A ceremony marking the integration of the Hong Kong Jockey Club’s “Open Up” round-the-clock online youth emotional support platform into the government’s mainstream counseling services was held on Saturday.
The Social Welfare Department adopted the platform as a core service under its Cyber Youth Support Team in June last year, expanding the city’s real-time, comprehensive online counseling network.
Speaking at the ceremony, Club Steward John Lo noted that the Club has rolled out and expanded Open Up in three phases, with the Charities Trust injecting over HK$250 million into the initiative.
The service offers a stigma-free space for young people to express their emotions and access mental health assistance, and its integration into government services is a recognition of its proven effectiveness, he added.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han, and Deputy Director of Social Welfare Maggie Leung Yee-lee also attended the ceremony.
Since its full launch in 2018, Open Up has reached nearly 140,000 children and young people, with data showing a nearly 60 percent drop in high‑risk cases following counselling sessions. The platform has also trained more than 1,600 social workers and 1,200 volunteers, boosting the city’s capacity to provide text‑based emotional support.
Open Up links online conversations to further resources, including 45 JC LevelMind Wellness Hubs across 18 districts for follow‑up care. The platform also uses AI risk‑identification tools and service data to refine responses and meet frontline needs.
Its scalable technology has already been adapted for the Jockey Club Parent Chat Project, launched last year, which provides online counselling for parents and has garnered positive feedback.
Looking ahead, the Club will make the Open Up counselling technology platform available for wider adoption by social‑service groups, aiming to lower the cost of new service launches and drive innovation in the sector.
