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On the afternoon of 11th December, 2015, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited held its 2014-2015 Annual Meeting and kicked off its 50th anniversary celebrations at the H.K.S.K.H. St James’ Church. Ms Carrie Lam, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for Administration, was invited to be the officiating guest at the ceremony, where she looked back on the Welfare Council’s accomplishments over the past year with the Most Revd Dr Paul Kwong, Archbishop and Primate of the H.K.S.K.H. and Honorary Patron of the Welfare Council, a number of board members and committee members, and close to a few hundred employees. The ceremony doubled as a kick-off ritual for the Council’s 50th anniversary celebrations.   Having experienced half a century of social change, the Welfare Council has been serving the community with humility. At the meeting, Dr Donald Li, SBS, JP, Chairman of the Welfare Council Board of Directors reflected on how it started out with severe shortage of manpower with an annual budget of no more than HK$1 million, and the progress it has made today with nearly 3,000 employees and some HK$900 million worth of annual budget. At the meeting, in addition to expressing his appreciation and encouragement for members of the board and committees, and employees of the Council, Dr Li also announced the Council’s achievement of the “Directors of the Year Awards 2015” by the Hong Kong Institute of Directors—an acknowledgement of the Council’s quality of service and professionalism.   Ms Carrie Lam, GBS, JP, Chief Secretary for Administration, also praised the Council for daring to innovate and pursuing and providing only the best welfare services for the people of Hong Kong over the past five decades. Lam attributed the Council’s ability to provide quality services to the leadership of the Board and the selfless and dedication of its employees who have been serving people with love and care. She urged the Council to continue innovating amid fresh challenges.   Ms Carrie Lam, the Chief Secretary for Administration, Archbishop Paul Kwong and Dr Li were invited to host the lighting ceremony to mark the beginning of the Welfare Council’s 50th anniversary celebrations. The theme song for the 50th anniversary of the Council, “The Song of Life”, which was written and composed by Sheng Kung Hui church member Peter Kwok, was played for the first time to showcase the Council’s following in the footsteps of Christ as it transformed lives with love and innovative services over the past five decades. It was also during the ceremony that the Council officially launched its "Act of Love ‧ Trace Me” mobile application, which encourages participants to take part in the search for missing persons.   Addressing attendees on the work of the organisation from 2014 to 2015, Dr Jane Lee, JP, Director of the Welfare Council, introduced its first-ever charity raffle—a fundraising activity supported by the S.K.H. communities and its newly established Sheng Kung Hui Stroke Rehabilitation Charity Fund which helps financially individuals who lack access to stroke rehabilitation services. Dr Lee also mentioned the Council’s latest projects: an integrated medical and healthcare services centre in Kwun Tong, Centre of Wellness, that provides one-stop stroke rehabilitation services; as well as social enterprise “Grace On Hands” that trains underprivileged women to become craftswomen so as to unleash their potential. With the HK$20 million subsidy from the Social Welfare Department, the Council has ensured the smooth on-site support services of its 33 kindergarten and nurseries; and, with more than HK$7 million from the Education Bureau, the Council organised life planning services for special educational needs secondary students from 45 schools. Through such multi-faceted intervention services, the Council has been enabled to respond to the needs of youngsters, children and their families.   To show appreciation for the Welfare Council’s committed employees, 443 long service awards were presented, with 81 of them going to staff members who have served for more than 20 years. It was apparent that many members of staff saw the organisation as their home.

