A Test of Leadership! Mountaineering Challenge a Win for All

15/05/2023

Perseverance is a core quality of any aspiring leader. This year, the Jockey Club Youth Football Leadership Scheme has incorporated mountaineering training into its curriculum, helping young people develop essential decision-making and problem-solving skills, and blossom into capable young leaders through comprehensive learning and practical experiences.

Supporting one another along the way, students are constantly looking out for teammates behind them and making sure everyone is keeping up.

Despite the hardships of the route, the leaders remain confident and optimistic.

Student Ho King-long thinks mountaineering is a very challenging activity. But despite the difficulties, he learned the valuable lesson of perseverance, and also developed an appreciation for the way his teammates always support one another. Another student, Or Chun Yin said that even though everybody walked at a different pace during the hike, “a good leader needs to care for each team member, and bring the whole team to achieve the goal together.”

Ho King-long (front) served as the leader and pathfinder in one section of the hike, leading the way for his team members.

Or Chun-yin (right) said he thought about giving up during the uphill climb: “There was a massive incline that had many of us struggling, but the encouragement from my teammates helped me persist!"

Mountaineering expert Ng Chan-yeung stressed that this mountaineering challenge was not a test of physical fitness, but rather a test of the young leaders’ judgement and cooperation. "When reaching an area that is unmarked on the map, how would the team respond? Could they reach a consensus and make decisions? An outstanding leader must make quick decisions, remain calm, communicate openly and continue to lead team members forward."

TWGHs social worker Wu Kin-keung said, "You can substitute players in and out on the football field, but on the mountain the whole team must advance and retreat together as one." He praised the leaders' performance, saying that they had all improved their communication and problem-solving abilities, and gained a sense of accomplishment from the process. He hopes that they will take what they have learned and use it in other parts of their lives.

Putting his words into action, Wu Kin-keung joined the leaders in the mountaineering challenge!

In the level 1 mountaineering training, students learned to read maps and use compasses.

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The first of its kind in Hong Kong, this leadership and community service training programme for young people demonstrates the Club’s spirit of excellence by nurturing youth physically, mentally and socially