Newlife - Training & Activity Centres

A Brief Introduction to the Service

	Day Training Centre is to provide service users with structural activities to help them improve and develop their social and vocational skills
	Social Club is to provide meaningful social and leisure activities for those service users who have day training or a job, and to help them build their social network

The Community Rehabilitation Day Service (CRDS) is to provide occupational therapy to people with mental illness aged between 15 and 65 and living in the community or private homes for the disabled, so as to help them integrate into the society and lead a life of higher quality

In 1978-79, the provision of our pilot socio-recreational services for people with mental illness led to a satisfactory outcome, which indicated the indispensability of social activities in the successful rehabilitation process of service users. Consequently, we set up an activity centre, namely the “Tuen Mun Social Club”, in 1981. In the first few years the Club was operated in Tuen Mun Hostel, and it was not until 1983 that Tuen Mun Social Club was officially moved to On Ting Estate, Tuen Mun, subsequent to the conclusion of the centre’s renovation. After a few years’ operation, we decided to expand the service in order to accommodate the increasing needs of service users. We restructured Tuen Mun Social Club into the Training and Activity Centre (TAC), which later became “Tuen Mun Training and Activity Centre”. On the other hand, following the establishment of our New Life Building, the New Life Building Training and Activity Centre was also set up and commenced service in 1996.

Both Centres are comprised of a Day Training Centre, Social Club and the Community Rehabilitation Day Service (CRDS). The two Day Training Centres, which have a service quota of 30 and 50 persons respectively, provide self-care, social skills and vocational training to support the independent living of people with mental illness in the community; whereas the social clubs organise a wide range of interest groups and socio-recreational programmes for 500 -1000 service users in each centre, catering for their holistic wellness. The CRDS of each TAC serves 120 persons through outreaching occupational therapy services, with an aim to help people with mental illness adapt to the community.

To promote “Holistic Health” amongst the people with mental illness, TACs have been placing emphasis on the development of their potentials in addition to the provision of services. In 2003, the service users at TACs established self-help Art Group and organised an art exhibition. Drawing on their passion and intensive interests in art, they continued creating more artworks afterwards.

In an attempt to enhance the public’s understanding and acceptance of people with mental illness, a blog was set up on “Yahoo!” which contains contents such as video clips of interviews with service users, their drawings and sketches and their writings and photos taken at activities, so as to demonstrate their talents and convey their feelings to the public. For details please visit the following link:
http://hk.myblog.yahoo.com/tuenmuntac

	People with mental illness who are interested in joining in the centre’s programmes and/or required to receive day training

	Referral can be made by psychiatrists, social workers or other organisations.

	Day Training Centre: provide training programmes pertaining to community adjustment, daily living skills and pre-vocational preparation which are formulated by social workers and occupational therapists, for the purpose of enhancing their adjustment ability to home living and work environment
	Social Club: organise small groups and socio-recreational activities in an effort to develop the social and interpersonal skills of the service users
	Community Rehabilitation Day Services (CRDS): provide outreach service for service users to enhance their abilities in self-care, home management, health management and basic community living skills

	The case workers of the Centres will formulate discharge plans for the service users upon completion of training

	People with mental illness, aged 15 or above
	Stable physical and mental conditions, absense of serious harrassing behaviours
	No propensity for violent or anti-social behaviour, has no infectious disease, persistent alcoholic or drug abuse problems, or gambling addiction
	Interested in joining the Centres’ programmes and activities

	Day Training Centre: Free of charge
	Social Club: Applicants are required to pay the stipulated fee charges
	Community Rehabilitation Day Services (CRDS): Free of Charge