare centres and kindergartens. A national curriculum s became effective in 2004 and has been implemented into a play-based tradition.

United KingdomBritain’s Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills believes children should be allowed to attend school from as young as two in order to establish a new type of “all-through” educational model which would help to close the gap between affluent and disadvantaged students.22 However, the government’s Education Committee is concerned that parents are being pressurized into enrolling their children in education early.23 Pre-school education can be provided by childcare centres, playgroups, nursery schools and nursery classes within primary schools. There are subsidies for children aged over three for 15 hours a week. Private voluntary or independent nursery education is also available and varies between structured pre-school education and basic childcare, with many taking babies.24 Pre-schools follow government approved learning goals.

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) found that 15-year-olds who had attended pre-schools for more than a year performed better, regardless of socio-economic background, than those who had attended for one year only or not at all. In Belgium, France, Iceland, Italy, Norway, Spain and Sweden, more than 90% of 3-year-olds are enrolled in early childhood education. However, establishing the precise link between time in pre-school and later achievement is difficult, as is defining the term. See box opposite. National attitudes to the right way to spend early childhood years differ. Too much pressure too early may set children up for failure later and the quality of pre-school education is a crucial variable.

OECD published statistics for early childhood education can be found in the OECD Indicators: Education at a Glance, available at:

http://www.oecd.org/edu/eag2013%20(eng)--FINAL%2020%20June%202013.pdf

World pre-school statistics • In Australia pre-school is for children about to start primary school. Their first year is called kindergarten.

• In England children aged up to three go to nursery schools or childcare centres. Pre-school starts when they are four.

• In South Korea, Japan and Singapore kindergartens cater for three to five year-olds, and younger children go to pre-schools.

• China uses kindergarten as a term for public centres catering for children from the age of three.

• In Sweden, Denmark and Finland children attend childcare centres or nursery schools until they start primary school at the age of six or seven.

• In the US, terminology is similar to that used in Australia. Pre-k and early child education are other terms used.

• The OECD definition of early childhood education, or pre-primary education, is organized instruction designed primarily to introduce very young children to a school-like environment.

Terminology for pre-school

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About 25% of all births in Hong Kong between 2002 and 2012 [more than 200,000 babies] were to parents who were both from mainland China. However, children born in Hong Kong have the right of abode and education here. A subsequent surge of pressure on kindergartens took place near the border. In response, mainland mothers have not been permitted to come to Hong Kong to have children since last year and more recent changes in government policy will also spread the load on schools. Nevertheless, the North District Primary School Heads Association expects a 20% rise in applications to its schools this year.**South China Morning Post 8 June 2014

Cross-border pressure in Hong Kong

1. http://www.unicef.cn/en/index.php?m=content&c=index&a=lists&catid=126

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preschool

3. Rao, Nirmala & Sun, Jin. Early childhood care and education in the Asia Pacific Region, Comparative Research Centre, HKU, 2010.

4. http://english.cntv.cn/program/china24/20120319/107163.shtml

5. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2014-02/27/content_17309083.htm

6. http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/national-day-rally-2012/story/without-extra-lessons-our-kids-may-lose-out-20120828

7. http://www.economist.com/node/21563354

8. http://www.moe.gov.sg/education/preschool/

9. http://www.fas.nus.edu.sg/ecs/pub/wp-scape/0808.pdf

10. http://www.asianewsnet.net/Korean-parents-push-their-kids-to-start-learning-e-55959.html

11. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kindergarten#South_Korea

12. http://www.asianinfo.org/asianinfo/korea/education.htm

13. http://internationalednews.com/tag/early-childhood-education/

14. http://southkorea.angloinfo.com/family/schooling-education/pre-primary-education/

15. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/kindergarten

Sources

16. http://www.todayonline.com/daily-focus/education/japans-pre-schools-children-must-play

17. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preschool#Japan

18. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2014/02/16/issues/prepping-for-university-straight-from-the-crib/

19. http://www.newamerica.net/blog/early-ed-watch/2008/how-finland-educates-youngest-children-9029

20. http://sweden.se/society/education-in-sweden/#start

21. http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199756810/obo-9780199756810-0093.xml

22. http://internationalednews.com/tag/early-childhood-education/

23. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/1111663.stm

24. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preschool

25. http://www.aeufederal.org.au/Publications/Factsheets/FS4.pdf

26. http://www.preschoolsnsw.org.au/faqs

27. http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/mf/4240.0

28. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preschool

29. Martin, A. in Morgan, H. Early Childhood Education. Lanham, Maryland, 2nd ed, 2011.

30. http://www.shankerinstitute.org/images/Dec-11-crisis_in_early_ed.pdf

AustraliaPre-school programmes in Australia are not compulsory. The first exposure many Australian children have to learning with others is day care or a parent-run playgroup. The government has established a nationwide curriculum to support and enhance learning from birth to five years of age, as well as the transition to school. Pre-school is designed to prepare children for the first year of primary school at the age of five.25 There is a strong emphasis on play-based learning, but also on communication and language, including early literacy and numeracy and social and emotional development.26 In all states and territories, children aged four can be enrolled in a subsidized pre-school programme for 15 hours or more a week.27 Children younger than four mostly attend state-run or private childcare centres, which focus on play rather than formal learning, although some private ones do offer language and other skills.

