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Miss TAI Kai Lun, Karen |
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I'm grateful for the support of members of the Advisory Board and the Board of Directors. I'm honoured to be elected as the new Chairperson. Since I was a child, I believe being kind is a choice. When I grow up, I feel contented with the ability to help and contribute to the society. Therefore, I will lead Yan Oi Tong carrying on with and developing its charitable work, with the aim to "Accomplishing Good Deeds by Loving and Helping the Community", to enhance and develop different welfare services, helping more social vulnerable groups with appropriate aids.
Social Services
Diversified youth work to nurture committed talents
In line with the "Youth Development Blueprint" announced by the Government, Yan Oi Tong will further strengthen its diversified youth work, actively respond to different service needs. This year, Yan Oi Tong will continue to identify and nurture more young talents who are committed, aspiring, keen to serve the community and willing to work hard for the future of Hong Kong.
Since April 2017, Yan Oi Tong Youth Space is committed to creating a youth-friendly platform for the youth between the age of 15-29 in Tuen Mun District. With the mission of “Youth commits, contributing to the community”, as of today, Yan Oi Tong Youth Space has successfully nurtured 55 youth innovative social organizations and 202 district youth leaders. This year, we will set up Yan Oi Tong Youth Space Steering Committee and I will act as the convener of the committee, to strengthen the communication with the youth, guiding them to execute their innovative talents and ideas effectively.
I am very grateful that I have the guidance from the seniors throughout my personal growth journey. Many people think that the competitiveness of Hong Kong teenagers is declining and lose faith in the youngsters. But I do not agree, as there are many new opportunities in the Greater Bay Area for the youths. More than ten thousands graduates joined the “Greater Bay Area Youth Employment Scheme” which has 3500 job opportunities in the pilot scheme. This year the government will regularise the Scheme, to help the teenagers of Hong Kong learn more about the latest market development and leverage the opportunities of career advancement. Yan Oi Tong is committed to providing career planning services for young people with internship opportunities, so as to help them identifying their personal characters and strengths, understanding more about the working environment and enhancing their competitiveness in the market.
The community centres as well as integrated children and youth services centres under our Social Services will organise a series of activities in cooperation with school social worker units to prevent suicide, drug abuse and emotional and mental problems among young people.
Transitional housing "Yan Oi House" ready for intake
The transitional housing project "Yan Oi House" in Hung Shui Kiu received more than $220 million funds from the Housing Bureau for the construction of 410 modular flats for people who have been waiting for public housing for three years and more or who are living in unfit dwellings. The five-year project will be operated on a self-financing basis by charging tenants occupancy rates for use. The first batch of selected residents are expected to occupy by second quarter 2023.
Besides providing a comfortable living environment, Yan Oi House is having the concept of community building. It provides residents with a wide range of social services, such as employees retraining and job matching, helping residents to make good use of the resources in the community, to save the traveling time, so that they can spend more time with their families or participate in cultural and recreational activities, skills enhancement workshops, community planting activities and community learning programmes, so as to promote mutual help in the neighbourhood and the development of individual talents to contribute to the community.
Running a new day care centre for the elderly
Yan Oi Tong has been selected as the contractor for the new day care centre for the Elderly in Wo Tin Estate, Tuen Mun, which was named as “Yan Oi Tong Ng Wai Kwong Memorial Day Care Centre for the Elderly” with the kind donation of Director NG Sui Lun, Andy. The centre provides day care, rehabilitation exercise and social activities for the eligible elderly aged 60 or above, as well as various kinds of support for their carers, with a quota of 60. Funded by a lump sum grant with an annual operating cost of about $7.63 million, the centre was put into service in March 2023.
It is designed to create a community atmosphere as far as possible. With the donation of decommissioned Light Rail components, the lobby corridor is turned into a train compartment, with a dining area resembling Hong Kong’s cha caan teng with nostalgic facilities, creating a comfortable community environment that foster a sense of belonging for the elderly. In responding the Elderly Services Programme Plan implemented by the government in 2017, we will continue to use a data lake integrating the health and care information of our elderly service users, promote gerontechnology to benefit the elderly in need and provide carers supporting services.
