District Highlights 2019-20
Enhancing Cross-sector Collaboration and Social Inclusion
The Kowloon City and Yau Tsim Mong District Social Welfare Office (District Social Welfare Office) has always attached great importance to cross-sector collaboration and social inclusion. In 2019-20, the District Social Welfare Office organised 46 projects under the theme of “Connectedness Ÿ We Share” to support the underprivileged groups in the districts, in which synergistic outcomes were achieved in many programmes through on-going partnership and cross-sector collaboration. Volunteers were also mobilised to organise diversified programmes for needy and hidden groups to encourage their connection and interaction with the community. The total number of beneficiaries were over 6 500. To promote the participation of ethnic minorities in the community, the District Social Welfare Office and local groups jointly organised the “Social Inclusion Ambassador Scheme” to facilitate the exchange and sharing of more than 100 volunteers of ethnic minorities and the local community, and serve over 1 000 elders living in 7 private residential care homes in the districts.
Building a Caring Community with Respect and Love for the Elders
The District Social Welfare Office held the Dementia Friendly Information Session to enhance the awareness of dementia among young people, promote respect and love for the elders, foster inter-generational harmony and provide support to carers. About 180 young people registered as “Dementia Friends” to help promote the dementia friendly message in the community. Through the “Support for Carers Project”, the District Social Welfare Office continued to co-ordinate elderly service units in the districts to provide training to 400 frontline property caretakers from 28 property management companies. The training has equipped them with the knowledge on early identification of the needs of elders and their carers so that they can render suitable assistance and be familiarised with information of welfare services in the community, with a view to helping elders age in place. The District Social Welfare Office also organised a commendation ceremony, in which 12 frontline property caretakers received commendation and shared their service experience. Besides, the “Love & Shine Project” was organised to sustain the development of youth volunteer service. Upon completion of the training, volunteers could continue to uphold the spirit of volunteering and promote the awareness of caring for the community through concern visits to residential care homes for the elderly (RCHEs). The volunteers also accompanied the residents of RCHEs to enjoy drama shows so as to engage their participation in the community
“Inclusion and Employment of Persons with Disabilities: 2019 Community Fair”
The Kowloon City and Yau Tsim Mong District Co-ordinating Committee on Rehabilitation Services organised an annual event “Inclusion and Employment of Persons with Disabilities: 2019 Community Fair ” at the Piazza of Hong Kong Cultural Centre, with a view to fostering social inclusion and encouraging employment of persons with disabilities (PWDs). Service users of NGOs providing services for PWDs were encouraged to participate in the event with their family members or carers. Employers (including those who had experience in hiring PWDs or purchasing their products or services, and members of the business sector who were concerned about the employment of PWDs) were also invited to take part in the event. In addition to staging the ceremony and sharing session/performances, 10 booths for product/service demonstrations and experiential games were set up to enable PWDs to develop their potential, and encourage more employers to support their employment and promote the message of social inclusion. More than 500 people participated in the event.