United StatesIn the United States, pre-schools are available for children from aged three to five. The first year of primary school is known as kindergarten. Most programmes are not subsidized and the government introduced the Early Head Start programme to increase the school readiness of young children in low income families.28 Although research has shown that giving children early education that is not play-based is considered to have a bad effect, almost every state has adopted common core standards that call for kindergartners to master more than 90 skills related to literacy and maths. One educator said, “Kindergarten used to mean brightly coloured paintings, music, clay, block building, bursting curiosity, and intensive exploration. Now the kindergarten’s exuberance is being muted…. kindergarten is becoming an adjunct to first grade.”29 Educators and physicians report increasing incidents of extreme and aggressive behaviour in pre-schools and kindergartens and link these to the stress children experience in school.30

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There is a fi rm belief in Hong Kong that the three basic requirements for playing sports are good physique, plenty of money, and time to spare. Can rugby, which arrived here in the 1950s, change the public mindset when one of the biggest obstacles facing

youngsters considering taking up the sport is their other commitments in life?

Many people talk about rugby - increasingly popular because of the Hong Kong Rugby Sevens - but few participate. Why? First, many parents believe it is an aggressive game, full of violent, foul or dangerous play. Also, many people label rugby players and their fans as bad boys, troublemakers and drunks. Naturally, they are not happy about sending their children for training.

A gentleman's game?According to Anthony Hopewell, coach of the Hong Kong Scottish Nomads and Flying Kukris, this is only part of the answer. “There is a joke about the difference between football and rugby: football is a gentleman's game played by hooligans, and rugby is a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen.”

Although rugby is very physical, it isn’t full of dirty play. Good players know the rules as well as building good physique, but Asians tend to be less bulky than westerners, and many parents worry about their kids getting injured. As a result, talented players might be lost.

Even if parents let their children start playing rugby, it doesn’t mean that they will continue for long. Youngsters’ lives today are full of commitments. Education is their parents’ priority and most youth face pressure to succeed academically. As a result, their spare time may be filled with after-school tuition. The importance of health and sport is forgotten and the children lose motivation. Hopewell agreed, “aiming only for good academic results can destroy everything.”

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Food, culture & sport| June 2014

by Sam Ip

Inspiration, motivation and the media“I got my inspiration from my coach,” said Dave Whiteford, a former Scotland under-21 team member who now represents Hong Kong. He is also the general manager of the Hong Kong Scottish Rugby Football Club. “Even when I was five years old, we could watch rugby on many TV channels.”

That’s not true of Hong Kong, where you can rarely watch rugby except during the Sevens. This means people don’t get inspired by players like Yiu Kam-shing, who represented Hong Kong for five years and is a local rugby legend. He trained hard and became a member of the Hong Kong team in two years. “Large-scale clubs like the Hong Kong Scottish are working hard to involve youngsters in rugby but more of them could be inspired if people such as Yiu Kam-shing had the media exposure of footballers,” said Whiteford.

I had been playing rugby for two years when I had to put it aside to do the public exams. When I tried to pick it up again, I was disappointed. I could only get onto the pitch at the end of the match. It was frustrating, sitting on the bench and just watching. But the game had also taught me good self-discipline and teamwork. When I got into my school team at Shue Yan University I realized just how passionate I was about playing. My dream had come true, but I’m still trying to perfect my technique.

Give it a chanceIt is understandable why parents have their concerns about rugby, but it can be very beneficial for youngsters. It is a sport for everyone. You don’t have to be super-muscular or have a certain body shape to join in. Someone you meet when doing business may turn out to be in the same team with you. To find out what rugby has to offer, all you need to do is talk to a rugby player. You may find that it is as exciting as football, maybe even better.

Rugby in Hong Kong

The Hong Kong Rugby Football Union (HKRFU) is the governing body of Hong Kong Rugby, offering competitive and social rugby for all age groups. The HKRFU’s School Sports Programme (SSP) is organized by the National Sports Associations and subvented by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. HKRFU community initiatives include REAL (Rugby English Action Learning), Don't Drop the Ball and Operation Breakthrough. The Hong Kong Mini Rugby Football Union (HKMRFU) was established in the 1980s. From the age of 4, girls and boys can join one of its mini rugby clubs where they will be introduced to the sport in a safe, fun and structured environment.

More information visit http://www.hkrugby.com/eng/junior/index.php

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Food, culture & sport June 2014 |

Sam IpYear 1Hong Kong Shue Yan University

Food fads and fashions Why does one shop have a huge line outside, when the one next door

has no patrons at all? It is all to do with Hong Kong’s obsessions according to these two young writers. Both agree about the eff ects of

social media on trends, but dieting also still has impact.

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The changing face of food

It is often said that there is a universal language of food, but like many languages it changes every day as new tastes push out the old. What’s trendy this week might be a turn-off next week, especially in an international metropolis like Hong Kong. Our city is blessed with cuisines from all around the globe and, when it comes to food, there is nothing Hongkongers like more than something new.

As each new food fad or fashion hits our streets we cannot wait to give it a try. Hong Kong people are trend seekers. Living in a city that has a fast turnover rate of products and a diverse range of imports, they are constantly assailed with new, refreshing taste sensations. Pair that up with a desire to search for the latest thing, and you’ve got a continuously developing market.

One recent example is how a simple western teatime treat became a “must have” for many youngsters: the cupcake boom. The Twelve Cupcakes chain opened about six months ago, but already has five outlets in different parts of Hong Kong. It seems people can’t get enough of these cute little cakes.

A factor that has a significant effect on food fads and fashion is the ever-growing influence of social networking sites, such as Instagram, Twitter and facebook. It has become a popular craze all over town to snap your dinner and then post it online. Add the push of peer pressure and it is no wonder food fads take off the way they do. With friends always talking about a particular food, and the internet filling your head with mouth-watering images, it is inevitable you will want to try it. Soon a little taste turns into a lot and, before you know it, you are recommending the dish to another friend. We are part of an internet-obsessed generation and it is easy to see how this can bring about rapid changes in eating habits and trends.

But there is only so much persuasion that can take place when we are talking about food. Let’s not forget, we eat with our eyes before we eat with our mouths. Although people think youngsters can be easily manipulated into liking a certain type of food, it is not always the case.

