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Over the past decades, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council’s Children and Youth Service units has employed art therapy as a means of intervention to groom teenagers and foster their personal development. To consolidate its work in art education and provide comprehensive art and personal growth education, 9 children and youth service units of the Welfare Council have made a concerted effort to establish the Loving Arts Youth Academy, offering teenagers aged between 11 to 24 a wide spectrum of courses related to dancing, music, drama, media production, art and sports. Moreover, the academy provides personal growth and counselling services, exchange activities, social services and a platform of performances and competitions to teenagers, ensuring that they fulfil the mission of “Loving Oneself”, “Loving Others” and “Loving One’s Community”. In January 2017, the academy made its debut and launched its kick-off ceremony at the Kowloon City Children and Youth Integrated Service Centre followed by a roadshow on 21st January, 2017.   The highlight of the kick-off ceremony was a performance put on by 4 youth members. They performed a local pop hit with musical instruments and shared with guests their love and passion for art. Yannes, a dance enthusiast from the quartet, was once a shy girl who lacked confidence but she felt rejuvenated through dancing and performing on the stage. She hoped teenagers had the courage to follow their own dreams. Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Jane Lee, Director of the Welfare Council, noted that art education was an intervention method catered to teenagers’ interest and needs, which allowed young people to express their inner selves, boosted their endurance, responsibility, team spirit and communication skills, unleashed their potential and encouraged them to reach their goals and pursue their dreams. She hoped that the academy’s quality art education could inspire more young people and transform their lives. She also thanked 4 consultants of the academy, namely, Mr Nick Ho, Dr Simon Lo, Mr Ray Kwok and Ms Ki Ki Kwok for their professional advices, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for supporting the Loving Arts Youth Development Project by sponsoring part of the dancing and music courses of the academy and the remodeling project of Loving Arts Youth Hub.   3 consultants including Mr Nick Ho, Dr Simon Lo and Ms Ki Ki Kwok and Mr Robert Wong, Executive Committee Member of the Welfare Council together with the Welfare Council’s management team officiated the kick-off ceremony. A huge “battery” lit up as more than 100 young people clapping to the beat played by the 4 drummers in the background, symbolizing the start of the academy’s journey.    A group of energetic young people then took a bus parade to Mong Kok, Tai Wai, Tin Shui Wai, Tung Chung and Tsim Sha Tsui to perform in wide open spaces for the public and introduce the academy’s mission of “Loving Oneself”, “Loving Others” and “Loving One’s Community” and spread messages of joy and positivity to the community. Singing, dancing and other performances by our young “street artists” even attracted crowds to join in the fun.

In line with the government’s policy in caring for elders, the Tseung Kwan O Aged Care Complex has been promoting active ageing and ageing in place for the past decade, ensuring that quality and targeted social support services were provided to senior citizens in Tseung Kwan O. Last year, the Tseung Kwan O Aged Care Complex—Jockey Club District Elderly Community Centre cum Day Care Unit received funding from the Social Welfare Department’s Improvement Programme of Elderly Centre and the Jockey Club Elderly Facilities Modernisation Scheme for a remodeling project and improving facilities.   In August 2016, architects and designers of the Welfare Council hosted an interior design workshop for seniors, where members of the centre were invited to propose comments on the remodeling project, with a view to creating an elder-friendly environment. The renovation project has been completed and a launching ceremony was held at the S.K.H. Church of St. John the Baptist in the afternoon on 20th January, 2017. Students of the S.K.H. Tseung Kwan O Kei Tak Primary School put on a spectacular performance of lion dance to kickstart the ceremony. Seniors from the Tseung Kwan O Aged Care Complex—Jockey Club District Elderly Community Centre then performed a music therapy programme — “Senior Conductors” to encourage guests to play their musical instruments to the beat, filling the atmosphere with fun and joy.   To thank the Social Welfare Department and the Hong Kong Jockey Club for their support to the centre’s remodeling project, the centre invited guests including Ms Pang Kit-ling, Assistant Director of Social Welfare, Mr Horrace Lit, Senior Charities Manager, the Hong Kong Jockey Club together with the Rt Revd Dr Timothy Kwok, Bishop of the H.K.S.K.H. Diocese of Eastern Kowloon, Mr Robert Shum, Independent Director of the Board of Directors of the Welfare Council, Dr Jane Lee, JP, Director of the Welfare Council and a senior respresentative to officiate at the launching ceremony. Speaking at the launching ceremony, Ms Pang Kit-ling, Assistant Director of Social Welfare, noted that ageing in place for elderly persons is an important task of the government. “After years of improvement, the district elderly community centres have become more versatile as they do not only provide leisure activities to seniors but also give them health support and diverse learning opportunities, making aging in place possible,” she added. Ms Pang also applauded the Welfare Council for its relentless support to the government’s policies as well as a number of pilot schemes launched lately, including the Pilot Scheme on Community Care Service Voucher for the Elderly. The Welfare Council has actively providing related services to elders with community care service vouchers in 5 districts. She also praised the Welfare Council for offering more quality residential places for elders on the waiting list, which complemented the government’s Pilot Scheme on Residential Care Service Voucher for the Elderly to be launched.   Before leaving, guests toured the renovated centre and recreational facilities with different themes. The centre’s staff and senior volunteers briefed the guests on the elder-friendly facilities and invited them to take part in an array of interesting activities such as fitness games, tea rituals, body painting, 3D photo shooting, board games and singing, which allowed guests to enjoy a taste of the good life in their golden years.

