To help young people discover their interests and abilities and confidently explore suitable career pathways, The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust last year committed a HK$500 million donation to launch the five-year programme CLAP for Youth @ JC. Today (23 June) saw the opening of its second annual conference, co-organised by the Club, The Chinese University of Hong Kong and Hong Kong Baptist University.
Officiating at the opening ceremony were the Club’s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung, Secretary for Education Eddie Ng and President and Vice-Chancellor of Hong Kong Baptist University Professor Roland Chin. The two-day conference serves as a platform for teachers, social workers and community organisations to exchange life planning ideas with overseas experts.
Mr Cheung said the Club was honoured to have distinguished scholars, as well as business experts from globally-acclaimed financial institutions to share their experience during the conference. “Youth development has long been one of the key strategic focuses of the Club’s Charities Trust,” he explained. “We want to help students and non-engaged youth explore multiple pathways, manage the transition to adulthood and embrace new opportunities.”
In his address, Professor Roland Chin thanked Mr Eddie Ng for officiating at the event and for his insightful speech. He also extended his gratitude to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its generous donation which kick-started the CLAP for Youth @ JC Project. He said HKBU is privileged to be a partner-institution working with multiple stakeholders on youth development. He added that the University is committed to conducting research and evaluation studies to develop a Model of Practice aimed at delivering positive outcomes to the community.
The theme of this year's conference is “Towards Meaningful Engagement: Connecting Youth to Stakeholders & Careers” and keynote speakers include Dean of Lynch School of Education at Boston College, Professor Maureen Kenny; Professor of Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling at National Taiwan Normal University, Professor Shelley Tien; and Head of Citizenship of Asia Pacific at Barclays, Renu Vasanth Kumar. Chief Principal Investigator of CLAP for Youth @ JC, Professor Alvin Leung will reveal key achievements of the programme in its first year.
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 the first comprehensive youth programme in the city benefiting not only school students but also out-of-school youth including school dropouts and non-engaged young people. The programme began at the start of the 2015/16 academic year last September and has already provided services to over 7,000 students and 500 non-engaged youth. Ultimately it will reach about 200,000 young people in total. The aim is to build an effective, holistic and sustainable career and life planning model that can help the city’s young people identify and pursue their life and career goals.
The Club is actively steering 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, Community & NGOs, parent groups, Government and the business sector. The ultimate goal is to develop a paradigm shift in society, establishing clearer pathways for Hong Kong’s young people, and building the professional capacity of the welfare and education sectors. For more details, please visit https://www.clapforyouth.org.hk/.
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 2014/15, its donations reached a record HK$3.87 billion, and in the last decade alone it supported over 1,300 projects. The Club is also Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer, contributing a record HK$20.05 billion in 2014/15. 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 24,000 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.
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The Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung says the Club is honoured to have distinguished scholars, as well as business experts from globally-acclaimed financial institutions to share their experiences during the conference.
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Officiating at the opening ceremony of the CLAP for Youth @ JC annual conference today are the Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (centre), Secretary for Education Eddie Ng (right) and President and Vice-Chancellor of Hong Kong Baptist University Professor Roland Chin (left).
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The Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (2nd left) presents souvenirs to keynote speakers of the Conference.
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The Cluba£į?s Executive Director, Charities and Community, Leong Cheung (3rd right), Secretary for Education Eddie Ng (2nd left) and young people discuss their life planning goals at the Conference.
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Group photo.
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