Environmental Protection
With the rapid deterioration in the air and water quality in Hong Kong, the Club worked closely with the Environmental Protection Department and the Environmental Campaign Committee to launch two programmes during the Hong Kong Environmental protection Festival in December 1999. The Green Zontian Ambassador Scheme (GZAS) aimed at encouraging the business and professional sectors to adopt “environmental management” to not only save money, but to earn greater credence for stakeholders concerned about the environment. Zontians attended a workshop where a booklet containing guidelines and check sheets for green management was distributed. The Z-girl Environmental Protection Ambassador Scheme (ZEPAS) trained a group of 40 Z-girls to environmental awareness during two half-day sessions and two field visits. The participants subsequently organized activities to disseminate environmental protection messages.
Other environmental projects commissioned by the Club included sponsoring the Smoke Check Day initiated by Friends of the Earth; organizing a Poster Design Competition on Home Cleanliness in conjunction with the Community Youth Club of the Education Department; supporting the production of newsletters for the Worldwide Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of Earth Day and staging an "Office Poison" games stall for the Earth Day Carnival.
Service for Society Re-integration
To facilitate the integration of ex-offenders into society, the Club co-sponsored an Award Scheme with the Society for the Rehabilitation of Offenders to provide sufficient and appropriate reinforcement that can motivate and elicit a positive change of the behaviour of their participants. Over a continuous period of time, the scheme seeks to build self-esteem and desire to contribute to society.
On the preventive side, the Club sponsored the “Sprint Cup” project organized by the Community Education Services of the Society for the Rehabilitation of Offenders. The objective was to provide secondary school boys with a clear orientation towards life and understanding of the danger of drugs and the consequence of committing crime. Activities included football matches and workshops, educational seminars and exhibitions in schools. Ex-offenders and rehabilitated drug addicts attended the seminars and shared their experience with the students. A booklet entitled “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” was distributed to advise students on how to avoid joining the Triad societies. Demand for the booklet was so high that a reprint was ordered in the subsequent year.
Recently, the Club worked with the Rehabilitation of Offenders at the Volunteerism Service Project run to help 50 ex-offenders to learn skills, establish meaningful life goals and new life styles in order to break from the relapse cycle. A total of 500 counts of participation within three assessment periods helped strengthen their will power, self-esteem and self-efficacy in the pursuit of their rehabilitation path. They volunteered their services to 200 severely mentally handicapped children and 250 old people.
Other Service Projects
Four respite day camps were organized to provide practical trainings to carers of aged relatives to bring them temporary relief.
376 volunteer workers participated in the Outstanding Volunteers Recognition Scheme. They yielded 27,520 hours of service within one year.
To serve the needy, the Club sponsored the "People's Canteen" project of the St. James Settlement to provide emergency meal assistance to people under exceptional and temporary financial difficulties. |
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