Adolescent development boosted by three-year extension to P.A.T.H.S.

15 January 2009

The Hong Kong Jockey Club announced today (15 January) that it will extend "P.A.T.H.S. to Adulthood: A Jockey Club Youth Enhancement Scheme" for three further school years from 2009/10 to 2011/12 with a donation of HK$350 million through its Charities Trust, following encouraging results from the project launched in 2005. With a number of enhancements also being introduced and more flexible options being offered, the Club hopes that all secondary schools in Hong Kong will now participate actively in this project.

Youth development has long been high on the Club's agenda and over the years it has committed to supporting a number of different educational programmes for Hong Kong's young people. "P.A.T.H.S. to Adulthood: A Jockey Club Youth Enhancement Scheme" was initiated by the Trust in 2005 to foster all-round positive development in local adolescents, with the Social Welfare Department and the Education Bureau as major partners. This unique project, initially spanning 3½ years, was designed and developed by a research team of experts from five local universities. Its aim is to help Secondary One to Secondary Three students in Hong Kong meet the challenges they will encounter along their paths to adulthood, with the support of school social workers, principals, teachers and parents.

P.A.T.H.S. has been well supported by the local education sector with nearly 50 per cent of all secondary schools joining the project. As a result, about 5,000 teachers and school social workers have received training on this topic, and some 100,000 junior secondary students have benefited. The project has been widely commended by students, teachers, school principals and social workers. Chairman of The Hong Kong Jockey Club John C C Chan said at today's launch of the extension of P.A.T.H.S. that it was encouraging to see a voluntary-based project win such overwhelming support from schools, teachers and students alike.

P.A.T.H.S. is a holistic youth development programme that aims to help young people explore their potential, establish self-identity, foster closer ties with others, and develop healthy beliefs and clear values. Studies by the Research Team show that over 92% of teachers and social workers agreed P.A.T.H.S. was conducive to the students' whole person development, while over 80% of the participating students commended its positive impact on their personal growth. The project has not only won local support, but also overseas recognition and commendation, with the education sectors in Macau, Shanghaiand Singaporeall expressing interest in this programme. Trial projects have already been implemented at secondary schools in Shanghaiand Singapore.

The extension of P.A.T.H.S. will be implemented for three further school years from 2009/10 to 2011/12. All secondary schools across Hong Kong will be encouraged to participate in this voluntary-based project. The programmes of the project and its extension are similar in principle, but the new enhancements allow more flexibility in programme design, the mode of training for teachers and the allocation of resources. Participating schools will be able to introduce different programmes that best meet their students' needs. Teachers and social workers will also enjoy flexibility in obtaining formal training on P.A.T.H.S. via e-learning packages, which will additionally be made available to teachers of non-participating schools. A web-based "resource bank" will be set up for schools and their teachers to source digital learning and teaching materials, as well as share their experience and exchange ideas. This dynamic platform will also provide useful resources for schools in implementing the new senior secondary school curriculum with great emphasis placed on "broad-based knowledge", "lifelong learning" and "whole-person development".  (For details of the extension of P.A.T.H.S. please refer to the attachment or visit the project website www.paths.hk/index.)

Secretary for Labour and Welfare Matthew Cheung paid warm tribute to The Hong Kong Jockey Club for its generous donation and to non-governmental organisations for their support to P.A.T.H.S.. "I hope this project will serve as guidance to more young people while they are growing up, and assist them to expand their vision, develop healthy beliefs and nurture an energetic spirit," he said.

Secretary for Education Michael Suen said at today's launch ceremony that P.A.T.H.S. had attained substantial success in the past few years, and was welcomed by students, teachers and social workers. The project's professional research team, under the lead of its Principal Investigator Professor Daniel Shek, had affirmed its effectiveness. Mr Suen expressed his expectation that the project could build on the success of past ventures, and with enhanced co-operation with schools' moral and civic education programmes and student counselling services, the project's successful experiences could be extended. 

Noting that drug abuse among young people had become a major concern in the community, Mr Suen said that P.A.T.H.S. focused on assisting youngsters to develop a positive value system, strengthen their competence to distinguish right and wrong, and establish their own goals of life, their abilities to make choices, and to establish friendship with good peers. All these would help youngsters say !¥no' to the temptation of drugs. The Education Bureau was actively encouraging schools to establish and implement the policy of healthy school campus which would work well in alignment with the objectives of P.A.T.H.S., Mr Suen said.

Mr Chan thanked the Social Welfare Department, the Education Bureau, principals, teachers, social workers and parents from all participating schools for their contribution and support in making this meaningful project possible. He said he hoped P.A.T.H.S. would be integrated into the normal curriculum to facilitate the positive holistic development of Hong Kong's younger generation.