Yan Oi Tong Lo Tai Chin Caring Foundation (Mental Health) relieves the stress of carers
In July 2019, the "Yan Oi Tong Lo Tai Chin Caring Foundation (Mental Health) - Mental Wellness and Support Scheme for Carers" started to adopt a multi-disciplinary team approach to support four types of carers, including those taking care of chronically ill persons, persons with cognitive disorders, children with special educational needs (SENs) and single-parent families. Over 300 carers and their families have benefitted from the scheme. Thanks to the funding from the Social Welfare Department's Partnership Fund for the Disadvantaged and Nong's Chinese Medicine Clinic, the "Mental Wellness and Support Scheme for Carers - Love Connect" was launched in September 2021 to enhance carers' knowledge and stress management skills, and to promote mutual help among them.
Medical Services
Yan Oi Tong pilot scheme on primary prevention and treatment of chronic diseases with Chinese medicine
Yan Oi Tong has been actively responding to the Government's Primary Healthcare Blueprint in 2022, promoting the development of primary healthcare services with the concept that prevention is better than cure. It is hoped that we can intervene in the prevention, treatment and management of chronic diseases at an early stage, attaining public health.
According to the Department of Health, nearly 60% of the population in Hong Kong is having one of the "triple H" conditions (high blood pressure, high blood glucose and high blood lipids). Many grassroots people are busy with work and do not pay attention to diet or rest. They often miss the best time for treatment, resulting in a higher percentage of "triple H" conditions, as compared to the population as a whole. And they have a higher risk of subsequent complications such as stroke and diabetes.
With our Chinese Medicine Services rooted in the community for years, we would like to further implement a pilot scheme for local residents for the prevention and treatment of "triple H" conditions. The scheme will adopt the basic framework of "monitoring with Western medicine and treatment and nutritional guidance with Chinese medicine", checking the blood sugar, blood pressure and blood lipids index of the target groups in the community and applying treatments with Chinese Medicine when there are problems identified in order to lower the chance of further development of major diseases.
20th anniversary of Chinese medicine mobile clinics
Yan Oi Tong launched the first Chinese medicine mobile clinic (CMMC) in Hong Kong in 2003 and we have been serving the public with the initiative for 20 years. We have deployed 35 CMMCs and served more than 2.85 million people. This year, we will hold the "20th Anniversary Appreciation Day of Chinese Medicine Mobile Clinics". Public will receive one-time Chinese medicine consultation and one dose of concentrated Chinese medicine, both free of charge, when they visit any one of our CMMCs on designated days. In addition, to respond to the huge demand for Chinese medicine services, we will actively expand the service locations of CMMCs to large public housing estates and continue to give priority to the well-being of patients, so that all Hong Kong people can enjoy quality and affordable Chinese medicine services.
Yan Oi Tong Mrs. Shi Lop Tak Youth & Children Medical Foundation continues to expand its service scope
Since its establishment in 2016, the Yan Oi Tong Mrs Shi Lop Tak Youth & Children Medical Foundation has been providing medical and pharmaceutical assistance by Psychiatrist to children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from grassroots families. This year, we have expanded our service to Sha Tin bringing the total number of 8 service districts. The foundation will continue to actively expand its services and encourage more schools to refer cases to help children with special needs grow up healthily.
Yan Oi Tong Chong Sok Un Medical Fund (Cancer Aid) explores extension of funding to Tin Shui Wai Hospital
Since its establishment in 2007, the YOT Chong Sok Un Medical Fund (cancer aid) has been providing financial support to cancer patients from public hospitals who have financial difficulties with their purchase of self-financed items, with the aim of improving the survival rate and quality of life of the patients. In view of the opening of the clinical oncology day care centre at Tin Shui Wai Hospital in November last year, the fund will actively explore the possibility of extending the funding to the hospital to benefit more cancer patients.
