Youth - Not A Problem!

With a little help from us (you and me) a young person can have hope and a goal for the future. Christian Action has participated in the Child Development Fund (CDF) project which was first launched by the Labour and Welfare Bureau in 2008. We do it with a view to nurturing talents and helping teenagers unleash their full potential.

Max is one of our CDF beneficiaries. His major at college was computer studies, so Max hoped to use his accumulated targeted savings from CDF to purchase a computer. He wanted to advance his computer knowledge and skills at home.

At the end of the project, the reward of a computer for Max came along with another little prize. His targeted savings were enough to get him a digital camera. Max then developed his interest in photography and that enriched his college life alongside his professionalism in IT. Max has also developed personal resilience, positive attitudes to life, and social networks.

Two other adolescents, Sin Wan and her brother Rongzhen, also received support from our CDF programme so that they could pursue their ambitions. Sin Wan joined a London study exchange tour for nine months during which her horizons were widened and her English skills polished. Rongzhen used the CDF subsidy to purchase musical equipment so that he could improve his beat-box skills.

In an Executive Council meeting of the Hong Kong Church Network for the Poor (HKCNP) I was invited to share CA's efforts in the Child Development Fund project.

The audience was impressed by our efforts to cultivate a supportive environment for the personal development of young people. In the future, we will continue to nurture young talents from a humble background. I would also be chuffed to see more Christian organizations in Hong Kong join our alliance, with a view to combating inter-generational poverty and narrowing the poverty gap in our city.