Newsletter No. 449/450

10 449/450 • 19.12.2014 本刊由香港中文大學資訊處出版，每月出版兩期。截稿日期及稿例載於 www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/chinese/newsletter/ 。 The CUHK Newsletter is published by the Information Services Office, CUHK, on a fortnightly basis. Submission guidelines and deadlines can be found at www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/english/newsletter/ . 觀看錄像，請掃描QR碼或瀏覽以下網址： To watch the video, please scan the QR code or visit: www.iso.cuhk.edu.hk/video/ ?nsl449-450-ngai How has youth work changed over the last 20 years? It is becoming even more challenging. Going to college or finding a job in the age of globalization is more complicated than two decades ago, and it’s often the underlying cause of drug abuse and crime among young adults. The Internet is another source of new problems, giving birth to cyber bullying, Internet addiction, and social withdrawal. On the other side, youth work in the new age goes beyond face-to-face meeting to online counselling. We are able to identify young people in need on web forums. How do you teach your students not to be prejudiced against the ‘hidden youths’? To develop empathy, students must be encouraged to put themselves in the shoes of the troubled teens’ position and view the problem and the challenges from the latter’s perspectives. I invite social workers engaged in youth service to speak to my class, and bring previously ‘hidden’ youths to talk to my students in class, so that they realize being ‘hidden’ is not merely a personal problem, but also a product of our social environment, educational system, and employment prospects. The mean scores of student ratings for the courses you taught are very impressive. What makes you so popular? To arouse students’ interest in this day and age is not easy at all. Every time I step into the class, I remind myself that I am not there to win their approval, but to share my knowledge and kindle their interest in learning. Besides, social work requires practical application of theories, so I adopt an interactive approach to teaching. I play videos in class, lead case discussions, and invite social workers and service users to talk to my students. It bridges what they learn in class with what is really happening out there. How will you use your $200,000 award grant? Many of my colleagues congratulated me on the big prize, but in fact it is specified that the money has to be spent on training and teaching work. I plan to run a service-learning training workshop for teachers and administrative staff of CUHK. I will also organize an international conference next July for sharing and dissemination of the participants’ good practices and exemplary programmes in service learning after their training. How do you feel about receiving the 2014 University Education Award? Receiving this recognition is a great encouragement. It’s a real honour to be selected from among so many distinguished educators in CUHK. I also would like to thank my teacher Prof. Rance Lee who was the former Head of Chung Chi College and now the Master of Wu Yee Sun College. In 2000, in view of the critical need for service- based learning in Hong Kong, he sent me to a training course in the Philippines, so that I could introduce a service- learning programme to Hong Kong. It was the first of its kind in the field of the local higher education. The award is also recognition of Professor Lee’s