Hong Kong Customs today (July 31) held a graduation parade at the Hong Kong Customs College for the Customs Youth Leader Corps Summer Training Camp under the programme "Customs YES". A total of 57 youths have completed the training and have become the first batch members of the Customs Youth Leader Corps.
A Chinese-style foot drill was held during the graduation parade, which was inspected by the Executive Director of the "Customs YES" Executive Committee, Mr Edgar Kwan. He also presented the Best Recruit Awards to the participants with outstanding performances in recognition of their achievements during the training camp.
The training camp was held from July 26 to 30, during which the participants underwent training on discipline, physical, parade and leadership. They also learned about the spectrum of work of Customs and the legislation enforced by the department through visits and seminars.
Sharing sessions and workshops of various themes had also been organised during the training camp to help participants know themselves better, think seriously about their future goals and establish a direction for their individual development. The renowned musician Chiu Tsang-hei shared his passion and persistence towards music; the "Son of the star" Mr Chan Yik-hei shared the endeavors in his journey of invention, innovation and technology; and Magistrate Mr Joseph To shared legal knowledge with the participants.
"Customs YES", which aims to extend the scope of youth education through diversified activities, is a new programme introduced by Customs this year. A thematic website (www.customsyes.hk) was also launched. Young individuals aged between 12 and 24 can join the programme, which encourages them to fully unleash their potential and foster their positive values and sense of belonging towards society by participating in a series of activities with different elements, including self-understanding, career-orientation and leadership.
The Customs Youth Leader Corps is a new youth uniformed group established by Customs under the "Customs YES" programme. It aims to help members boost their self-confidence and develop team-oriented leadership skills through disciplinary training, regular drills and different education-oriented activities, thus paving the way for them to become distinguished youth leaders in the community.
As at July this year, about 860 individual members and 20 organisation members (including schools and non-governmental organisations) have been recruited to join the "Customs YES" programme. A number of thematic events have been organised, including a Job Orientation Experience Camp, an Innovation and Technology Workshop, a Summer Internship Programme, visits to Customs facilities and school talks. More than 1 000 participants took part.
In the future, Customs will organise more activities with different themes and types under the "Customs YES" programme, such as exchange activities in the Mainland, volunteer services, sports competitions and career development workshops to attract more young people to participate in, and foster their positive thinking.
Ends/Saturday, July 31, 2021
