Second Community Outreach Programme - Southern District

Date and Time:

17 November 2006 (Friday)
02:00 pm - 06:00 pm

After the experience-sharing session cum interactive group discussion, participants joined the Project demonstration session - a visit to the Wah Fu Community Garden

Venue:

Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Social Service Centre
Project demonstration - Wah Fu Community Garden (podium adjacent to Wah Tsui House, Wah Fu Estate)

Co-organizers:

Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Social Service Centre
Southern District Council

Programme Report:

This is the second event of the Community Outreach Programme funded by the Council for Sustainable Development. Over 80 people attended the event. Among them were District Council members of various districts, Area Committee members, representatives of local residents' organizations and district groups etc. The event consisted of three parts, namely an experience sharing session, an interactive group discussion and a project demo-session. The event started with a welcome speech by Ms Christine Fang, J.P., member of the Council for Sustainable Development and the Chair of the Education and Publicity Sub-committee, followed by an opening remarks and a vote of thanks by Ms Mar Yuet-har, the Chair of the Southern District Council and Ir William Chan Lee-shing, Director of the Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Ltd. respectively.

Welcome speech by Ms Christine Fang, Member of the Council for Sustainable Development and Chair of the Education and Publicity Sub-committee.

Ms Mar Yuet-har, the Chair of the Southern District Council, delivering the opening remarks.	A vote of thanks by Ir William Chan Lee-shing, Director of the Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Ltd.

Following the speeches, the event moved on to the sharing session part. Ms Leung Pik-tin, Manager of the Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association, Ms Patricia Lo, Housing Mgr/P(HK3) of the Housing Department and Mr Wong Che-ngai, Chairman of the Environment and Hygiene Committee of the Southern District Council shared with participants their experience in the implementation of the Urban Green Project and the achievements.

Approved by the Council in 2004, the Urban Green project has been granted $1.3 million from the Sustainable Development Fund to run for a period of 3 years, from June 2004 to June 2007. The project aims at recruiting gardening enthusiasts in the district to work as volunteers to help transform vacant open spaces or areas without any designated use into Community Gardens to enhance the community image and to raise public awareness in environmental protection, as well as to promote the message of physical and mental wellness.

The Project adopts a community work approach and focuses on community participation. In the past two years, three Community Gardens in Aberdeen, Ap Lei Chau and Wah Fu Estate have already been created under the Project. Volunteers have also conducted workshops to share gardening techniques with local residents and also launched various district visiting service programmes. The Project not only consolidates community resources and capital by bringing local green thumbs together to learn and to participate in community work but also provides a communication platform for residents to share tips on gardening and everyday living. This will help enhance the residents' sense of belonging to the community and build a harmonious and closely-knitted neighbourhood network.

• Download the presentation by Ms Leung Pik-tin, Supervising Manager for Urban Green Project of the Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association
  
• Download the presentation by Ms Patricia Lo, Housing Mgr/P(HK3) of the Housing Department
  

Ms Leung Pik-tin, Manager of the Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association, shared her experience in carrying out the project.

Ms Patricia Lo, Housing Mgr/P(HK3) of the Housing Department, shared her Department's experience in participating in the Project.

Mr Wong Che-ngai, Chairman of the Environment and Hygiene Committee of the Southern District Council, shared the project's achievements in sustainable development.

After the experience sharing session, participants were divided into five discussion groups. They were asked to brainstorm and report on a community project which could promote the concept of sustainable development and put it to practice, bearing in mind the areas uniqueness and special needs.

Download the summary of reports

After the group discussion session, participants took the coach arranged by the organisers to visit the Wah Fu Community Garden and attend its opening ceremony. The Aberdeen Kai-fong Welfare Association Social Service Centre made special arrangements for the young students from its interest class to perform a lion dance and invited some local residents to sing golden oldies as part of the celebration of the garden opening.

After the opening ceremony, local residents showed the participants around the garden and shared with them the achievements of the Project.

The Council will continue to organize additional Community Outreach Programme activities in different districts. You are most welcome to join us. Please browse our website for updated information.