vision and foresight. What interests you about youth work and youth research? Adolescence is a special stage of life. The changes that take place in a society are clearly reflected in its youths. This is also a highly diversified group. Some will become the future elite. Others will encounter stupendous challenges in their studies and career, which may result in a reliance on drugs, dropping out of school or losing their jobs. I hope to look into the reasons behind these differences in what happens to the lives of the young. Please tell us about your fieldwork placement in Temple Street when you were a university student. Temple Street was then a mystery to university students, with street vendors laying out their exotic wares, Chinese opera singers attracting large crowds, and food of all sorts. Of course, the vibrant community also had its seamy side. Gangsters, sex workers, and drug dealers were hanging out everywhere. My target group was the hawkers’ children in the neighbourhood. I felt the spirit of solidarity and mutual support among the street vendors. They worked hard to feed their family, but unfortunately failed to take good care of their kids, many of whom dropped out before graduating from junior high and spent their days in parks, soon joining juvenile gangs. Were there memorable cases? There was one boy who had quitted school for a year. Many of my colleagues said he was thoroughly bad and had no motivation for change and that I should not believe a word he said. A young and fearless intern, I got the nerve to approach him and chat with him, and surprisingly won his trust. He revealed his wish to get back to school, so I accompanied him to see the discipline mistress. We were actually around the same age. Never before had I felt the wrath of a formidable discipline mistress. Eventually, the school offered him a place, given that he was in the company of a social worker and had shown real determination. 獲得2014年博文教學獎對你最大的意義是甚麼？ 獲獎是個莫大鼓勵，中大有這麼多優秀老師，我居然能突圍而出，令我深 感榮耀。同時很感謝我的恩師—前崇基學院院長、現任伍宜孫書院院長 李沛良教授，在2000年他看見香港對服務學習的需要，挑選我到菲律賓 接受培訓，把服務學習計劃引入香港，屬本地專上院校首創；獲獎也是肯 定了李教授當年的高瞻遠矚。 為甚麼對青年工作和青年研究感興趣？ 青年期是人生一個獨特階段，社會發生的轉變最容易在年輕人身上反 映。此外，年輕人之間的差異性高，有人是未來的社會精英，也有人在 升學就業路上困難重重，導致吸毒、失學、失業等後果。我希望透過分 析差異性，研究背後的原因。 聽說你讀大學時，實習分配到廟街，對你影響特別深？ 當年廟街對大學生而言是個神秘的地方，有很多小販擺賣各式前所未聞 的商品，夜晚街頭的戲曲歌壇圍得水洩不通，食物五花百門，是個活力 十足的多元社區。當然也有龍蛇混雜的一面，黑社會、性工作者和毒販 時常出沒。我當時服務的是該區小販的子女。我看見小販之間互幫互助 的社區精神，可是為了糊口，他們沒法好好照顧子女，不少孩子讀到初 中就輟學，在公園流連，很快加入童黨。 有沒有特別難忘的個案？ 有個男孩已輟學一年，很多同事都說他太壞，沒有改變動機，不能信他 的話。但當時還是實習學生的我，初生牛犢不怕虎，過去和他聊天，竟得 到他信任。後來確定他想重拾課業，我就陪他回校見主任。其實我和他 年紀相差無幾，兩個小伙子面對訓導主任，讓我第一次見識到訓導主任 可以有多凶惡。最終因為有社工陪同，加上男孩表示了誠意，學校重新 接納了他。 現今的青年工作與你二十年前入行比較，有甚麼變化？ 現在難度更高。全球化年代的升學就業比二十年前複雜，而年青人吸 毒、犯事，背後原因往往是升學就業遇到困難。此外，互聯網也衍生出 新問題，如網上欺凌、上網成癮、隱蔽。而新的契機是，現在除了面對面 做青年工作，還可透過網上輔導，甚至在網上討論區找尋需要幫助的年 青人。 你怎樣引導學生消除對受助「隱青」的成見？ 我鼓勵學生以同理心設身處地，代入隱青的生活環境，站在他們的角 度了解問題和困難。我會邀請從事青年工作的社工到課堂，分享經驗體 會；又會帶已經走出隱蔽的年青人到課堂和學生對話；令他們明白，隱 蔽不單是個人問題，而往往和身處的社會環境、教育制度和升學就業息 息相關。 學生對你的教學評分一直很高，你覺得原因何在？ 如今在大學課堂引起年青人興趣殊不容易。每次進入課室我都會提醒自 己，不是為贏取學生高分評價，而是在課堂和他們分享知識，激發學習 興趣。其次，社會工作要求學生將知識應用於社會，所以我採用互動教 學法，堂上經常播放影片，多圍繞案例討論。還會邀請在職社工、受助人 來與學生對話，這些安排有助學生將課堂所學與社會實況貫穿起來。 你會怎樣使用二十萬獎金？ 同事得知我獲獎，都恭喜我進賬二十萬，其實不然，獎金是規定用在教 學培訓工作上的。我計劃給中大的教師和行政人員組織一系列服務學 習培訓，之後在明年7月舉辦國際研討會，讓教職員在會議上展示自己培 訓後回到工作崗位，開展的優質案例和良好經驗，彼此交流。 社會工作學系 副系主任及研究生學部主任 倪錫欽教授 Prof. Ngai Sek-yum Steven Vice-Chairperson and Head of Graduate Division Department of Social Works Photo by ISO staff 口談實錄 Viva Voce ’