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Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

Develops the physical, mental and social capabilities of young people and fosters an attitude of excellence

Young leaders look to the future while treasuring friendships that last

08/08/2019

  • The young leaders reunite for the trip to Guangzhou where they interact with local primary & secondary school students.

Destiny plays a part in who we meet, and it’s a wonderful thing when they turn into good friends that we continue to want to meet and share our lives with.

And so it was that at the beginning of the year, fate played a role in a group of young people with common interests and similar goals meeting for the first time for the Jockey Club Youth Football Leadership Programme. After a half year of learning and growing together, they overcame numerous challenges and successfully completed the programme. They became good friends who pledged to stay in touch and help each other out as they continue on their way to further developing as successful leaders.

In mid-July, these 38 young leaders met in Guangzhou where they interacted with primary and secondary school students from both Guangzhou and Foshan. They organised a lively and interesting football event for the community and shared the joy of football with primary school students. Throughout the trip to Guangzhou, they demonstrated how their abilities had taken a great leap forward – from preparations before the event to contingency plans during the event, and in their communication with the participants. Crystal Leung, a social worker at Tung Wah Group of Hospitals who joined the trip, said, “When compared with the previous football carnival in Yuen Long, their performance here has been more mature, and this shows that they have learnt from the last event and have looked for ways to improve.”

  • Parker Mak (middle) organises a football event with his teammates for the Guangzhou primary school students.
  • Dash Chan (2nd from left) believes that every single moment of the Guangzhou trip is unforgettable.

Great chance to make new friends

Through this experience, the young leaders not only gained more experience in organising football events, but they also learnt how to respond in a crisis situation. For example, in the first primary school football event, many children could hardly play as the temperature was an extremely high 37oC. The young leaders reacted to the situation quickly, making an immediate decision to move the activities to a covered area – a move which won the approval and appreciation of OB, Hong Kong Head Coach of Manchester United Soccer School. In the following event for secondary school students, the young leaders showed their improved social skills in building good relationships with the students; and after the friendly game, they exchanged contacts for arranging a future gathering.

  • After the friendly match, the players from both teams not only shake hands, but exchange their contact details.
  • The young players from Guangzhou and Hong Kong show off their skills.

Tears of joy

The trip to Guangzhou was the final activity for the whole group of young leaders. While they enjoyed the trip immensely; inside they were all a bit sad, knowing it would soon come to an end. Pat Tang Pui-man, who had tears in her eyes when receiving her award for being the star leader of the trip, said: “I really appreciate every one of my teammates – I am so fortunate to have gotten to know them. I really appreciate the support that we’ve given each other over the past six months. Each experience has been incredibly cheerful and memorable.”

Dash Chan, one of the outstanding students, said: “Not everyone has the opportunity to get to know such good friends let alone participate in this kind of programme. Together we have faced many challenges and even had the opportunity to travel to the Mainland for an exchange.”
Dash Chan, San Wong, Parker Mak, Muhtasim Istiaq Shifte, Jacky Ching and Matthew Wu were selected as this year’s outstanding students and have been awarded the opportunity to attend an exchange programme with a community service component in Manchester, England at end of August. Matthew said: “My teammates always remind me bring them some souvenirs. After I return, I will most definitely share with them everything that I have learnt and experienced.”

These young leaders met during the prime of their lives and will forever share very special memories. While it was destiny that played a part in their initial meeting, by the end of the programme, they were taking matters into their own hands and planning future get-togethers to maintain their friendships as they work together to create brighter futures for themselves.

  • Pat Tang (left) can’t stop her tears from flowing after being selected as a star leader of the Guangzhou trip by Eric Choi (right), the coach of the 6th JC School Football Development Scheme.
  • The young leaders give high fives and souvenirs to the kids from Guangzhou.

What did they experience?

Let’s review what the participants experienced and successfully achieved during the past half year!

Month

Activity

Objective

January

Orientation Camp

Participants enhance their communication and problem-solving skills through team-building activities. They also take part in a Personality Dimensions® workshop where they learn more about themselves and their teammates through discussions about character and personality traits with social workers and mentors.

January - February

Football
Coaching Course (Elementary Level)

The Hong Kong Head Coach of Manchester United Soccer Schools conducts theory and practical workshops through which participants will learn leadership skills and build team spirit.

Match

1-on-1 Football Leader Interview

Social workers conduct one-on-one interviews with each participant to re-examine their leadership qualities from the individual to the team level so that they can improve their performance.

Match

Leadership Training Camp

Through challenging activities, participants raise their self-esteem and teamwork abilities and develop all-rounded leadership skills.

Match - May

Personal Challenge

Participants try alternative sports to challenge themselves to persevere and to discover hidden potential.

April - May

Social Services

Participants manage and lead district football activities for kids with sports as the foundation. As they give back to the community, they demonstrate leadership skills learnt during the Scheme.

May

Star Mentors Workshop

Participants interact with star mentor Vivek Ashok Mahubani (one of the 2018 Ten Outstanding Young Persons) to experience different leadership qualities and broaden their horizons.

May

Football Carnival

Participants apply knowledge and skills learnt during the Scheme to plan and lead a fun day for kids from all over Hong Kong. This further develops their leadership abilities.

June

Graduation Ceremony

In addition to awarding certificates, the names of successful graduates selected for the United Kingdom exchange tour are also announced.

July

Guangzhou Tour

Led by social workers, participants visit the Mainland for exchange activities that allow them to continue to learn and grow. The activities include organising football fun days and playing friendly matches.

Highlight Video

Highlight Video

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

Star Mentor

Star Mentor

Inspiring the leadership potential of young people

Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience

Expanding classroom potential in real-world community activities at home and abroad

Star Mentors

Star Mentors

Inspiring the leadership potential of young people

Photo Album

Photo Album

Snapshots of Youth Football Leaders