Club funds another mobile classroom to spread anti-drug messages to more students

23 April 2010

Recent Government figures have shown an alarming increase in teenage drug abusers.  To help address this social problem, The Hong Kong Jockey Club through its Charities Trust has donated about HK$1.5 million to the Life Education Activity Programme (LEAP) to set up its eighth Life Education Centre.

The Life Education Centre is a mobile classroom that provides health education and drug prevention programmes to students throughout the city.  Today (23 April) the Club's Executive Director, Charities, Legal & Corporate Secretariat, Douglas So was joined by LEAP Chairman Quince Chong to officiate at the new Centre's commissioning ceremony.

The mobile classroom is designed to provide a relaxed environment where students can enjoy the programme and become involved in discussions and role plays.  It contains illuminated models of the human body, a "talking brain" and animations of the digestive system, circulatory system and nervous system to help deliver essential messages in the programme.  LEAP mascots Harold the Giraffe and Holly the Horse also reinforce healthy living messages by talking and singing with the children.

The Club's Executive Director, Charities, Legal & Corporate Secretariat, Douglas So, pointed out that LEAP had for many years played a valuable role in drug prevention education, delivering healthy living and anti-drug messages to students in primary, secondary and special schools.

"The fight against drug abuse is one in which all members of the community need to get involved," Mr So emphasised.  "The introduction of the eighth Life Education Centre will spread drug prevention message to more students, and help Hong Kong's children and young people grow up in a healthy and drug-free environment."

This is the sixth Life Education Centre donated by the Trust.  Since 1993, the Trust has donated over HK$16 million to LEAP, supporting a number of its projects such as the Special Needs Programme for students in special schools, as well as translation of its programmes into Cantonese.  Over the past 16 years, about 900,000 students from primary, secondary and special schools have attended classes offered by the Centre. In addition, the Trust has co-operated with other non-government organisations to tackle drug abuse and promote the holistic development of young people.  These initiatives include "P.A.T.H.S. to Adulthood: A Jockey Club Youth Enhancement Scheme", which has recently introduced new modules on drug education to help enhance students' abilities in terms of judgment, self-determination and emotional management, and hence better equip them to say no to the temptation of drugs.

To celebrate its 15th anniversary and the official commissioning of the eighth Life Education Centre, LEAP recently organised a "Draw a Healthy Life" Mobile Classroom Exterior Graphic Design Competition.  Some of the winning designs have been applied to the exterior panels of the new Centre.  A roving exhibition showcasing the shortlisted entries will be held in the coming weeks at various venues, including the Club's Headquarters and CX City.

125th Anniversary of The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is celebrating its 125th Anniversary in 2009/10 season.  Over the past 125 years, it has become one of Hong Kong's best known and respected organisations, providing the public with world-class sporting entertainment as well as being the city's major non-Government community benefactor, now donating more than HK$1 billion a year to charitable and community projects.  It has been a part of Hong Kong through good times and bad, sharing the city's growth and development with its people, and is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for future generations.