In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the 140th anniversary of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Club is proud to partner with the HKSAR Government and NGOs to develop tailored initiatives for youth, echoing the latest youth development initiatives announced by HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee in his annual Policy Address today (16 October).

Youth Development and Poverty Alleviation is one of the priority areas of the Club’s charities strategy. The Club is committed to initiating and supporting projects that enable young people to achieve their full potential as active members of society.

The Club’s Charities Trust is pleased to announce an approved donation of HK$300 million to support two strategic collaborations with the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB). One initiative establishes a Special Funding Scheme for Youth Life Planning Activities to mainstream evidence-based interventions and tools developed by CLAP@JC. The other initiative supports renovations at Youth Square in Chai Wan, aiming to shape it into a new landmark destination for young people. The key components of the donation are:

• Establishment of a Special Funding Scheme, building on the success of CLAP@JC, to expand support for students’ career and life development
  The Hong Kong career and life development (CLD) standard pioneered by the Trust-initiated Project CLAP@JC has garnered global recognition. To build on this success, HYAB will partner with the Club’s Charities Trust in establishing a Special Funding Scheme for NGOs. This collaboration aims to deliver top-tier CLD to students by incorporating CLAP@JC’s core elements, including the Hong Kong Benchmarks for Career and Life Development©, CV360® and Youth Career Development Competency Scale. With an approved donation of HK$150 million from the Trust, the Scheme targets enhancing the CLD offerings of over 20 NGOs and 400 schools, benefiting more than 120,000 students while aligning with international benchmarks. Further details of CLAP@JC’s key components can be found on the project website: https://clap.hk/

• Partial renovation of Youth Square
  Youth Square, which opened in 2008, is a key Government initiative for promoting youth development. Collaborating with the youth, the Trust will support HYAB in renovating the Y Platform and fourth floor of Youth Square. In addition, it will allocate three years of funding for diverse and youth-centric activities, with the goal of creating a new landmark destination for young people. With an approved donation of HK$150 million from the Trust, this project is expected to benefit over 200,000 young people.

The Club has come a long way since its founding as a racing and members club. Over the past 140 years, its partnership with the community has thrived thanks to a unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong. The Club – under the banner “With You. Then. Now. Always.” – has organised a series of celebratory initiatives to mark this milestone and recognise Hong Kong people’s contribution to its purpose of acting continuously for the betterment of society.

In celebration of the Club’s 140th anniversary, the Club’s Charities Trust has earmarked HK$1.4 billion to support a series of youth development initiatives. In addition to the two mentioned above, three other initiatives are as follows, with specific details to be announced in due course:

• Enhance youth upward mobility
  A Trust-initiated Project aimed at creating breakthroughs in upward mobility for youth by bringing targeted and systematic interventions for widespread impact during critical junctures in young people’s developmental journeys.

• Positive Trajectory Fund for Bereaved Children and Youth
  This pilot project offers up to five years of personalised bereavement bridging support service and financial assistance to empower children and youth who have lost parents or legal guardians, bridging developmental gaps and unlocking their potential.

• Reimagine Campsites
  This initiative will support the upgrading of campsites in Hong Kong to enhance public, and particularly youth, participation in and appreciation of camping activities, and to provide unique recreational and educational experiences for them to improve their physical and mental well-being.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club

Founded in 1884, The Hong Kong Jockey Club is a world-class racing club that acts continuously for the betterment of society. The Club has a unique integrated business model comprising racing and racecourse entertainment, a membership club, responsible sports wagering and lottery, and charities and community contribution. Through this model, the Club generates economic and social value for the community and supports the HKSAR Government in combatting illegal gambling. In 2023/24, the Club returned a total of HK$40.1 billion to the community. This included HK$29.9 billion to the HKSAR Government in duty, profits tax and Lotteries Fund contributions and HK$10.2 billion in approved charity donations. The Club is Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer and one of the city’s major employers. Its Charities Trust is one of the world’s leading charity donors.