Youth Outreach

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation
 Introduction

Nonprofit organisations (NPOs) are legal entities that operate for a public benefit as

opposed to generating profits for their owners and managers. Governments all over the world

have failed to distribute public goods equitably to all citizens. In many cases, the poor,

minorities, and persons living in rural areas lack access to public goods. NPOs intervene in

these to help these communities access essential goods that they would otherwise not achieve.

Their aim is to ensure that the overall quality of life of entire communities improves. In this

paper, I reflect on the social impact and development of NPOs and highlight the work of

Youth Outreach in Hong Kong.

Basic Understanding of NPOs

NPOs operate for a public benefit. Therefore, they are formed with the aim of making

a positive impact on the society. The principles and actions of NPOs are influenced by social

values. Some of these values include dignity, fairness, humanity, individual rights, and

education. NPOs intervene for communities that cannot enjoy these values. They provide

services and deliver public goods that governments and the public sector are not distributing

to every citizen. As a result, they make a positive social impact. For example, an NPO that

supports vulnerable children to go to school increases the literacy rate of an entire

community. An NPO that provides legal advocacy ensures that persons who have been

offended receive justice. On overall, NPOs should promote ideals such as humanity, rights,

and dignity within the society.

NPOs have a sense of social responsibility in their organisation. NPOs are assessed

based on how well they ensure that vulnerable members of the society access a public good.

Most donors examine the social impact of an NPO when making the decision of whether or

not to donate. Thus, NPOs must show a high sense of social responsibility to continue

receiving donor funds. NPOs are also responsible to the communities that they service.
Vulnerable groups expect NPOs to step in areas where their governments have failed. They

expect that the NPOs will be fair and equitable in their allocation of resources so that persons

that are meant to benefit actually benefit.

Our relationships with NPOs vary across our lifespan. For example, we interact with

different NPOs as we develop. For example, during our childhood, we will mostly interact

with NPOs that focus on providing maternal and postnatal health services. These NPOs may

assist us to get the necessary immunisation, medical attention, and nutrition. We may also

interact with NPOs that provide child welfare services depending on the environment that we

are raised. Some NPOs help children who are abused or maltreated by their parents or

guardians get a new home to prevent further abuse and maltreatment. NPOs may also

intervene for children struggling to find education. Some parents lack the financial means to

take their children to school. NPOs could provide financial assistance for such parents. As

children grow into adolescence, they may encounter NPOs that provide mental health,

juvenile delinquency, and substance abuse services. These NPOs may help problematic youth

get back on track. During adulthood, a person could interact with different kinds of NPOs.

These include NPOs focused on mental and physical health therapy, occupational therapy,

substance abuse, marriage counselling, domestic violence, homelessness, environment

protection, etc. On overall, our relationships with NPOs depend on the kind of public good or

service that we need.

The Emergence of NPOs since the 19th century

Origin of NPO Power

NPOs have a long history. For example, religious institutions such as the Catholic

Church have always been involved in charitable activities since they were founded. However,

NPOs were largely unregulated prior to the 19th century. Funding and volunteering for

nonprofits remained low and subject to government influence. Modern day NPOs started to
form in the 19th century. One of the pioneer NPOs was the Peabody Education Fund, which

was established in 1867. This organisation received donations from well-wishers to support

educational programmes in the US. The Pearson Education Fund inspired the formation of

NPOs across the United States. The majority of the NPOs were focused on promoting

education, civil liberty, and rights of factory workers. The majority of NPOs were small scale

and engaged mostly in charity (Hall, 2016).

Up until the 19th century, NPOs were mostly concerned with helping the vulnerable.

They did not tackle root causes of societal problems. Philanthropists such as John D.

Rockefeller and Andrew Carnergie led the calls for more formalisation and better

organisation of NPO to enable them attract more funding and tackle problems at the societal

level. However, legal barriers existed for well-wishers in the form of taxation. This would

change in 1917 when the US passed the Revenue Act to exempt individuals and organisations

from taxation when they donated to charity. The act was followed by large scale formation of

the third sector. Many governments in the developed world promoted NPOs by offering

grants and contracts. These moves encouraged the emergence of the NPO sector. The number

of NPOs increased significantly throughout the 20th century (Hall, 2016)

NPO Development in early Hong Kong

Even though the British colonial government adopted a non-interventionist approach

towards NPOs, it established laws such as the Public Order Ordinance and Societies

Ordinance to limit freedom of assembly and association. The government used these laws to

suppress NPOs that posed a perceived threat to its rule. As a result, the emergence of NPO in

early Hong Kong was slow. Between 1880s and 1950s, there was only a handful of NPOs.

The majority were church-based organisations and Chinese civil service organisations. These

NPOs organised self-help groups with the aim of solving common problems. These groups

empowered the people economically. Church-based organisations were based around temples
and shrines. They were managed by community leaders (Lee, 2005). These organisations

were small-scale and benefitted only certain depraved persons.

The establishment of the Po Leung Kuk and Tung Wah Hospital is considered a

watershed moment in the development of NPOs in Hong Kong. Po Leung Kuk was founded

in 1878 and Tung Wah Hospital was founded in 1870. These two organisations served entire

communities and provided a range of public goods and services. Their influence would grow

until the captured the attention of the governor. The governor would appoint his own men to

the management of the organisations as a way of checking their influence. He would use such

an approach to all Chinese organisations and communal self-help groups to ensure that the

government had indirect control over all NPOs in Hong Kong. Only NPOs run by

international churches were not controlled by the government. The consequence is that

international NPOs thrived at the expense of local NPOs. The government was keen on

partnering more with the international organisations because they posed little threat to its rule

(Lee, 2005). Local NPOs remained small in size and lacked the funds to tackle societal

problems.

