Children, Youth in Families

We uplift life trajectories of children and youth from diverse backgrounds by enhancing foundations and removing barriers for successful transitions across key life stages, promoting a children and youth-centric service model, fostering social participation and connectedness, and building a family-friendly community.

Nurturing our children and youth every step of the way

Children and youth development is one of the most important investments we can make in our city’s future. At The Hong Kong Jockey Club, we recognise that not everyone begins life with the same opportunities, which is why we are committed to supporting and nurturing children and youth—every step of the way.

Our journey began in 1969 with the launch of Summer Youth Programme, which provided learning opportunities through community service, education and recreation.

Today, guided by our life trajectory model, we support young people at every key life stage—from early childhood through adolescence, and from education into employment. At each stage, we hope to help them navigate these transitions and grow with confidence, with a goal for them to become active, engaged citizens who believe they are within reach to a hopeful, positive future.

By adopting a children and youth-centric approach, we hope to foster social participation and connectedness, and build family friendly communities to create opportunities for all.

Early childhood:
Building strong foundations

We believe that support should begin from the very start of life. Focusing on aspects from health to quality stimulation and responsive care, we join hands with cross-sectoral professionals, families and carers to nurture happy, healthy children.

Jockey Club Bright Start Project helps build better childcare centres for infants and children up to the age of three by supporting caregivers and parents. In partnership with 15 childcare centres and Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education, the project covers 80% of subsidised childcare centres in Hong Kong providing quality care and education from the start. From here, our goal is to provide opportunities for each child to help bridge any developmental gaps.

To better support children from disadvantaged families, our KeySteps@JC programme focuses on children under six. First launched in Sham Shui Po and Yuen Long, it improves school readiness for young children by integrating education, health and social services. The new KeySteps@JC Hubs in five poverty districts—Sham Shui Po, Sha Tin, Tuen Mun, Kowloon City and Yuen Long—were all co-created with children to give them a voice in their community and provide a children-centric, children-friendly space.

Supporting navigation through the turmoil years of adolescence

Known for some of the toughest exams in the region, children and youth in Hong Kong face considerable exam stress and exhaustion growing up, according to a survey from a local organisation Hok Yau Club. From primary school onwards, heavy loads of homework, extra tuition and intense competition can cause anxiety for students. While childhood can be a joyful life stage, external pressures such as academic demands, peer pressure and bullying can take a toll on mental health.

A report in 2023 focusing on the emotional well-being of Hong Kong populations—published by the Advisory Committee on Mental Health—found that one in six adolescents and young adults are experiencing some form of mental or emotional distress.

To help young people grow into strong, confident adults, we must prioritise their mental health. That is where JC LevelMind comes in, providing a supportive, stigma-free environment where young people can access our “Always On” services to relax and recharge.

Through JC LevelMind, we have established 45 one-stop wellness hubs, co-created with young people, across Hong Kong, offering early intervention for young people experiencing mental distress. A team of cross-sector professionals provides support to ensure timely care. The programme has reached over 20,000 young people and trained more than 140 registered social workers.

To accommodate diverse needs of young people, we also launched Jockey Club Online Youth Emotional Support “Open Up”, a 24/7 online text-based emotional support platform. Since then, it has helped over 67,000 young people navigate the challenges of adolescence. This successful model has led to government adoption.

By supporting young people’s mental well-being in their formative years, we empower them to build resilience and confidence to tackle future challenges.

Leading to a thriving adult life

Youth development does not end when they leave school. We are committed to helping young people build meaningful lives and fulfilling careers, ensuring that every young person has the opportunity to thrive.

Launched in 2015, CLAP@JC takes a paradigm-shifting approach to empower all young people with the competence to make informed choice when navigating the transition from education to employment. To raise industry standards, CLAP@JC introduced the Hong Kong Benchmarks for Career and Life Development (CLD)—a structured framework for schools and NGOs to support youth from diverse backgrounds.

So far, it has engaged 145 local secondary schools, 115 non-profit youth-service units, and more than 3,700 employers in its network. The programme materials were adopted by secondary schools, and CLD networks were established in six districts, with the possibility of broader adoption in other districts. This helps to better inform the support network of young people, allowing them to provide our youth with more effective guidance.

Recognising CLAP@JC’s impactful approach, Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education and Skills of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, says, “[CLAP@JC] is helping young people to see their future, if not, create their future for themselves. … Initiatives like this are so important because they look at this bigger picture, and try to make this bigger picture visible, tangible for young people,” he adds.

To provide a safe and empowering space for young people in this journey of growth and self-discovery, our 21C@JC programme brings youth service into the digital era, offering online and offline experiences through Hong Kong’s 36 Integrated Children and Youth Service Centres. It connects social workers with youth to co-create meaningful, youth-centric experiences that inspire them for a brighter future.

Our needle moving journey continues

“It takes a village to raise a child” or so says the well-known African proverb about how it is not just the parents who provide a nurturing environment for children to grow, but an entire community of family, teachers, friends and neighbours, and the wider community.

We strive to innovate and provide a supportive environment where all children and young people can thrive, unleashing their potential in helping to build a brighter Hong Kong for the next generation.