Guest urges students to be more aware of surroundings and not let opportunities slip by

Young people should always bear peace in mind when facing life in the 21st century, Dr Philemon Choi Yuen-wan said.

Dr Choi, the general secretary of the youth group Breakthrough, was speaking as the officiating guest at Pui Ying College's annual speech day.

He said students had been born into, and were in charge of an important age where both the best and worst things exist.

Although the 21st century had arrived, Dr Choi said many teenagers did not know how to handle it. Many were afraid and overlooked challenges.

Dr Choi said there were two characteristics that 21st-century youngsters should possess.

The first was a sense of urgency. He said some youngsters were too unaware of their surroundings. They easily let opportunities pass by and eventually wasted their lives. Time was running so fast that if youngsters did not grasp opportunities, they would probably be left behind.

The second characteristic was a sense of mission. He cited the example of the late United States president John F Kennedy to remind students that only when they were willing to take up re sponsibility could they achieve their goals.