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Youth Development

Jockey Club launches mental wellness project and engages youth to help design iGen hubs
08/07/2021

Young people are less likely to seek help from mental health professionals compared with other age groups. Barriers to help-seeking include the lack of youth-friendly platforms, services that cannot meet the needs of iGen members, and the stigmatisation of mental conditions.

With this in mind, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust has initiated and funded the LevelMind@JC project with an approved donation of some HK$295 million. It aims to establish a community-based and stigma-free youth mental wellness service model to support the evolving needs of young people aged 12 to 24. A ceremony was held on 1 April to officially launch the project.

The project has specifically designed a three-tier service model to identify and provide early intervention through diverse stress-free engagement and outreach activities, and therapeutic group interventions. It also provides referral consultation services and follow-up clinical support based on individual needs. In collaboration with the social welfare and clinical sectors, the project seeks to increase public awareness about youth mental wellness and foster a caring and inclusive community.

In addition, the project has eight community-based, youth-specific mental wellness hubs around Hong Kong. These hubs are designed with input from young people to provide stigma-free and youth-friendly spaces for young people to relax, connect and seek help from mental health professionals. About 8,400 young people are expected to benefit from the project.

The project is coordinated by The University of Hong Kong and youth workers from six non-governmental organisations – The Boys’ and Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong, Caritas Hong Kong, Hong Kong Playground Association, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, St. James’ Settlement, and Hong Kong Children & Youth Services.