The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) supports over 90 students from the third cohort of the government’s Strive and Rise Programme to take part in a five-day study tour to Sichuan this summer.
The tour will allow the students to explore Sichuan’s rich cultural heritage, gain insights into its latest technological and economic developments, and deepen their sense of national pride.
Students will visit renowned cultural landmarks, historical sites and innovative enterprises. The tour will also provide opportunities for participants to interact with local youths to foster stronger engagement and friendships among young people.
This came after the positive response to the program’s first Club-supported summer study tour last year to Hangzhou.
A dinner was held on Monday (Aug 11) in Chengdu to welcome the students to Sichuan, which attended by Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han, Deputy Director of the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of Sichuan Province Ma Cong, the Club’s Executive Director Raymond Tam Chi-yuen and other guests, including five Club student mentors.
Tam reaffirmed the Club’s strong commitment to empowering youth from diverse backgrounds. He also noted that following the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, the Club pledged HK$1 billion to support various reconstruction and capacity-building projects in the province.
The first cohort of the Strive and Rise Programme was launched in 2022. Through tripartite collaboration between the government, the business sector and the community, the program aims to help secondary school students set goals for the future and strive for upward mobility.
Since the program launch, HKJC and its Charities Trust has approved a cumulative donation of around HK$31 million to support the implementation of all three of its cohorts.