Education Services
Growing together through "Music in Harmony" Family Supporting Scheme
Yan Oi Tong has been committed to supporting the pre-school children with special needs and the need of their carers. With a grant of nearly HK$2 million from phase 2 of the Health Bureau's Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme, we will launch an 18-month "Music in Harmony" Family Supporting Scheme in 2023. Through the three major initiatives, namely, parent talks, music therapy workshops and mutual support music groups, the scheme will help children with special learning needs, relieve the pressure of their carers, promote parent-child relationships and build parent groups to let carers help one another.
The Third Edition of Yan Oi Tong Mentorship Programme to nurture educational talents
In line with the Government's promotion of vocational education, the ‘Third Edition of Yan Oi Tong Mentorship Programme’ is about to begin. The Programme has been successfully guiding young people to know more about themselves and get well-equipped for their future career since 2011. This year, thanks to the generous support of Yan Oi Tong Choi Wong Ling Ling Education Fund, the programme will enter its third year with a theme of nurturing a new generation of talents in the education sector. A tailor-made "Elite Mentorship Programme" will be introduced to secondary school students who wish to join the education sector. Through the programme, students will be able to understand different aspects of education and experience the daily life of educators, so as to get prepared for a future career in the industry.
Building English-speaking atmosphere and cultivating musical literacy
Yan Oi Tong launched a three-tier teacher training programme, under which we formed Yan Oi Tong’s English and Music Development (EMD) Teams composed of teachers and headmasters from our kindergartens for continuous professional exchanges and collaborative lesson preparation, laying a solid foundation for the curriculum with Yan Oi Tong's characteristics. This year, the EMD Teams in our 11 kindergartens will collaborate with more schools and strengthen teacher training, which is a significant step towards developing Yan Oi Tong's school-based curriculum featuring English and music.
Embracing Traditional Chinese culture
Enhance students' affection for home and country
The Yan Oi Tong Choi Wong Ling Ling Education Fund aims to develop quality education programmes to promote the whole-person development of students and enhance their global perspective. In the coming year, the fund will continue to focus on promoting Chinese culture. Subsidies will be provided to Yan Oi Tong primary and secondary schools and kindergartens to organise cultural activities featuring Chinese calligraphy and painting, so as to enhance students' understanding of Chinese culture. In addition, the fund will launch the "Mapping Your Origins" project, with oral history interviews, Chinese painting and recitation to reinforce the idea of passing on Chinese culture to the next generation, and to enhance students' sense of national identity. It is hoped that the project will add fun to learning and foster students' interest in Chinese culture and history. The fund will also continue to organise the "Children's Talent Marathon", which brings together student talents from all over Hong Kong in a performance relay, in order to raise funds for children with special learning needs, build an inclusive society and nurture diverse talents for the community.
Training and Project Development
Launching Artificial Intelligence (AI) training courses to enhance individuals’ competitiveness
With the emergence of artificial intelligence, it is believed that every industry will experience a revolutionary new era. Teacher can utilize AI to prepare teaching materials, grass-roots students can meet their education needs and no longer need to afford the expensive private tutoring. The application skills of AI is definitely the key to enhance individuals’ competitiveness. Therefore, this year, Yan Oi Tong YES Training Institute will launch AI training courses, where teenagers and the underprivileged can utilize the innovative technology to enhance their competitiveness. In addition to the training courses, the Institute will also collaborate with organization in Shenzhen, bringing the students of the Institute to visit the AI and Biological Technology enterprise in Greater Bay Area.
Strengthening training and referral in post-COVID era
Yan Oi Tong's employee retraining service is approaching its 30th anniversary. This year, Yan Oi Tong has been granted HK$53 million by the Employees Retraining Board for nearly 7,000 training places in 2023-24. In view of the gradual resumption of normal travel between Hong Kong and the Mainland, various industries and sectors, including tourism and hospitality, catering, retail and beauty, need a large number of frontline staff to meet the demand. Therefore, in the coming year, Yan Oi Tong will endeavour to assist in the referral of talents in the above-mentioned sectors and work with them to promote training and organise job fairs.
In response to the initiatives of ‘enhancing elderly care services and increasing the provision of residential care places for the elderly’, Yan Oi Tong YES Training Institute will strengthen the existing training in elderly care services, inviting professional nurses to join the team to help improve and enhance the training programme.
