HK children celebrate gratitude as second Children's Character Festival returns

Hundreds of children in Hong Kong stepped into the spotlight as "Gratitude Ambassadors" at the second edition of the Children’s Character Festival, celebrating the value of gratitude through personal storytelling and performances.

The festival, co-organized by the Character Education Foundation (CEF), Hotung Mills Education Foundation (HMEF), and REACH Hong Kong, brought together children, families, and education leaders to honor the power of thankfulness and character-building in everyday life.

The event’s welcome ceremony, which was held on Sunday (Mar 22), featured children sharing heartfelt gratitude stories, recognizing and appreciating the people and experiences that have shaped their lives.

This year’s festival saw a surge in participation, with nearly 350 children aged three to 10 — up from 250 last year — and support from 12 official schools.

For the first time, a Cantonese-speaking stream was introduced, allowing children to present their stories in either English or Cantonese and broadening the event’s inclusivity.

During welcome remarks, the Festival co-founders Christine Ma-Lau, Joanna Hotung, and Vivian Chung expressed gratitude to participating schools, partners, and families.

They highlighted a vision to nurture gratitude, empathy, and resilience in young people, emphasizing how the festival empowers children to become compassionate leaders by sharing real-life stories.

"The most important thing we hope for is that as they go through the process of deciding what their story is, they're really thinking about the word 'gratitude' and what they are thankful for," Joanna Hotung of the Hotung Mills Education Foundation said.

Guest of Honour Lucilla Leung, former headmistress of St Paul’s Co-educational College Primary School, delivered a keynote speech on gratitude. She shared the mental and physical benefits brought by this character trait, along with her personal journey to gratitude.