Changes of Strategies in the Provision of social services

International and local NPOs have changed the way they provide social services.

Before the 20th century, the majority of NPOs focused on helping individuals through charity.

They would identify depraved individuals and offer the necessary assistance. Such an

approach was necessitated because the majority lacked the funds to help many people.

Furthermore, many governments imposed legal barriers as to what NPOs can do. Taxation on

donations and limitations on the amount of donations also restricted them to addressing only

individual needs. However, as governments became more open to the idea of NPOs and

removed legal barriers, NPOs shifted to addressing societal problems. NPOs focused on

tackling root causes of these problems. Many of them got involved in doing research and
engaging the government in understanding social problems and establishing mechanisms to

address these problems. The change in approach has ensured that many more people benefit

from their services.

Development of Youth Outreach

Youth Outreach was established in 1991 by Dr Peter Newberry and colleagues. The

organisation offers intervention services for at-risk youth. Its aim is to ensure that such youth

receive the necessary help to overcome their crises. The Chinese name for the NPO is: 協 青

社, which are symbolic for “aid”, “youth or green” and “society.” These symbols show that

the organisation supports and cares for youth in the society so that they remain productive.

The Hong Kong government, through the Hong Kong Council of Social Service (HKCSS)

played a central role in the formation of Youth Outreach. The statutory body noted that Hong

Kong lacked an NPO that offered crisis intervention for young people. It called on

stakeholders to create such an entity. Dr Newberry answered the call. He managed to

mobilise his friends to establish Youth Outreach and get funding from the Hong Kong public.

The NPO has grown over the years. It now operates from a 15-storey building and employs

more than 100 people. It provides crisis intervention throughout the day, every day (Agenzia

Info Salesiana, 2020).

Youth Outreach heavily depends on private donors, businesses, and the government

for funding. Donations usually fluctuate depending on the economic conditions. Budgeting

without a reliable source of income is a major challenge for the NPO. Thus, it has been

forced to open an e-shop to sell book and souvenirs in order to have a reliable revenue

stream. The NPO also depends on volunteers to run most of its programmes. Volunteers help

to reduce the cost of human resource, thereby allowing the NPO to provide its services to a

high number of youths.

Youth Outreach’s Contribution to Hong Kong Society

 Youth Outreach has made a positive contribution to the society by giving a wide

range of services to youth undergoing difficult moments in their life. Its key programmes are:

i. All-night outreaching teams Youth Outreach employs teams that seek and make

initial contact with youth who are unable or unwilling to go home. It provides

transitional housing for such youths who are between 16 and 20.

ii. The Hangout: Youth Outreach organises sessions where youths gather and

socialise with their friends. Youths attending these events engage in a number of

leisure activities that teach them positive social values.

iii. City challenge: Youth Outreach organises a series of sports challenges including

abseiling, canoeing, and rock climbing. These challenges target at-risk youth who

love to adventure.

iv. School of hip hop: Youth Outreach understands the hip hop culture is entrenched

among Hong Kong youth. Thus, it has been using hip hop music and dance to

entertain and motivate young people. Youths undergoing this intervention receive

the necessary help and motivation to continue with their studies or seek

employment.

v. Youth employment start-up programme: The purpose of this programme is to

impart youths between the ages of 15 and 25 with basic skills to perform

particular technical jobs. The programme can also rekindle the spirit of disturbed

youths to adopt a new skill and get back into employment.

vi. Crisis Residential Centre: Youth Outreach provides a family style housing for

youths between 8 and 21. These youths will be assigned a social worker to help

them resolve their differences with their families.

 vii. Transitional housing: The NPO operates transitional housing for both working

young men and women who are afraid of going back home. Such housing gives

then a window to find a new home.

viii. Concorde Psychological: This programme focuses on providing psychological

health services to the public. Youth Outreach employs a number of physicians,

mental health practitioners, social workers and psychologists to provide the

services (Youth Outreach, n.d).

Conclusion

My perception of Youth Outreach has changed after analysing its development and

impact. I believe that this NPO is one of the most important in Hong Kong. The future of

Hong Kong lies on its youth since they are highly productive. Giving them opportunities to

tackle their problems ensures that they are remain productive. As a result, they can make a

positive contribution to Hong Kong’s economic development. Furthermore, the NPO

prevents at-risk youths from descending into substance abuse and crime by rehabilitating

them into responsible citizens. I believe that this is an effective way of securing Hong Kong’s

future generation.
 References

Agenzia Info Salesiana (2020, September 11). Hong Kong – “Youth Outreach”: loving what

young people love. https://www.infoans.org/en/sections/news/item/11189-hong-kong-

youth-outreach-loving-what-young-people-love

Hall, D. P. (2010). Historical perspectives on nonprofit organizations in the United States. In

Renz, D.O (ed) The Jossey-Bass handbook of nonprofit leadership and management.

San Francisco, (33-40) CA: Jossey-Bass.

Lee, E. W. (2005). Nonprofit development in Hong Kong: The case of a statist–corporatist

regime. Voluntas: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit

Organizations, 16(1), 51-68.

Youth Outreach (n.d). Our Services. https://www.yo.org.hk/en/services.html