For example, a few years ago squid ink ramen was the city’s hottest food fad. The dish was bold and different, but I could not see the point. The ramen tasted the same as regular noodles and although I tried a little, I simply could not force those black-stained noodles down my throat. Possibly it was psychological, but the colour was just too much for me to handle.

What I am trying to say is that even trend seekers have their limits, and personal opinion is probably another factor that steers food fads and fashions. After all, Hong Kong is a diverse community where individualism is highly valued, so we should not be surprised if food fads and fashions evolved with time. Certainly, people’s tastes do!

by Mindy Li

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Mindy Li, Evo lveSecondary 6, St Stephen's College

From one big thing to another

In the bustling metropolis of Hong Kong, everything but space seems to be in abundance. Food, of course, is no exception. As an international hub, Hong Kong offers cuisines that stretch far beyond its modest borders, and its culinary experience is one that promises to tantalize even the most pernickety of palates. It is no surprise that within this Mecca of food, Hong Kong's culture is obsessed with edible delights.

Hong Kong's young people swarm from one big thing in food to the next. From all-you-can-eat Japanese hot pot deals to exquisitely presented macaroons. What drives them? As youths in the 21st century, it is indisputable that our biggest influences are not the traditional media, as one might imagine, but social media.

For this tech-savvy generation with the internet never out of our lazy reach, it is all too easy to “comment” on a friend’s trip to a fancy restaurant on facebook, “follow” yet another food travel blog or “like” a couple’s dessert date on Instagram. This has spawned an entire “food photography” culture in Hong Kong, where the archetypal Hongkonger’s first instinct when acquiring a delectable treat is to whip out his or her phone and find the perfect angle.

Nevertheless, despite the phenomenon of almost cult-like food followers, the desire to be ever thinner, inspired by unrealistic perceptions imposed by the media, is almost as prevalent. These two factors influence today’s youths’ food choices.

It isn’t hard to believe that the abundance of wafer-thin young people that walk the streets of Hong Kong could create pressure to become part of an abnormal norm. Some years ago, it may have taken some ingenuity to formulate a healthy (or not so healthy) diet in an attempt to fit into a smaller dress size, but today, a food fad suggestion is merely a Google search of “how to lose weight fast” away. Much like food fashions, fads, too, are shaped by the wealth of material on the internet. Many of these fads, however, rarely produce long-lasting results, and often promote foods with unproven health gains, sometimes even creating detrimental side-effects such as fatigue and depression.

So what spurs our desire to chase food fashions and fads? The drive of human nature to belong, within the mishmash of personalities we call our community spurs our motivation. I admit to being an adventurous food-seeker myself and do venture from my home turf in the New Territories all the way to Hong Kong Island sometimes for the sake of just one cup of coffee. Of course, I take a picture of my latte when I get there, but I do spare my friends on facebook from it.

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coveted ‘big thing’?

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Hilary Lok, 17, Sha Tin College

p Building a “temporary island” in Causeway Bay typhoon shelter 37

Youth Hong Kong

City space June 2014 |

Communicating and innovation Two young awardees from the HKFYG Innovation and Technology

Scholarship Award Scheme write about on internships arranged by the Scheme. It off ers outstanding students local and overseas attachments

and mentorship. Communication with stakeholders is the focus they both have in common.

Infrastructure development is a hot issue that concerns everyone. When it involves the local adaptation of some of the most advanced technology in the world it can be both highly controversial and fascinating.

Innovation in infrastructure development

For example, building tunnels for the Central-Wan Chai Bypass involved a pioneer application. Artificial “islands” were reclaimed inside the Causeway Bay typhoon shelter. The method, which involves the subsequent demolition of the islands, meets the requirement of Protection of the Harbour Ordinance. Sections of tunnel are bored into the “islands” and later, the typhoon shelter for boats will be re-instated.

by Ng Tsz-man

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City space| June 2014 Youth Hong Kong

City space| June 2014

An increasingly important element in infrastructure projects like this is public engagement. Unlike in the past when professionals dominated the design of every project, citizen participation is now encouraged. This includes incorporating creativity into designs, an important step when the infrastructure is to become a part of everyday lives. For instance, the Central-Wan Chai Bypass will incorporate a design for a vent shaft which won an open competition.*

I feel lucky to be in Hong Kong where so many engineers are striving to bring into play the most advanced technology in the world, with a view to building and strengthening infrastructure, the backbone of our development. A comment from my ITSAS mentor, Mr Wai Chi-sing, often comes to mind. He said, “innovation does not necessarily mean a new invention”. It is impossible for us to invent everything, but we can be ingenious. In Hong Kong, a small, unique place with so many wonders, it is often far more feasible and efficient to innovate in engineering projects by learning from others.

Another example of advanced technology that I saw in action was a ground freezing technique used in the MTR’s West Island Line. Tunnel boring was aided by nitrogen freezing with brine and a state-of-the-art computerized magnetic guiding system. The technology sounds fantastic but actually it is crucial to ensure the stability of the surrounding buildings.

Today’s engineers have shifted their focus to balancing the interests of all stakeholders rather than simply completing a project on schedule and within budget. The building of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge is a case in point. Situated near a dolphin habitat of ecological importance, the project tries to mitigate environmental impact by close monitoring of water quality and dolphin activities, and the use of non-dredging reclamation to minimize the amount of water pollution.

Ng Tsz-man is a second year Bachelor of Engineering student in Civil Engineering at The University of Hong Kong. He was awarded an Innovation and Technology Scholarship in 2013. During an overseas attachment at the University of Manchester, he studied policy-making as well as engineering because of his interest in the effective collection of public ideas for implementation of government projects.

