Over 80 youth trainees complete foundation course of third phase of ROLE Stars Train-the-Leaders Programme (with photos)
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Over 80 trainees from the district youth committees in the 18 districts and a local university today (July 12) completed the two-day foundation course titled “Rule of Law Education (ROLE) Stars” of the third phase of the ROLE Stars Train-the-Leaders (TTL) Programme organised by the Department of Justice (DoJ). The course aims to train people from various sectors in the community to become ROLE leaders through training on fundamental topics related to Hong Kong’s rule of law and legal system, enhancing their capability in promoting the rule of law in the community on all fronts.
Following the first day of the course taught by the Secretary for Justice, Mr Paul Lam, SC, and member of the Standing Committee of the 14th National People’s Congress and Member of the Legislative Council, Dr Starry Lee, last week, the Deputy Secretary for Justice, Dr Cheung Kwok-kwan, elaborated on the second day of the course about the importance of promoting the rule of law, and the responsibilities and roles of ROLE leaders.
Member of the Working Group on Coordination and Liaison (Working Group) under the Steering Committee on Rule of Law Education (Steering Committee), Mr Chan Chak-ming, and member of the Steering Committee, Ms Sabrina Ho, briefed the trainees on topics such as the legal profession, court proceedings, and alternative dispute resolution services in Hong Kong. Founder and Chairperson of BExcellent Group, Dr June Leung, who has many years of experience in education, was also invited to share her insights on communication skills for effective dissemination of messages about the rule of law.
Dr Cheung remarked that the rule of law is Hong Kong’s “golden reputation” and the foundation for Hong Kong to maintain long-term prosperity and stability under the principle of “one country, two systems”. At the current critical period of breaking new ground and achieving another leap forward, the Hong Kong community must uphold the rule of law, and leverage Hong Kong’s international advantages to promote high-quality development through the rule of law, and hence, the promotion of the rule of law is of great importance.
He said that members of the district youth committees have been promoting youth development and civic education in the community, and they can certainly play an important role in the promotion of the rule of law. University students who are pursuing their career in the education sector will be the backbone of schools’ work in promoting rule of law education, and their active participation will undoubtedly provide new momentum to the passing on and further development of the rule of law in Hong Kong.
Dr Cheung said that communication is a kind of special knowledge. The DoJ designed the course with an emphasis on diversified, interactive and easy-to-understand methods, along with real-life examples and case studies, which enable trainees to easily grasp knowledge of the rule of law. The course also invited experts to teach trainees the skills of dissemination and communication, better equipping them to become ROLE leaders in the future.
After the course, the DoJ held the closing ceremony (including a certificate presentation) for the foundation course of the third-phase programme. Members of the Steering Committee, Ms Ho and Professor Dicky Tsang, and member of the Working Group, Mr Chan, presented certificates to the trainees who completed the two-day foundation course of the third-phase programme.
Looking ahead, the DoJ will continue to organise advanced and extended courses under the third phase of the TTL Programme. Through visits to law enforcement agencies, mock court activities, thematic talks on specific legal topics and practice activities for promoting the rule of law, the courses will further deepen the understanding of the legal system and the implementation of legal procedures of the trainees who have completed the foundation course, as well as bolster their confidence in disseminating messages of the rule of law in the community.
For details and other information relating to the TTL Programme, please visit the dedicated website at www.role-ttl.gov.hk.