Pak Tin Friendly Network

Project Summary

"Pak Tin Friendly Network" is a 2-year project. It mobilizes local residents as well as members in different community organizations to participate in "Pak Tin Friendly Network" volunteer training and volunteer service. Apart from cultivating a sense of community care, it ultimately aims at fostering a social integration through developing a long-term and cross-sectored mutual support network in Pak Tin Area.

Trained volunteers will provide home visits and proactive supportive services like child care or elderly support services to the vulnerable families. After being served, the service recipients will be motivated and empowered to have role transformation, changing from recipients to volunteers, by participating of volunteers' training and to serve other needy families in return. Through this interactive and reciprocal process, their social support network will be enlarged while their social competence will be enhanced.

Objectives

1. To explore the potentials of Pak Tin residents and to develop these potentials to help the vulnerable families by volunteer training and volunteer services.
2. To provide a positive identity to the trained “Pak Tin Friendly Network” volunteers, to promote their willingness and confidence in serving others and to enhance their self-esteem.
3. To provide timely care and assistance to needy families in Pak Tin neighborhood, so as to relieve their distress in daily life and strengthen their social support network.
4. To encourage service recipients to be volunteers, to develop their potentials to serve other needy families in the community and social capital of the community will then be developed.

Strategies and Content

1. Mobilizing the collaborative efforts of different stakeholders in the community and forming a cross-sectored and cross-organizational social support network. Conjoint care can then be provided to the needy elderly people, families and children who are lack of proper care, including the new arrivals, ethnic minorities and chronic illness patients.
2. Enthusiastic members in the community will be recruited and trained to be the Pak Tin Friendly Network volunteers. House Captain System will also be introduced in the community.
3. Services such as child care service, intergeneration friendly visits, programs of Friendly Family Network will be provided to the needy families in the community.

Volunteer Target

Elderly people, children and youth, women, members of the community

Service Target

1. Families with special needs
2. Elderly people who are lack of care
3. Children who are lack of proper care

Collaborating Parties

Residents' association, welfare organization, religious organization, etc.

Project Period

3rd July,2012 to 2nd July,2014 (Two Years)