Note

For more on tunnel boring in Hong Kong see http://hkieged.org/download/as2012.pdf

*Ed. Despite such efforts, there was public outcry about the cost of this project and the loss of a section of Victoria Park and many trees as a result of building a slip road to the bypass.

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Youth Hong Kong

City space June 2014 |

Listening, asking and understanding are the golden rules of communicating and my mentor, Mr Kristofer Riseling during a 6-week clinical attachment in Canada was a very good role model. As an experienced physiotherapist at the St. Mary's of the Lake Hospital he could build up friendships with his patients while maintaining his professional image. He encouraged me to chat to patients and find out about their hobbies and daily lives. The aim was to help them return to normal, and that is impossible without knowing about them and what they like to do.

Gardening, for example, was very important to some of my patients. That was a surprise. It would certainly not be the case in Hong Kong. Yet I remember several patients being quite disturbed by the thought that they could not look after their gardens properly because of their physical ailments. As a therapist, you can never assume anything.

I then went to the Tung Wah Hospital, where I was honoured to have Dr Leonard SW Li, Consultant in the Department of Medicine, as my mentor. Dr Li, though very caring and affable, could be very strict with self-indulgent patients who had no intention of looking after their own health. Being kind does not help such patients, especially if they do not realize the seriousness of their condition. Dr Li tends to be critical rather than kind but I learned that this is not necessarily a bad thing. It is another way of communicating a message.

Organized by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups since 2011, the Scheme is supported by the Innovation and Technology Commission and has sponsorship from The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. Its aims are to nurture talented undergraduates in science-related streams at local universities.

Special thanks to mentors and supervisors

Ng Tsz-man’s mentor Mr Wai Chi-sing, JP, Permanent Secretary for Development (Works), HKSAR Government and his supervisor Ms Fiona Liu, former Technical Secretary, Development Bureau. Mr Wai is also a member of the ITSAS Awardee Selection Committee

Cindy Lam was mentored by Professor Nancy Ip, MH, Dean of Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Dr CF Chan, Associate Consultant, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, University of Hong Kong, Dr Leonard SW Li, Consultant in the Department of Medicine, Tung Wah Hospital, and Mr Kristofer A Riseling of the St. Mary's of the Lake Hospital, which is affiliated to Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

More details at http://innotechscholarship.hkfyg.org.hk

The Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award Scheme

Building rapportby Cindy Lam

As part of the scholarship I did internships at two local hospitals as well. The first was at Queen Mary Hospital. Dr CF Chan, Associate Consultant, was my mentor. Like Kristofer, Dr Chan had very good rapport with his patients. He listened carefully, with patience and compassion, clearly interested in what was being said and always ready to accommodate individual differences.

For instance, there was an elderly patient who did not understand the procedures for knee replacement surgery after reading a pamphlet. Straight away, Dr Chan used pen and paper to explain step by step through his own drawings. It was how he built up trust. Now, I encourage my own patients to tell me about both their physical and emotional problems.

In 2013, her final year as a Bachelor of Science (Hons) physiotherapy student at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Cindy Lam, was awarded an Innovation and Technology Scholarship.

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by William Wong

In Hong Kong, electricity generation accounted for 66% of all greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions according to the latest government statistics. According to these figures, Hong Kong’s total emissions were about 41,500 kilotonnes of carbon-dioxide equivalent (CO2-e) with annual GHG emissions per person of about 5.9 tonnes of CO2-e: one of the highest in the world.

Clean energyWhat can we do? Many countries are exploring alternative, sustainable and renewable energy, including solar, wind, nuclear, hydro and geothermal sources. They do not directly emit greenhouse gases and thus are considered clean. In the US, about 12% of the electricity is currently generated from such sources. Can Hong Kong develop the equivalent? The government has suggested four possible choices: solar power, wind power, energy-from-waste, and building-integrated fuel cells.

What is renewable energy? • US Energy Information Administration

definition Energy from sources that can be regenerated and sustained indefinitely.

• International Energy Agency’s Renewable Energy Working Party definition Energy derived from natural processes that are replenished at a higher rate than consumed.

Solar powerWe have been using solar power for over 20 years, for both heating and electricity generation. There are photovoltaic systems in some buildings, with solar panel arrays on roofs. These assist the traditional electrical system but their contribution is only 10% of the total, mainly because there is only moderate solar radiation exposure in Hong Kong and the solar energy collected cannot support the density of demand in high-rise buildings. The good news is that the price of solar panels has fallen 75% in the past five years. However cheap solar panels manufactured on the mainland produce a carbon footprint twice the size of those made in Europe, according to a new U.S. study.

Wind powerCurrently, there are few wind turbines in Hong Kong. The climate and topography, high-density buildings and relatively low wind speeds make it difficult to develop extensive wind power on land. Offshore wind farms may be an alternative. CLP Power and HK Electric have proposed an offshore wind farm near Lamma Island, in south-eastern Hong Kong waters. Environmental impact assessments have been completed, permits have been granted and the projects are supposed to be completed in 2017. However, some environmental professionals claim they may not be cost-efficient and can only provide about 1% of Hong Kong’s electricity needs. Again, there are high installation costs.

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Alternative energy

Burning fossil fuels is the traditional, reliable way of producing energy. However, it creates greenhouse gases and pollution that cause global warming and aff ect human health. Some fossil fuels are also in limited

supply. How can we help reduce emissions and solve the problem?

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Nuclear energyHong Kong has imported nuclear energy from mainland China’s Daya Bay power plant since 1994. It has low carbon emissions but whether it can be considered renewable energy is a controversial issue because uranium deposits are finite. Although nuclear energy is already providing a substantial proportion of electricity in some parts of the world, the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima indicate its potential drawbacks.

