Role-play and Horseplay for Club's Equestrian Youth Ambassadors

9 July 2008

High school students from around Hong Kong spent the day on role-play and then horseplay as part of the Club's Equestrian Youth Ambassador Programme.

About 45 youth ambassadors learned about equestrian sports and Olympic Equestrian Events during a multimedia presentation by the Public Affairs department's Grania Willis, a former international eventing rider. Also a former equestrian journalist, Willis shared stories about reporting at several Olympic Games.

Since the ambassadors will be manning the Olympic Piazza and Live Sites during the Games, communications coach Linda Lee gave them advice on how to present themselves, field questions and handle arguments. The students did role-playing, rehearsing how to respond to people who might be testy, difficult to understand or aggressive.

Then it was time to relax: At Tuen Mun Riding School, the group rode horses. At the stables, the students witnessed a farrier adjusting a horse's shoes and another horse getting a thorough grooming. They also posed for photos with the Club's Shetland ponies.  

The Equestrian Youth Ambassador Programme, part of the Club's drive to promote equestrian sports, Olympism and national education, includes students from ten of Hong Kong's most prestigious schools and 50 students from Beijing Experimental Middle School.  Some 300 Hong Kong ambassadors were on hand to cheer in May when the Olympic Torch arrived at Sha Tin Racecourse during the Olympic Torch Relay. In April, the Beijing students and some of their Hong Kong counterparts mingled for two days in Beijing, visiting newly built Olympic venues and meeting athletes. Next week, the Beijing ambassadors will come to Hong Kong for a reciprocal visit.