Expanding "Life Planning Project" to primary schools
Besides serving the secondary schools, Yan Oi Tong YES Training Institute is determined to extend its "Life Planning Project" to primary schools in Hong Kong. The project will focus on nurturing students exploring themselves, developing their social skills, helping them to understand the social values and moral concepts, so as to assist their development in the future.
Organising cultural, recreational and arts activities to connect with the community
The Sham Shui Po District Council Yan Oi Tong Mei Foo Neighbourhood Activity Centre continues to enhance its role in connecting with the community by means of various cultural, recreational and arts activities. In the coming year, the centre will collaborate with different community partners and cultural organisations to provide more diversified community performances, and to provide a platform for arts practitioners to exchange and showcase their talents while bringing local residents together. In addition, the centre will continue to promote the development of emerging sports, for example, Pickleball, Flipball and Floor Curling, etc. starting with training and community promotion, so as to provide experiential and teaching services to different organisations and schools, activating the community.
Yan Oi Tong Jockey Club Career Development and Entrepreneurship Support Centre set to open
The Yan Oi Tong Jockey Club Career Development and Entrepreneurship Support Centre, funded with over HK$36 million under the Chief Executive's Community Project List, will be completed in late 2023 and a number of services will be launched to meet market needs. The venue will include a creative media area, a shared space for entrepreneurship, as well as an exhibition area where the popular youth bazaars can be held. It is hoped that young people can benefit from the services. In addition, the YOT Job Search Platform will soon be launched to provide employers and job seekers with a more efficient and convenient choice for recruitment and job seeking. Hopefully the centre and the platform will complement each other in providing comprehensive training, employment and entrepreneurship support services to the public.
Sustainable Development
Green@Tuen Mun promotes environmental awareness through creative activities
As a green organisation, Yan Oi Tong has been actively promoting recycling and education in the community. Green@Tuen Mun, operated by Yan Oi Tong will continue to launch different creative activities, including the "Parent-Child Environmental Award Scheme", the "Housing Estate Recycling Award Scheme" and the "Tuen Mun Green Education Trail" to promote environmental protection to Tuen Mun residents of different age groups. In addition, we will continue to increase the target total recycling amount, to be prepared for the next contract.
Enhancing recreational and sports services for public well-being
The Yan Oi Tong Cheng Yiu Yuen Memorial Fitness Centre in Tuen Mun, covers an area of about 15,000 square feet, has been renovated and put into operation, continuing to provide quality and affordable fitness services to Tuen Mun residents. Also, the Centre will enforce the cooperation between the organization in the district to provide tailor-made recreational and sports activities for residents with different needs. With the relaxation of pandemic measures, Yan Oi Tong will resume large-scale competitions and tournaments, including those of bodybuilding, badminton and taekwondo, so as to take care of the public well-being in a comprehensive manner.
En-joy Home to launch "Star Housekeeping" amidst continued expansion of social enterprises
Our fourth social enterprise “En-joy Home” will launch "Star Housekeeping" to provide professional and personalised services to middle-class families in the district, covering storage, meal preparation based on nutritionist menus, and proper disposal of household recyclables. With the launch of "Star Housekeeping", En-joy Home hopes to upgrade its home support assistants to more professional domestic helpers. We will encourage them to pursue further studies and add value to their careers. We will also continue to study the possibility of establishing more social enterprises to create jobs for the underprivileged.
United with stand
Serving the society with heart
I understand that the completion of all the above development projects will require the concerted efforts of the entire Board of Directors, the support of government departments and friends from all walks of life, and the unity and solidarity of all the Yan Oi Tong staff.
Here, I have to thank my parents, especially my mother, Dr. LO Tai Chin, Louisa MH, who brought me to the big family of Yan Oi Tong. She acts as a role model, encouraging me to participate the affairs of Yan Oi Tong actively and serving the society with heart, and allows me to contribute my talents in the charity works. I promise that I will do my best to build on the solid foundation laid by the predecessors and take the charity work of Yan Oi Tong to the next level. Thank you all!