Geothermal energy and heat exchangersGeothermal power is an abundant, under-used source of energy. Hong Kong has no geothermally active volcanoes, geysers or hot springs, but it can use heat pumps for air conditioning or heating. One such a system is installed at the Hong Kong Wetland Park’s Visitor Centre. It consists of a heat exchange system that uses the earth as a heat source in winter and a heat sink in summer via an external loop buried underground. It is considered environmentally friendly, but there is debate about whether it counts as a renewable source of energy because the system requires traditional energy sources to drive the pump and distribute the power generated.

Decisions on energyIt is estimated that the world's existing coal reserves will be exhausted in 109 years, while reserves of natural gas and crude oil are sustainable until 2068 and 2065 respectively. Power supply for future generations will rely and alternative sources, but their socio-economic impact must be carefully considered before their adoption.

Energy recovery from waste would be a good potential renewable source and could help solve the waste problem. Today’s incineration facilities are environmentally safe with greatly reduced dioxin and mercury emissions.

Fuel cells convert chemical energy into electricity. They can be connected to the electrical supply system of a building. The technology is still evolving and the disadvantage is the large amount of space is needed for the installation of fuel cells.

Hydro-electric power is another form of renewable energy but it usually involves a large dam to store the water which drives turbine generators to control water flow and is not considered feasible for geographical, climatic and environmental reasons.

Alternative possibilities

Further reading

1. Chen, Olivia. The feasibility of developing renewable energy in Hong Kong. Civic Exchange, 2013. http://www.cleanbiz.asia/blogs/feasibility-developing-renewable-energy-hong-kong#.U1dpMPmSx8F

2. Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, HKSAR Government. http://www.emsd.gov.hk/emsd/e_download/sgi/re_pamphlet.pdf

3. http://www.emsd.gov.hk/emsd/e_download/wnew/stage1_report.pdf

4. http://re.emsd.gov.hk/english/other/geothermal/geo_tech.html

5. International Energy Agency. https://www.iea.org/topics/renewables/

6. US Energy Information Administration. http://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=renewable_home#tab1

7. Environmental Protection Department, HKSAR Government. http://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/climate_change/resources.html

8. Luk, Eddie. “Experts blow cold on wind power moves.” The Standard, 9 Dec 2013. http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=4&art_id=140381&sid=41083701&con_type=1&d_str=20131209&fc=1

9. HK Electric. Building an Offshore Wind Farm near Lamma Island, http://www.hkelectric.com/OffshoreWindFarm/Introduction/

10. CLP Power. Hong Kong Offshore Wind Farm https://www.clp.com.hk/offshorewindfarm/home.html

11. http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1523493/carbon-footprint-chinese-solar-panels-twice-size-those-made-europe

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In May and June, groups of three to six participants aged 18-29, took sponsored train journeys of four to ten days all over the country, to destinations such as Beijing, Wuhan, Xi’an, Hangzhou, Guilin and Dali City in Yunnan. The four dozen teams talked to people, learned by experience, and did liberal studies project work en route. They focused on how China's development, culture and modern history have all relied upon its rail network.

The young travellers planned their itineraries and budgets carefully beforehand but were free to choose routes and destinations. They enjoyed subsidized, back-packer style travel with sponsorship of up to HK$2,000 each. Two pre-trip workshops helped them to prepare for their journeys. Speakers from the RTHK programme *Cultural Heritage – The Railroad and the **Lumenvisum gallery explained how to use videos and photos to show illustrate travel and culture documentaries. During their travel, the teams uploaded their photos and videos, sharing what they saw and did.

When they returned, representatives from the Ministry of Railways and from the RTHK programme spoke to them and other students about the development of rail transport in China and its effects on culture, history, and economy. About 400 secondary school students attended the event and some of them will be visiting schools in Hong Kong this summer to give presentations and share what they learned.

China Week 2014

Every year, the Federation organizes China Week in early summer. In 2014, the theme is the development of China’s rail network. The aim, as in all China Week programmes, is to enhance young people’s understanding of

Chinese history and culture through activities outside the classroom.

Further information

View photos and videos at chinaweek.hkfyg.org.hk Contact Monica, tel 3755 7072, for further details.

*RTHK link http://programme.rthk.org.hk/rthk/tv/programme.php?name=tv/Culturalheritage_e&p=5089

**Lumenvisum https://www.facebook.com/lumenvisum.hk/info

Discovery tours by train

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p The narrow 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge Jiayang Coal Railway in Sichuan Province.

p A steam locomotive and a diesel locomotive near the Badaling Great Wall in Beijing in 1979

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China's railway development

Long-distance rail transport is an important mode of transport in China and the network has expanded rapidly in recent years. The China Railway Corporation is the national operator. All provinces and regions are connected to the rail network except Macao.

In 2013, there were 2.106 billion railways passenger trips a compared to 1.456 billion trips in 2008. The sharp increase in the number of train trips taken is driven by the rapid growth of high-speed rail service. The average length per trip was about 500 kilometres, an interesting contrast to many countries, Germany for example, where the average rail trip is only about 40 kilometres.

Freight trains are primarily for bulk cargo, the important of which is coal. 2.322 billion tons of coal was shipped on trains in China, about 58% of the total rail freight tonnage of nearly 4 billion tons. Nearly all rail freight in China is for domestic purposes. International rail cargo totaled only 58 million tons in 2013, about 1.46% of the total. Inland cities have begun to open up international rail freight routes to promote trade. For example, in 2011, Chongqing began a freight service to Duisburg, Germany, via Kazakhstan, Russia and Poland which shortened shipping time from five weeks by sea to about two weeks, and costs 80% less than air cargo.

