The Federation's outreaching social work units have funding from the Hong Kong Council of Social Service Digital Solidarity Fund for this highly relevant programme. Youthvoice helps youngsters at-risk build their computer skills and share their experience of life. Participants include drug abusers, those with sex problems and deviant gang members. The programme encourages them to find their voices and develop sound attitudes to the internet while acquiring useful work skills. The website www.youthvoice.hk, is the heart of the programme. They are constructing it themselves with topics of key interest: crime, discos, drugs, the internet world, youth gangs, love, sex, suicide, smoking, gambling, dance and cosmetics. Contact Wilson Chan, tel 2487 615, email wilson.chan@hkfyg.org.hk for more details of this very useful initiative.

70 of the 200 girls-at-risk who participated in this 18-month project sponsored by Operation Santa Claus came to the closing buffet lunch and awards party on 22 December 2007. Guests came in support from the Social Welfare Department's District Planning Coordinating Teams and the Kwai Chung District Fight Crime Committee. Chinese press release at http://hk.news.yahoo.com/
071222/12/2ltp9.html) Contact Carrie Wong, Youth Support Scheme, tel 92365334, email carrie.wong@hkfyg.org.hk

Over 5,900 plastic waterballs with famous football club logos have been donated by Yeung's Mfg. Ltd. The balls will be distributed as gifts by twelve Federation units including 2 outreaching teams, the HKFYG Lee Shau Kee College, Youth SPOTS and the Dragon Foundation. Contact Ada, tel 2123 9598, for more info.

「愛．回家」行動, a membership drive, was launched by u21 youthnet as a matched sponsorship programme with Justice League, Sky Marble (HK) Ltd, Four Seas Mercantile Holdings Ltd and 越寬薈, to motivate members to show their care and love to family and friends over Christmas and New Year. At the programme's webpage, http://virgo.hkfyg.org.hk/egift/, members can send e-gifts and messages and donate some gifts to people-in-need. The real gifts donated by the sponsors include toys, biscuits, t-shirts, footballs and cash donations which will be distributed at four Youth SPOTs in New Territories West to underprivileged families in January and February. The more e-gifts our members send out, the more gifts our sponsors will donate. Phone Marian, 3579 4560, for more info.

The latest Youth SPOT facelift funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and the Lotteries Fund has recently been finished and the centre will be reopened at the end of January. Design work was done by Barrie Ho Architecture Interiors Ltd and we would like to express our gratitude to all these partners who helped us with the modernization to suit the needs of the target audience: youth, children women and parents.

HKFYG has 5 new membership offers from our Youth Business Hong Kong (YBHK),
http://www.yen.org.hk/ybhk/new/
index_e.htm
- from 2Bulb Design and Accessories Co $50 cash discounts for purchases over $500, offer open till 31/1/2008 www.2bulb.com
- from Etin Hong Kong Ltd 20% discounts on Nano umbrellas, offer open till 31/1/2008
www.etin.com.hk
- from New Verdure Printing & Design Co $200 discounts or free 3-foot x 8-foot banners for purchases over $2000, offer open till 31/12/2008
www.newverdure.com
- from Jove Bar 5% discounts for purchases of $150 or above, offer open till 31/10/2008, tel: 2512 0338, Shop 3, G/F, Shell Street, North Point, HK
- from Broaden Ltd, discounts on products including SANYO Projectors, Digital Cameras and Air Purifier, TOSHIBA LCD TVs, HP Printers, Notebook and Desktop Computers, Servers, IBM Notebook and Desktop Computers & servers, offer open till 15/10/2008,
www.broaden-hk.com

Hong Kong is one of the world's best-connected metro cities, where the majority of the young are keenly aware of what information and communications technology (ICT) has to offer. Most of them grew up with computers and almost 90% of families with incomes between HK$20,000 and HK$29,000 have one. However, children from low income, underprivileged families have a long way to catch up. Over a third of all homes with incomes of less than $10,000 have no PC whatsoever.

The government's 2008 Digital 21 Strategy with its vision of an "advanced wireless city" will help to bring them up to speed. The city is to be one of the world's first WiMax networks with broadband available everywhere. All students, from primary upwards, will have access to online learning. For them, the power of ICT is indispensable. It generates creativity and helps everyone realize hidden potential. We at the Federation believe all young people should have access to that power, now and for the future.

Read about HKFYG CyberSPOTs, where we already provide free access to ICT hardware, software and training, in Forums. Read about Youthvoice, the latest outreach initiative taking ICT to youth-at-risk, in Partnership for the Young