Charities & Community
Youth Development
Jockey Club expands its Career and Life Adventure Planning Programme for Youth in face of huge demand
19/04/2015
The Hong Kong Jockey Club is to increase the number of schools involved in its five-year career and life adventure planning programme known as “CLAP for Youth @ JC”, following the very positive response from all concerned. Funded by a HK$500 million donation from the Club’s Charities Trust, the programme will be extended to cover 100 affiliated schools in addition to the target 50 network schools so as to benefit more young people.
“CLAP for Youth @ JC” was officially launched by Club Chairman Dr Simon S O Ip and the Chief Secretary for Administration the Hon Mrs Carrie Lam today (19 April) at the annual Community Day race meeting held at Sha Tin Racecourse, when the first five network schools and five NGOs piloting the programme starting this September were announced.
The programme spearheads the Club’s focus on youth development this year, one of the three strategic themes to benefit from the Charities Trust in the coming three to five years, and highlights the Club’s commitment to investing in young people for the future development of Hong Kong.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Dr Ip noted, “There is no doubt that ‘CLAP for Youth’ is an ambitious programme. But the demand for its services is clear. And through the synergies we will achieve by drawing together expertise from a wide range of sectors, we believe we can make a real difference to the lives of many, many young people. I am confident that our collaborative efforts will help our children embark on their future careers and life paths with greater confidence and hope – ready and able to play their part as productive and caring members of our society.”
Mrs Lam expressed her gratitude to the Club for pioneering this largest-scale youth project which provide support for our youth, and help guide them in their search for career pathways through cross-sectoral partnerships with various sectors in the community. She said, “The project aims to develop a paradigm shift of the general public on the life and career goals of our youth by promoting the concept of multiple pathways. It will not only benefit students, but will also reach out to non-engaged school-leavers through district service teams operated by experienced NGOs.”
“CLAP for Youth @ JC” is a five-year pilot career and life adventure planning programme targeting young people aged between 15 and 21. It is a comprehensive youth programme benefiting not only school students but also out-of-school youth including school dropouts, hidden and non-engaged young people. Other stakeholders are also being covered, including teachers, social workers, parents as well as business partners.
The programme will start in the new academic year this September with the aim of reaching out to 200,000 young people in total. The Club will actively steer the project, working in cross-sectoral partnership with The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, The Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters, The Hong Kong Council of Social Service, NGOs, parent groups, Government and business sector to build an effective, holistic and sustainable career and life planning model in helping our youth pursue their life and career goals. The ultimate goal is to develop a paradigm shift of the society on the pathways for our youth, and to build the professional capacity of the welfare and education sectors.
The first five network schools namely Buddhist Mau Fung Memorial College, CUHKFAA Chan Chun Ha Secondary School, Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School, ECF Saint Too Canaan College and St. Joseph’s College will pilot their career and life planning services and counselling to the students in September. The number of network schools will be expanded to 50 in five years. In view of the encouraging response, the project will further expand its reach by partnering 100 affiliated schools to offer them support, and also to organise a two-day conference in July with 1,000 audience, where teachers can exchange ideas and best practices with overseas experts in career and life planning.
For the non-engaged youth, five district service teams coordinated by the five NGO partners announced today including Hong Kong Children and Youth Services, Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service – Hong Kong, Hong Kong Young Women's Christian Association, Hong Kong Christian Service and The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong will serve out-of-school youth, especially the school dropouts, hidden and non-engaged young people in the city.
To facilitate wider participation, the project is also aimed at enhancing public awareness, in particular amongst parents, towards career and life planning to ultimately shift a paradigm deeply rooted in our society through regular briefings and community outreach. Business partners would be invited to offer internship and mentorship opportunities for young people to experience the commercial world to make informed choices on their future paths. In addition, a one-stop e-platform is being developed to maximise the project’s effectiveness by providing advice on developing individual career profiles; further study, career and interview skills in an interactive way; help young people explore their career related attributes.
An Advisory Committee of 20 pre-eminent experts comprising representatives from Government bureaux and departments including the Education Bureau, The Home Affairs Bureau, Social Welfare Department and Labour Department, the academia, NGOs, parent groups, youth groups and the business sector, has been established to advise on the project implementation to ensure it meets the changing needs of society.
The highlight of today’s race meeting was the staging of the Community Trophy, which was won by Thunder Fantasy, ridden by Brett Prebble. Mrs Carrie Lam presented the trophy to Owner Andy Chiu Koon Ming. Over 200 representatives of Government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions and other community groups attended today’s Community Day.
The Club initiated the annual Community Day race meeting in 2005 as a way of honouring its successful partnerships with NGOs, Government agencies, academic institutions and other groups in building a better Hong Kong. This followed the generous donation of a silver racing trophy, over 150 years old, by Member Tobias Brown, in recognition of the Club’s long-standing support for the community. It has since been renamed The Hong Kong Jockey Club Community Trophy.
The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class horse racing operator and Hong Kong’s largest community benefactor, as well as one of Asia’s most prestigious membership clubs. Operating as a not-for-profit organisation, the Club allocates its surplus funds for charitable and community projects. In 2013/14, its donations reached a record $3.6 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,275 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$19.58 billion in 2013/14. With about 70% of its revenue given back to society every year through donations and tax contributions, The Hong Kong Jockey Club delivers a significantly higher return to the community than any other racing and/or sports betting organisation in the world. As a socially responsible organisation, the Club helps Government combat illegal betting and advocates responsible gambling. The Club is also one of Hong Kong’s largest employers with over 24,800 full-time and part-time staff. Committed to global excellence and giving back to society, the Club is always “riding high together for a better future” with the people of Hong Kong. Please visit 130.hkjc.com.