Source

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_transport_in_China

China Week 2014Dunhuang Gobi

Guilin

Tyan

NanchangChangsha

Haikou

DaliKunming

Harbin

Beijing

Jiangzhe

Fuzhou

Nanjing

Zhangjiajie

Luoyang

Foshan

Guiyang

Nanning

JingdezhenLhasa

Xining

Lanzhou

Xian

WuhanShanghai

Hangzhou

Huhhot

Huashan

Leshan

Suzhou

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Train trips were made to all cities marked on this map.

The aim of the Hong Kong 200 Leadership Project is to create a talent pool for Hong Kong by nurturing local youth leaders. Each year, the concept of youth empowerment is employed during an intensive training programme for the new participants. Peter F. Drucker once said, “Leadership is defined by results, not attributes,” and this is a guiding principle. Accordingly, the trainees are led by about 20 senior past participants who work on local and mainland training schemes, recruit and interview group leaders and help staff at the HKFYG Leadership 21 training centre to refine the programme.

Local training, from June to October, combines acquisition of knowledge with practice in social innovation. There are talks by experts such as Mr Peter Wong, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd. and Ms Ada Wong, Convenor and Founding Co-Director, The Good Lab. Experiential learning and service with NGOs, as well as social innovation projects and community showcases are included.

The new Hong Kong 200 participants will go to Guangzhou from 3 to 7 August for the mainland component of the programme, which involves learning through serving. In collaboration with NGOs, they will help to deliver social services to migrant workers’ children and children from low income families. They will also have the opportunity to work with outstanding students from Guangdong Province. The Guest Speaker for the mainland training in 2014 is Mr Liao Qinan, Executive Director of Guangdong Region, Teach for China.

Leadership Project 2014

Hong Kong

Guest Speakers for Hong Kong 200 local training 2014

p Mr Peter Wong, Deputy Chairman and Chief Executive, The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Ltd.

p Ms Ada Wong, Convenor and Founding Co-Director, The Good Lab

Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG| June 2014

44 More information William Chung or Betty Tse, tel 2169 0255, email hk200@hkfyg.org.hk

p Hong Kong 200 participants serve migrant workers’ children in Guangzhou. (Summer 2013)

Representing speed and perseverance in Chinese culture, the horse is a powerful symbol and the paintings by Xu Beihong are inspiring icons. This year’s programme also symbolizes the relationship between the old and the new, the vitality of the young and the wisdom of the aged.

HKFYG’s Centre for Continuous Learning is organizing this massive event and the associated art installation exhibition from 17-21 October, at Olympian City, a shopping mall in West Kowloon. * The Opening Ceremony will also be at Olympian City. The event will culminate with the presentation and animation of ten thousand decorated 3-D replicas of one of Xu Beihong’s famous galloping horses. An application has been made for accreditation in the Guinness Book of Records.

Hong Kong schools are invited to take part and collect replicas of a galloping horse, originally depicted by Xu Beihong. The recycled cardboard replica models can be decorated creatively in any colour, material or pattern.

2014 marks the Year of the Horse. In celebration, the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and the Xu Beihong Art Committee are organizing the 5th Xu Beihong Cup International Arts

Competition for Youth & Children.

Ten thousand horsesgalloping forward

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for accreditation in the Guinness Book of Records.

p Decorated model horses

Available for collection at HKFYG until 20 September 2014 Return to 1/F HKFYG by 30 September 2014More details http://clc.hkfyg.org.hk/artspot.htm

Contact Rex Chan: xbh@hkfyg.org.hkView videohttp://clc2.hkfyg.org.hk/artspot/competition/2014/com2014_exhibition.html

*Olympian City information http://www.discoverhongkong.com/nz/shop/where-to-shop/malls-and-department-stores/olympian-city.jsp

FREE 3-D replicas for decoration

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Jade Art is a unique jewellery shop in the Police Married Quarters (PMQ) complex in Hong Kong’s upper Central district. Much more than a retail outlet, it is also a social enterprise set up by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups to nurture the appreciation of Chinese craftsmanship and tradition.

In order to ignite passion in young people for their own cultural heritage, the Federation organizes courses and workshops. Examples are Connoisseurship of Chinese Antiques and Chinese Antique Jewellery Design, both of which enriched knowledge about and appreciation for Chinese artefacts in participants.

Inspired by the rich traditions of Chinese history and culture, each item of fashionable jewellery on sale has been made from a rare, valuable item, highlighting delicate craftsmanship, ingenuity and creativity.

Mrs Lisa Cheung, the highly respected jewellery designer and artefact restorer, well known for Lisa’s Collection, is the Consultant Designer. She is dedicated to teaching young people about the magnificence of Chinese artefacts in person, enabling them as future Ambassadors of Chinese culture.

Jade Artjewellery shop and social enterprise combined

More informationJade Art Address S511, Block A, PMQ, 35 Aberdeen Street, Central, Hong Kong

Tel (852) 2803 2819　　Web jadeart.hk　　Email jadeart@hkfyg.org.hk　　

Business hours Monday-Saturday 1:00pm to 8:00pm

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Digital entertainment is an integral part of life for young people today and multimedia is used by them to stay connected. Following in their footsteps, six HKFYG Youth SPOTs now have M21 Community Studios where short films on community concerns are produced by youth.

Training and production includes interviewing, filming, recording and editing. Partnerships with local schools and other organizations encourage more young people to take part and professionals from the film-making industry offer advice and guidance. All the videos will be shown on the Community Channel at m21.hk.

The concept behind the studios is to encourage youth to contribute via familiar gateways to multimedia technologies. The Community Studios also serve as platform where they can turn their ideas into reality with high-tech equipment. Ten production teams will be making fifty short videos in the coming months.