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To realise the full potential of women and to assist those who are less fortunate, the Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council Limited established a new social enterprise, Grace On Hands. The project combines training, job placement and retail service. Low-income individuals are trained to become craftswomen before they are assigned jobs and placed in retail service for extra income. To celebrate the launch of Grace On Hands, made possible by J.P. Morgan, the Welfare Council held an opening ceremony on July 13, where guests and service users witnessed the birth of the social enterprise and propagated its social significance.   The Welfare Council was honoured by the presence of its officiating guests, Under Secretary for Home Affairs Ms Florence Hui, SBS, JP, and J.P. Morgan Chief Administrative Officer, Asia Pacific and Senior Country Officer, Andrew Butcher, at the opening ceremony, which was held at the H.K.S.K.H. Kowloon City Children and Youth Integrated Service Centre.   Grace On Hands is a new initiative by the Welfare Council that aims to help women from low-income backgrounds develop an interest in handmade goods and build careers out of it, thus achieving independence. Close to 40 women have started producing crafts for Grace On Hands since it started operating in January. In her welcome remarks, Welfare Council Director Dr Jane Lee thanked the various sectors which supported Grace On Hands every step of the way, especially J.P. Morgan, whose cooperation with the Welfare Council demonstrates the powerful relationship between the commercial and social service sectors.   Under Secretary for Home Affairs Florence Hui voiced her approval for Grace On Hands, pointing out that echoes the government’s labour policies by providing grassroots women with employment opportunities, and to develop skills, thereby supporting the development of society. Hui offered her well-wishes for the social enterprise.   J.P. Morgan’s Andrew Butcher said, “Grace On Hands offers those less fortunate the chance to acquire the necessary skills and knowledge, leading them out of their familial roles onto new career paths. Under the guidance of the Welfare Council, we believe this project will become a platform for the growth of creativity and financial sustainability. We trust that the project will encourage all sectors to work together to solve social issues, and to push for more collaborations between the commercial and social service sectors to benefit local social enterprises and entrepreneurs.”   Accompanied by Dr Lee, the officiating guests launched Grace On Hands with a simple but significant unveiling ceremony. Welfare Council's Social Innovation Project Manager, Lillie Ching, then showed participants Grace On Hands’ online store.   Four Grace On Hands apprentices were later invited onstage to share their experiences with other participants. All four come from low-income backgrounds and are from mainland China. They were housewives living on their husband’s meagre earnings, and had a difficult time adjusting to their new lives in Hong Kong. After joining Grace On Hands half a year ago, they have been empowered to supplement their families’ finances and expand their social networks, thus leading more fulfilling lives. One apprentice, Ah Ying, said she felt her world grow much bigger, way beyond the four walls of her flat, after she joined the programme and made new friends.   Following the ceremony, apprentices wowed guests with their crafts during the exhibition. Find out more about Grace On Hands at http://goh.skhwc.org.hk and be wowed, too! From now until August 31, you can get a 15% discount on your purchase from the online store. Dial 2533 1245 for more details or visit http://goh.skhwc.org.hk for more details.

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Close to 40% of students reported feeling anxious about their decisions Only 30% are confident that they have chosen the right path   The Welfare Council’s Career Counselling Project conducted a survey between January and March this year to identify the needs of candidates of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) so the Welfare Council can provide more adequate services for them. The Welfare Council held a press conference on July 11 to announce its findings.   A total of 2,059 students from 20 schools took part in the survey, which looked into major considerations – self-awareness, environmental awareness, decisiveness and action plan – when students cope with the release of HKDSE results. The survey was designed by professional social workers and included 20 hypothetical scenarios related to the release of results. Participants of the survey were asked to rate their own performances during such scenarios. The results were calibrated by the social workers.   Students scored higher in terms of self-awareness and environmental awareness at 62.8 and 60.5 respectively, but lower in terms of decisiveness and action plan at 55.6 and 49 respectively.   Social worker Kwong Ho Kuen, who oversaw the study, said if candidates are to come up with a comprehensive plan on their journey after the HKDSE, they will have to bear in mind all four considerations. The findings show that most students believe they are aware of their own interests, abilities, characters etc., and have a certain understanding towards continuing education or job placement, but do not have the confidence to make immediate decisions or plan for the future.   Upon further analysis, the Welfare Council found that only 33 percent of candidates were confident that they had made the right choices. In the hypothetical situation where a candidate scored two points less than expected, only 28.77 percent of respondents said they would know what to do, and only 23 percent said they were comfortable with handling interviews right after the release of results. Kwong explained that these findings reflect some of the candidates’ failure to come up with appropriate action plans. And while respondents regarded themselves highly when it came to self-awareness, less than half of them, or 48.32 percent of them, had clear life goals.   Service Director Ms Seiko Lee suggested that students make the best use of the days leading up to the release of results to plan for the big day, so it would go more smoothly. This includes planning for three possible situations, including one that the candidate scores higher than expected, one that is lower than expected, and one that is just as expected, so students would know what courses to pick. She pointed out that planning ahead would reduce the anxiety brought upon by nervousness, and allow candidates to make the right choices when the time comes.   Ms Lee also reminded candidates to prepare for interviews by rehearsing, in both English and Chinese, self-introductions, five-year plans etc. She also suggested that students fully consider their options before making their decisions, plan accordingly, and keep themselves informed by looking at various university brochures. She said the social service industry can help by organising more activities such as the mock release of results, mock interviews etc. to help students better prepare themselves.