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The Community Investment and Inclusion Fund had financed more than 200 projects since its inception in 2002, involving about 530,000 people from different age groups, social strata, cultural or ethnic backgrounds, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said today (November 9).
"Hong Kong has faced up to tough challenges in the past year - from the global economic crisis triggered by the financial tsunami at the end of last year to the human swine flu epidemic in April this year. We need the support of various sectors to further develop social capital so as to create new vitality and opportunities in the community," Mr Cheung said.
Mr Cheung was speaking at the opening ceremony of the sixth Community Investment and Inclusion Fund Forum and Project Expo this morning. More than 900 participants from a wide spectrum of sectors attended the event.
Also speaking at the ceremony, the Chairman of the Fund Committee, Mr Yeung Ka-sing, said that the record number of participants this year signified the growing power to promote social capital and the snowballing effect it had generated.
"The fund has developed a number of flagship projects in the past seven years - be it the revitalisation of old districts in the early days, or empowerment of new districts recently.
"Take Tin Shui Wai as an example. More than 10 projects in the district have successfully built mutual assistance and concern among neighbours and created hope, trust and resilience in the community."
At the Main Plenary titled Social Capital: A New Look at Corporate Social Responsibility, representatives from the business sector, the welfare sector, professional bodies and government departments discussed ways to maximise the effects of social capital through enhanced collaboration of multi-disciplinaries, and shared their successful experience in the Tung Chung community building project and cross-sector collaboration.
The two workshops, on the other hand, aimed to explore new strategies for youth development and new partnership models for community building.
Thirteen projects were commended this year for continuously bringing new opportunities to and enhancing mutual trust in the community, thereby increasing their resilience and capabilities to face up to adversity and embrace challenges.
Most of the awarded projects are related to the empowerment of community support and mutual help networks. The South Kwai Chung Service Centre, for instance, has launched an intranet project for elders in Lai King through the collaboration of the medical and welfare sectors and social enterprises. It has encouraged hidden elders and youths to take part in drama through which the social network has been enhanced. Separately, the Tung Chung Safe & Healthy City ran a project to pool together the efforts of the community, the business sector and the Government in building a safe and harmonious community.
The fund will invite proposals for its 16th batch of applications from December 1, 2009, to January 29, 2010. The theme, Power of Resilience at Times of Adversity: Power up Families and Community, will focus on strengthening the support networks in families and the neighbourhood.
Ends/Monday, November 9, 2009
Issued at HKT 11:48
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