M21 Community Studios at HKFYG Youth SPOTs near you

HKFYG Jockey Club Jat Min Youth SPOT tel 2647 0744HKFYG Jockey Club Kwai Fong Youth SPOT tel 2423 1366HKFYG Jockey Club Ping Shek Youth SPOT tel 2325 2383

HKFYG Jockey Club Shaukiwan Youth SPOT tel 2885 9353HKFYG Jockey Club Tseung Kwan O Youth SPOT tel 2623 3121

HKFYG Jockey Club Tin Yiu Youth SPOT tel 2445 4868

The Hong Kong Youth Service Award, an initiative of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, has been established in order to honour, acclaim and encourage outstanding young people who, through their commitment, dedication and integrity, exemplify the true spirit of service to the community. They brush colour into Hong Kong’s future giving ample encouragement and support to a new generation of youth who are committed to serving others.

Awards HK$20,000, trophy, certificate

EligibilityYoung people aged 18 to 35 years old, who have a track record of community service

NominationPlease visit the official website of The Hong Kong Youth Service Award ysa.hkfyg.org.hk to either nominate online or to download the nomination form. Return the form to Leadership 21, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Unit 6, G/F, The Center, 99 Queen’s Road Central, Central, Hong Kong

SelectionInitial Selection: Saturday 27 September 2014Interview: Saturday 11 October 2014Those who fail to attend the interview session will be considered as having forfeited their right of continued participation.

Selection Criteria • Detailed record of candidates’ community and public service • Evidence of measurable impact in meeting a community need • Support indicating candidates’ potential leadership skills and

competencies, including abilities to be a role model to others

Selection PanelChairman The Hon. Andrew Li Kwok-nang, GBM, JPThe Chief Justice of the Court of Final Appeal (1997-2010)

Members The Hon. Mrs. Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, GBS, JPNon-Official Member of Executive Council, HKSARGMr. Jack So Chak-kwong, GBS, OBE, JPChairman, Hong Kong Trade Development CouncilProf. Frederick Ma Si-hang, GBS, JPHonorary Professor, School of Economics and Finance, The University of Hong KongMr. Ambrose HoChairman, Communications AuthorityMs. Shelley Lee Lai-kuen, GBS, OBE, JPDirector, Dragon FoundationDr. Rosanna Wong Yick-ming, DBE, JPExecutive Director, HKFYG

Enquiries Ms Iki CHAN tel 2169 0255

For the eighth summer in succession, HKFYG will participate in Hong Kong Book Fair. 10 new books and two second-edition best sellers will be on sale. Topics include cooking counselling, software coding, youth business, young people facing hardship, youth at risk and voluntary work while travelling.

Media coverage by HKFYG The Youth News Centre run by HKFYG M21 young reporters with live news reports online in throughout the fair.

Discounts New publications 30% off; for others 40% offBooth 1C-A21 1/F Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Wednesday 16 July – Tuesday 22 JulyBusiness hours16-17 July Wednesday-Thursday 10am to 10pm18-19 July Friday-Saturday 10am to 12 midnight20-21 July Sunday-Monday 10am to 10pm22 July Tuesday 9am to 5pmMore information Call Ada Chau, tel 3755 7108

HKFYG @Hong Kong Book Fair 2014

Youth Hong Kong

HKFYG| June 2014

48

Third Five-Year Planfrom The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

In the coming fi ve years, the Federation will continue to provide top professional services to young people, especially to those in need. The Third Five-Year Plan will deploy the following four

strategic goals to guide the development and innovation of youth services.

1Professionalism and Innovation

The Federation will continue to deliver the highest level of professional services to meet the ever-changing needs of the young generation. Emphasis will be on professional training to enhance the qualifications and capacities of staff, as well as recruitment of relevant professionally talented personnel. Multi-disciplinary approaches will be employed in service provision as the Federation builds an innovative organizational culture, encouraging creativity, and enhancing productivity between the core services for greater social impact.

2Engagement and Participation

With more than 390,000 youth members, the Federation will continue to strengthen connectivity with young people and reinforce their active engagement. Over 60 websites, online and social media platforms, mobile applications, uCafe, membership campaigns, M21 Media web and M21 Stations will maintain close links with them. Opportunities for youth participation will be maximized through further integration of youth services, both online and offline.

3School and Community Networks

The Federation will reinforce its connectivity with all stakeholders in the school network, including students, parents and teachers, through the application of the latest online technologies and the integration of services. There will also be new services for tertiary students. Continued engagement in the community, fostering collaboration among existing services in the community, developing new services, and nurturing young people in community building, will remain important parts of the Federation’s mission.

4 Efficiency and Resources

The Federation continues to perfect policies and mechanisms in aspects of administration, finance, human resources and service delivery, optimizing existing IT systems and enhancing digital infrastructure. All this will be carried out through effective and efficient management. The Federation will also continue to build partnerships and explore resources to sustain service development, while recruiting young professionals as volunteer strategic partners in youth work.

from The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups

Note

The Third Five-Year Plan for was published in full with the Federation’s Annual Plan 2014-15. An Executive Summary in English can be found at http://www.hkfyg.org.hk/files/hkfyg/Annual%20Plan/14-15/CH.1%20Executive%20Summary.pdf

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Youth Hong Kong

On the agendaJune 2014 |

Housing: Housing: Housing: Singapore and Hong Kong comparedSingapore and Hong Kong comparedSingapore and Hong Kong compared

Women’s empowermentWomen’s empowermentWomen’s empowermentWomen’s empowermentDear Editor,

Thank you for the feature on Lensational in your March issue. I am delighted now to share with you a new milestone. Early in May, Lensational was selected as one of five finalists in the McKinsey Venture Academy, a UK-wide social enterprise ideas competition which I joined with three other LSE students. One girl was from Pakistan and two were from mainland China. Although we did not win the championship, I’d like to tell you about two key lessons learned.

