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Around 100 students and youth volunteers and nearly 100 youth service units were commended today (March 21) for their active participation in and promotion of volunteerism at the 2015 Student and Youth Volunteering Award Presentation Ceremony held by the Steering Committee on Promotion of Volunteer Service of the Social Welfare Department.
The Ceremony also celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Hong Kong Outstanding Youth Volunteers Scheme and launched the Scheme's 2015-2016 activities, which aim to further encourage young people to participate in volunteer services and foster the positive energy of volunteering among the community.
Speaking at today's ceremony, the Director of Social Welfare, Ms Carol Yip, said the Hong Kong Outstanding Youth Volunteers Scheme is committed to passing on the spirit of volunteerism, which is highly regarded in the community. There are currently more than 640 000 registered student and youth volunteers, accounting for 52 per cent of the total number of registered volunteers, collectively making it the strongest force in promoting the Volunteer Movement.
Ms Yip also congratulated the Scheme on its 15th anniversary, and encouraged students and youth volunteers to continue caring for people and worthy causes around them, and to make good use of their strengths and abilities to serve people in need.
She also noted that "Volunteering - New Attitude to Life" has been the theme of the Volunteer Movement since 2011 to encourage public to bring volunteerism into their daily life, and by showing love and care for other people, both volunteers and service recipients would benefit in their personal development.
The Ceremony aimed at recognising the efforts made by students and young people to take part in volunteering work and promote volunteerism, as well as to inspire and broaden their vision, which would ultimately help them organise other volunteering activities.
Other guests attending the event included the Convenor of the Sub-committee on Promotion of Student and Youth Volunteering, Ms Theresa Tao.
Awards were also presented to winners of different categories of the 2013-14 Best Student and Youth Volunteer Service Project Competition. The competition offered an opportunity for students and young people to unleash their potential by organising innovative volunteer projects and serving the community. The winning teams also spoke at the ceremony about their projects and experience in volunteering.
In addition, 99 organisations were presented with certificates of merit in appreciation for offering over 10 000 volunteer service hours in 2013.
The Steering Committee will continue to intensify the promotion of volunteering and encourage more students and young people to give care and love to others and integrate volunteer work into their daily life to serve the community.
As at the end of last month, more than 2 670 organisations and corporations had registered as Volunteer Movement Participating Organisations and the total number of registered volunteers exceeded 1.23 million. In 2013, more than 22.52 million hours of volunteer service were recorded.
Ends/Saturday, March 21, 2015
Issued at HKT 17:04
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