Mental Health Forum and Festival positions sport as powerful tool for change in Hong Kong, China

More than 1,000 people attended the Mental Health and Wellbeing Forum and Festival, funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, over three days in February. 

The scale of the event was what Jason – a local young athlete – felt was needed to bring attention to the challenges local children and young people are facing around mental health and wellbeing— and especially work toward solutions.

“Our generation has lots on our minds, lots that we want to say but sometimes it’s hard for us to articulate,” Jason said. “We need programmes and organisations that will help us to share our ideas and aims for the future.”

“Our generation has lots on our minds, lots that we want to say but sometimes it’s hard for us to articulate. We need programmes and organisations that will help us to share our ideas and aims for the future.” - Jason, young athlete

When Model City Hong Kong, which is part of the global Laureus Sport for Good initiative, was launched in 2020, local community-based organisations, education centres and expert organisations have been convening, training, strategising and advocating on this very topic. The concept of sport for development is less well established in Hong Kong, and the Model City programme has galvanised existing practitioners to inspire and educate other organisations on the value of sport as a tool for social change. 

The Mental Health and Wellbeing Forum and Festival has accelerated those events. It was organised in partnership with Laureus Sport for Good and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, a leading global partner in tackling inclusivity and accessibility issues within the region. The partnership brought in international experts in the field, such as experienced sport for development programmes across South Africa (Waves for Change), the USA (YEAH! Yoga) and the United Kingdom (The Running Charity and The Change Foundation) to pass on knowledge to local community organisations.

Together with coaches, practitioners, students and sports associations across Hong Kong, the Forum covered topics on creating safe spaces, improving body confidence, how to evaluate and measure data, and strengthening the sport system to improve opportunities for young people to try sports.  

Reece from The Running Charity shared his experience to organisations in Hong Kong wanting to use sport as a tool to support young people’s mental health: “I would say really focus on the individual. Focus on what is really important, why do people enjoy what they’re doing, and what makes each individual different? If you think it needs to be talked about, it probably does.”

In addition to thought leadership forums, the ‘Festival of Sport’ event provided opportunities for young people, the local community and schools to engage in sports, including cricket and surfing. Alongside them, Laureus Ambassadors and Academy Members supported them. 

The immediate goal to catalyse interest and build understanding has been achieved. With local partners and international support, Laureus Sport for Good aims to continue to grow the fledgling sport for development sector in Hong Kong to benefit the lives of thousands of young people.

 “This Forum showed that we can act as the network, both locally and globally, creating platforms such as this for the sharing of knowledge that will supercharge development in this sector,” Said Chinese Olympic speed skating champion and Laureus Academy member Yang Yang.