The 2017-18 Building Safety Pioneer Programme (BSPP) has been officially launched. Sixty-seven secondary school students from 15 schools will participate in various activities of the one-year programme to better understand the importance of building safety, the responsibilities of building owners and the duties of the Buildings Department (BD) and building professionals.

     Students participating in this year's programme attended the inauguration ceremony held at the Hong Kong Science Museum in Tsim Sha Tsui today (July 15). Participants of last year's programme were also awarded Building Safety Pioneer certificates at the ceremony. Award-winning teachers and students of last year's programme shared their feelings and experience gained from the programme at the ceremony.

     Speaking at the ceremony, the Director of Buildings, Mr Cheung Tin-cheung, encouraged the students to actively participate in every activity of the programme in the coming year, and share with families, friends and classmates the building safety knowledge they learned from the event.

     Organised by the BD and co-organised by the Education Bureau and Hong Kong Education City, the BSPP targets secondary school students who have been nominated by their schools to join the programme. The event is also supported by the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers and the Hong Kong Institute of Surveyors.

     The highlight of this year's programme is dissemination of building safety messages via promotional video production. The Building Safety Pioneers are required to join a building safety day camp in September and a promotional video production workshop in December, and produce a 30-second promotional video to promote building safety messages by March 2018. All entries will be uploaded to an online platform, and the group whose production received the most "likes" will win the Most Popular Promotional Video Award - Online. Meanwhile, the Best Building Safety Promotional Video Award winner will be selected by professional adjudicators. Participating students are also required to:

• watch four short films (five minutes each) and prepare a write-up (200 words);
• join workshops organised by the BD and the building professional institutes;
• pay visits to workplaces of the BD and related building professionals (architects, engineers and surveyors);
• visit the BD thematic website's "Care for Your Building" page and play the three online games "Building Pioneers", "Defect Shooter" and "Minor Works Go Go Go"; and
• submit a school project report at the end of the programme.

     Participating schools and students who successfully finish the programme will be awarded book coupons and certificates. Book coupons and certificates will also be given to winners of the Best Building Safety Promotional Video Award and the Most Popular Promotional Video Award - Online.

     Meanwhile, the participating school with the maximum number of students finishing the three online games in the BD thematic website's "Care for Your Building" page and getting the highest score before December 31, 2017, will win the Most Supportive School Award - Online. Book coupons and certificates will be awarded to the winning school.

     For details of the BSPP, please visit the BD's thematic website (www.careyourbuilding.bd.gov.hk).

Ends/Saturday, July 15, 2017
Issued at HKT 12:50

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