In recent years, more persons with higher education qualifications have reached the retirement age. Against this backdrop, the Welfare Council’s Vitality Academy for Life Long has designed a wide spectrum of innovative activities for those who will retire soon or retired in response to the service needs of the elderly. For example, the academy has worked with the Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas) and Institution of Dining Art on an innovative programme, “We Can Cook”. The programme includes a group of professional chefs teaching seniors how to cook at a well-appointed and comfortable learning centre. Apart from such extraordinary learning experience, seniors can broaden their social circle and reestablish their role in a family via the programme. The one-year programme with 12 sessions has started since July 2016, in which participants learnt how to prepare appetizing cuisines of different countries.   The first 4 sessions of “We Can Cook” have been completed. Participating eateries included the Golden Traditional Noodle, Teppan Chiu Teppanyaki, Sawali Club, Manna Organic Station and Tak Lung Restaurant while Chez Les Copains, Lab Made、Lo Chiu Vietnamese Restaurant, Tsukiji Japanese Restaurant will engage in the latter 8 sessions. On 24th November, 2016, a sharing session arranged for participants was held in the Towngas Cooking Centre, where representatives from 3 co-organisers, chef volunteers, 20 plus senior participants and a number of guests were presence to share the joy and ideas of cooking.   Mr Joe Shum, Assistant Director of the Welfare Council, Mr Isaac Yeung, Towngas Head of Corporate Affairs and Mr. Kelvin Yau, Chairman of the Institution of Dining Art officiated at the sharing session and gave speeches. In his speech, Mr Isaac Yeung, Towngas Head of Corporate Affairs said, “For years, Towngas has dedicated to caring for and serving the elderly in order to give back to the community. Through varied social services and voluntary activities, we hope to promote healthy eating and the joy of cooking for the development of harmonious families. We agreed with the vision of “We Can Cook”: bringing families and loved ones together through food, and making society a better place through programmes alike. I believe that social benefits will be increased if organisations of different sectors can utilize their professional knowledge or resources to serve the community.”   Speaking at the sharing session, Mr. Kelvin Yau, Chairman of the Institution of Dining Art, noted that many chefs were culinary experts in the industry but we never thought of how they could contribute to the community with their professional knowledge. Being the valuable assets of society, the chefs could actually serve the masses as well as pass on their knowledge to others. He hoped such programmes could encourage the chefs to reach out and share their love of cooking with the elderly in the local community, thus extending its expertise to culinary enthusiasts and consolidating their professional images.   “Unlike traditional cooking classes teaching just a couple of classic dishes, “We Can Cook” has a professional team of chefs who can teach special Italian cuisines at a well-equipped learning centre, aiming at bringing innovation and professional learning experiences to the seniors”, said Mr Joe Shum, Assistant Director of the Welfare Council. Sham does not simply expect to offer some leisure activities to elders. In fact, he hoped the elderly could absorb professional knowledge or even develop their own skills or interest via life-long learning so as to add vibrancy to their lives.   Sham thanked Towngas for offering the Towngas Cooking Centre as the programme’s learning centre while providing cooking instructors to guide participants on the spot. He also felt grateful to the Institution of Dining Art’s member eateries and dining institutions as their chefs and staff served as mentors to polish seniors’ cooking skills. Experts from various sectors were allowed to give back to community through the programme, reflecting the importance of multi-disciplinary collaboration between commercial and social service sectors. He believed that such kind of collaboration was the core elements of social capital and the new direction of the development of social services.   Kicking off the launching ceremony, each of the three officiating guests posted a word on the backdrop to form “We Can Cook”. The progarmme name, “We Can Cook”, symbolizes that 3 co-organisers join hands to lead seniors to reach their goal. After that, Mr Garofalo Antonio, an Italian manager of the Marco’s Oyster bar and grill taught seniors how to make risotto with asparagus and duck breast, during which senior students were eager to participate. Students later got to taste their own creations—all of them wore smiles of satisfaction—before they took them home to share with their families. Besides, distinguished cuisines including Yunnan-style chicken with coconut stew, clams in Japanese sake, Thai coconut dessert and Vietnam-style quinoa and avocado wraps were demonstrated to let guests taste and review on the spot.   One of the senior participants, Mr Leung has retired for 8 years but has another wonderful phase in life. He actively participated in leisure activities of the elderly centre and worked as a part-time social dance instructor. He is also interested in cooking so he often joined the cooking classes held by the centre, and enrolled for “We Can Cook” programme hosted by the Vitalia Academy for Life Long Learning. At the sharing session, Leung demonstrated how to make chicken with coconut stew, exciting the palate of every guest. “ “We Can Cook” is totally different from traditional cooking classes as it invited professional chefs to teach us contemporary cuisines at a well-appointed learning centre. After class, I enjoy to share delicious food I cooked with family and friends,” Leung said.   Mrs Liu, another participant of “We Can Cook”, would give members of the elderly centre a taste of the new dishes she learnt at the programme to spread care and happiness. “I am happy to see that the elderly appreciated my dishes,” Liu told. Liu is not very passionate about cooking but she loves learning with other senior participants and feels more confident after joining the programme.

