Working with Youth-at-Risk in Hong Kong

Preface

Preface฀ A colloquial term fo r "Youth-at-risk " i s "Marginal youth". It connote s "standing on the edge of becoming a juvenile delinquent". This type of young people are considered quit e risky a s they ar e likely to break th e law an d coul d become officia l delinquents . Around 6,00 0 juvenile s (715 ) have been arrested each year over the past 1 0 years (Commissione r of Police, 1993-2002) , according to statistics from th e Hong Kong Police. Although no t al l arrested young people have been convicte d a s officia l delinquents, th e figures , t o a certai n extent , revea l a larg e portio n o f society's youn g population ar e marginalized . The youth-at-risk proble m ha s drawn much attentio n an d concer n from th e public and the government. Various Western and local theories have bee n pu t forwar d t o accoun t fo r th e youth-at-ris k o r juvenil e delinquent proble m (Cohen , 1955 ; Dryfoos, 1990 ; Glueck an d Glueck , 1956; Lee , 2002 ; McWhirter , 1998 ; Morris, 1957 ; Schoenfeld , 197 5 & Sutherland, 1939). Bu t variou s concerne d partie s ar e stil l focuse d o n tackling the issue of reducing the problem. Som e commonly recogniz e categories o f at-ris k yout h a s yout h gangs , youn g substanc e abusers , school bullies and cautioned juveniles. These young people are usually perceived a s impulsive-nature d individual s rathe r tha n har d cor e criminals, and need the help of welfare services rather than punishment . The organizatio n o f thi s boo k i s a s follows. Afte r introducin g th e local phenomen a o f youth-at-ris k i n Chapte r 1 , differen t service s fo r these youn g peopl e wil l b e presente d i n Chapte r 2 . A centra l ai m o f this book is to introduce different interventio n approaches, for workin g with different categorie s of at-risk young people. These approaches wil l be discusse d i n Chapter s 3 t o 7 . Th e effectivenes s o f youth-at-ris k xu฀PREFACE฀ services wil l b e discusse d i n Chapte r 8 throug h example s suc h a s Outreaching Social Work Service - stree t work with unattached youth . Chapter 9 is an enlightening chapter making the argument that th e youth proble m i s a sociall y constructe d phenomeno n fro m ou r risk y society. Base d o n thi s proposition , som e reflection s o f ou r wor k wit h youth-at-risk are made. At the end of the day, the youth-at-risk proble m does exist , regardles s o f wha t proposition s w e believ e in . So , i n th e concluding chapte r (Chapte r 10) , principles an d the futur e directio n of working wit h youth-at-ris k ar e shared . Aside fro m sharin g differen t workin g approaches , i t i s hope d thi s book ca n stimulate ou r thoughts i n innovating and designing effectiv e working approache s wit h thi s grou p o f young people , i n orde r t o hel p them bette r integrat e int o ou r societ y an d lea d a healthy life . As a concludin g remark , i t ha s t o b e mentione d tha t th e theorie s employed in different chapter s of this book are developed in the Western world. Bu t i t i s believe d tha t thes e concept s ca n b e applie d i n Hon g Kong, a non-Wester n setting . T o appl y thes e idea s i n a non-Wester n setting help s t o reinforc e a cross-cultura l understandin g o f th e issue s discussed. ...