First, I learned that the journey matters more than the outcome. I have often been fixated on achieving something tangible – be it winning a prize, or getting good grades, and I would say that most

young people in Hong Kong are under similar pressure to succeed. As it is now the graduation season, more young people are job-hunting, adding another pressure. They may not succeed, but failure is not the antithesis of success – indeed, it is symbiotic with success. The dichotomy of winner and loser can also be challenged. In fact, the western entrepreneurial community taught me that people appreciate failure as much as, if not more than, success.

Second, Gandhi famously said, “be the change you want to seek in the world.” My three teammates were from developing countries where gender equality is a distant goal. They had never previously given

Letters to the editor are always welcome. These deal with social enterprise, housing and gifted children. The fi rst, from the author of an article we published in March, also touches on the theme of this issue: the pressure to succeed.

Bonnie Chiu, Co-founder and Director, Lensational

bonnie@lensational.org

Dear Editor,

Here in Hong Kong, there are mounting demands for quality of life, in affordable flats, with good neighbourhood networks, free from development, and easy access to rural areas. This makes me think of Singapore, and their approach to social harmony and satisfaction with life.

a presentation in public before a western audience. But we have got this far because of our vision for Lensational, and our passion for women’s empowerment. I think my three teammates set very inspirational examples for the women and girls back home.

We hope that Lensational’s journey will make a positive impact, not only on the women we set out to serve, but also on fellow young people seeking to make a difference. Thank you again for your support.

I appreciate the urban planning in Singapore which maximizes the use of flat land. Streets are wide with much greenery. Congestion in the city centre is prevented by the Electronic Road Pricing system. In residential areas, building height is regulated, and sufficient open space is guaranteed. Having said

that, Singapore’s orderliness and regularity also brings rigidity, not only to its streets but also between districts. In Hong Kong, by contrast, the look of Central, Mong Kok and Sha Tin are distinctly different. Each district has local character, whereas most parts of Singapore look similar because of stringent planning.

Hong Kong 200 participant, 2008

Youth Hong Kong

50

On the agenda| June 2014

Lesley Cheunglesleycheung120@gmail.com

Patrick Hak-chung LamAssociate Director, The Hong Kong

Academy for Gifted Educationwww.hkage.org.hk

Gifted childrenDear Editor,

In Hong Kong, no special schools cater specifically for this group. In fact, education for the gifted should not aim to serve them alone, but to incorporate challenging and inspiring elements into the curriculum and create an optimal learning environment for all. Here are four approaches which I call “DEAR”:

Diversify: Gifted children need broad, balanced learning

experiences to develop diverse interests and create a good career plan. In today’s pluralist society we cannot just have a single intelligence.

Enrich: Some gifted students who learn rapidly find the curriculum

boring and unsatisfactory for their learning needs. They may exhibit thorny behavioural problems that teachers and parents find too difficult to deal with. These

students need enriched learning experiences which provide them with both high-order thinking and creative thinking challenges.

Accelerate: Greater depth and complexity in a compacted

or telescoped curriculum allow gifted students accelerated learning. With parents’ approval and schools’ support, they may be allowed to skip subjects or grades and/or enter school or university at an earlier age than usual, primary school excepted.

Respect: If gifted students lack positive values, they are unlikely

to develop to full potential or contribute positively. Computer geniuses may spread computer viruses or use con tricks. The gunman in the Connecticut school shooting two years ago was a typical gifted student

lacking a positive outlook on life. However, learning respect for others, their environment and themselves means they will make good use of their talents in order to contribute to society.

Try to discover the talents of your gifted students. Their gifts are invaluable assets for Hong Kong and treasures for its future.

Singapore’s is a completely urban country which homogenizes its citizens’ way of life. Yet, closely tied to Singapore’s urban planning is the way it builds communities. Indeed, the notion of “home” lies at the core of Singapore’s housing policy. From spacious flats and residential parks to community centres, Singapore dedicates a great deal of attention to domestic well-being. Enjoying good living conditions and serving their own neighbourhoods as representatives on Residents’ Committees, Singaporeans are

generally satisfied with their lives. However, compared to Hongkongers, they feel the iron grip of government much more strongly, with no mah-jong or karaoke allowed at home after 10.30pm.

Nevertheless, most Singaporeans feel engaged in the community and strongly connected with their neighbours. This is what I would like to see more of in Hong Kong.

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YOUR CAREERSTARTS HERE

Education Post is Hong Kong's leading online education website with up-to-date editorial content such as insider news from the Accounting, Business and Education communities and the most comprehensive database in postgraduate, MBA and continuing education with information on over 2,000 courses.

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5th Xu Beihong Cup International Arts Competition for Youth & Children 2014

Exhibition and animation of 10,000 decorated 3-D galloping horses17-21 October Olympian City, West Kowloon

Hong Kong schools are invited to decorate FREE replicas of galloping horses

Available for collection until 20 September 2014

Full details http://clc.hkfyg.org.hk/artspot.htmContact Rex Chan: xbh@hkfyg.org.hk

Programme Enquiries 節目查詢

March 28 - April 13

Soy-ink is made from soybeans and is both environmentally friendly and sustainable. Soy-ink is biodegradable and non-toxic.

Publisher :

The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups 香港青年協會 www.hkfyg.org.hk．www.m21.hk．www.u21.hk

Youth Hong Kong: 21/F, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups Building, 21 Pak Fuk Road, North Point, Hong Kong

Tel : 3755 7084．3755 7108．Fax : 3755 7155．Email : youthhongkong@hkfyg.org.hk．Website : youthhongkong.hkfyg.org.hk

The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and The Xu Beihong Art CommitteeCelebrating the Year of the Horse