Chinese only.

By calling for photo submissions for the “Transform Life. Live in Abundance” project, both employees and service users were given the opportunity to share their experiences and stories at the Welfare Council’s service units. Organisers received more than 100 submissions, which were put up for public voting. The 40 photos that received the most number of votes were published in this compilation.   Please click here to download the compilation (Chinese only).

In celebration of the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council’s 50th anniversary, a thanksgiving banquet with 140 tables was held at the AsiaWorld-Expo on 12th December, 2016. Mr Leung Chun-ying, GMB, GBS, JP, Chief Executive of the H.K.S.A.R, was invited as an officiating guest at the event while more than 1,700 employees and guests from Hong Kong and overseas gathered in the joyous celebration.   At the thanksgiving banquet, officiating guests namely Mr Leung Chun-ying, Chief Executive of the H.K.S.A.R. and the Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong, Archbishop and Primate of the H.K.S.K.H. together with Dr Donald Li, Chairman of the Welfare Council’s Board of Directors, were accompanied by Dr Jane Lee, Director of the Welfare Council, and 9 members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee to host the kick-off ritual for the Welfare Council’s 50th anniversary celebrations. Counting to three, officiating guests pushed the ceremonial button and the Welfare Council’s 50th anniversary logo appeared in the backdrop, symbolizing and promoting the virtues of faith, hope and love. The Revd Kenneth Lau, Chaplain of the Welfare Council, officiated the toasting ceremony with the management team of the Welfare Council and thanked the Lord for watching over and guiding the Welfare Council through a steady development over the years. He also gave his blessings to the Welfare Council so it can continue serving the Lord and the community as a Prince of Peace in the days to come.   The Welfare Council’s childcare, children and youth, rehabilitation and elderly service units also staged a series of fantastic performances, including lion dancing, singing and dancing, filling the atmosphere with love and passion. To thank the Most Revd Dr Peter Kwong Kong-kit for his valuable contribution to the Welfare Council, the Welfare Council presented to him an exclusive photo album named “On earth as it is in heaven”. The album contains photos from the time when the Most Revd Dr Peter Kwong walked with the Welfare Council and was created to show gratitude for his contribution.   The Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong, the Rt Revd Andrew Chan, Bishop of the H.K.S.K.H. Diocese of Western Kowloon and the Rt Revd Dr Timothy Kwok, Bishop of the H.K.S.K.H. Diocese of Eastern Kowloon performed a song, “I cannot tell”, to celebrate the Welfare Council’s golden jubilee at the banquet. Through the song, they hoped to encourage the Welfare Council’s staff to follow God’s will and serve as messengers of love to support the underprivileged. Staff were blown away by their elaborate performance and shouted for an encore! The trio then invited Dr Moses Cheng, Board Member of the Welfare Council, to sing an old classic, “Below the Lion Rock”, for the staff and guests. Last but not least, members of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee, management team and guests sang in unison the theme song for the 50th anniversary of the Welfare Council, “The Song of Life”, to conclude the celebratory event.