Jockey Club supports two youth development initiatives announced in Policy Address

In celebration of the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the 140th anniversary of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, the Club is proud to partner with the HKSAR Government and NGOs to develop tailored initiatives for youth, echoing the latest youth development initiatives announced by HKSAR Chief Executive John Lee in his annual Policy Address today (16 October).

Youth Development and Poverty Alleviation is one of the priority areas of the Club’s charities strategy. The Club is committed to initiating and supporting projects that enable young people to achieve their full potential as active members of society.

The Club’s Charities Trust is pleased to announce an approved donation of HK$300 million to support two strategic collaborations with the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau (HYAB). One initiative establishes a Special Funding Scheme for Youth Life Planning Activities to mainstream evidence-based interventions and tools developed by CLAP@JC. The other initiative supports renovations at Youth Square in Chai Wan, aiming to shape it into a new landmark destination for young people. The key components of the donation are:

Establishment of a Special Funding Scheme, building on the success of CLAP@JC, to expand support for students’ career and life development The Hong Kong career and life development

(CLD) standard pioneered by the Trust initiated Project CLAP@JC has garnered global recognition. To build on this success, HYAB will partner with the Club’s Charities Trust in establishing a Special Funding Scheme for NGOs. This collaboration aims to deliver top-tier CLD to students by incorporating CLAP@JC’s core elements, including the Hong Kong Benchmarks for Career and Life Development©, CV360® and Youth Career Development Competency Scale. With an approved donation of HK$150 million from the Trust, the Scheme targets enhancing the CLD offerings of over 20 NGOs and 400 schools, benefiting more than 120,000 students while aligning with international benchmarks. Further details of CLAP@JC’s key components can be found on the project website: https://clap.hk/

The Club supports the establishment of a Special Funding Scheme, building on the success of CLAP@JC, which aims to benefit over 120,000 students and mainstream global CLD standards for over 20 NGOs and 400 schools.

Partial renovation of Youth Square

Youth Square, which opened in 2008, is a key Government initiative for promoting youth development. Collaborating with the youth, the Trust will support HYAB in renovating the Y Platform and fourth floor of Youth Square. In addition, it will allocate three years of funding for diverse and youth-centric activities, with the goal of creating a new landmark destination for young people. With an approved donation of HK$150 million from the Trust, this project is expected to benefit over 200,000 young people.

The Club has come a long way since its founding as a racing and members club. Over the past 140 years, its partnership with the community has thrived thanks to a unique integrated business model through which racing and wagering generate tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong. The Club – under the banner “With You. Then. Now. Always.” – has organised a series of celebratory initiatives to mark this milestone and recognise Hong Kong people’s contribution to its purpose of acting continuously for the betterment of society.

In celebration of the Club’s 140th anniversary, the Club’s Charities Trust has earmarked HK$1.4 billion to support a series of youth development initiatives. In addition to the two mentioned above, three other initiatives are as follows, with specific details to be announced in due course:

Enhance youth upward mobility

A Trust-initiated Project aimed at creating breakthroughs in upward mobility for youth by bringing targeted and systematic interventions for widespread impact during critical junctures in young people’s developmental journeys.

Positive Trajectory Fund for Bereaved Children and Youth

This pilot project offers up to five years of personalised bereavement bridging support service and financial assistance to empower children and youth who have lost parents or legal guardians, bridging developmental gaps and unlocking their potential.

Reimagine Campsites

This initiative will support the upgrading of campsites in Hong Kong to enhance public, and particularly youth, participation in and appreciation of camping activities, and to provide unique recreational and educational experiences for them to improve their physical and mental well-being.

Hong Kong racing has long been a landmark of the successful implementation of “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong, making important contributions to the economy and livelihood of the city. In 2023/24, The Hong Kong Jockey Club (“the Club”) returned a total of HK$40.1 billion to the community, including HK$29.9 billion to the HKSAR Government in betting duties, profits tax and Lotteries Fund contributions. Excluding the Lotteries Fund contributions, the Club contributed to a significant 8.3% of the total taxes collected by the Inland Revenue Department in the 2023/24 year of assessment, and HK$10.2 billion in approved charity donations. The Club is Hong Kong’s largest single taxpayer and one of the city’s major employers. Its Charities Trust is one of the world’s leading charity donors.

Photo source：The Hong Kong Jockey Club

The horse racing sport in Hong Kong has enjoyed increasing popularity among tourists, many of who love the Happy Wednesday at Happy Valley Racecourse on Wednesdays as well as the race meetings in Sha Tin on Sundays/Saturdays. In Season 2023/24, we have received a total of 93,000 tourist arrivals. In the first two months of this racing season, there have been more than 27,000 visitor arrivals to our racecourses. Apart from exciting races, the two racecourses also have a variety of catering offers and engaging on-course entertainment activities to provide an enriched experience that fuses racing and entertainment for the racegoers.

Photo source：The Hong Kong Jockey Club

In Season 2024/25, the Club will be hosting 88 local racedays, including 12 Group 1 races.

The Club maintains on-going communication with the HKSAR Government in actively promoting horse racing tourism. With the aim of providing convenience to families and tourists to experience the horse racing sport and on-course entertainment facilities in an orderly manner, the Club is in discussion with relevant authorities to explore ways to expand the current arrangements to allow Owners and Member guests to bring their family members under the age of 18 to the racecourses on a limited basis.

Photo source：The Hong Kong Jockey Club

The Club has been in strict adherence to the Responsible Gambling Policy, and has stringent underage access controls across all betting channels. The real threat to Hong Kong comes from illegal bookmakers. They do not impose any age restrictions to gamblers, posing serious threat to responsible gambling.

The Club also notes that many racecourses overseas, such as Japan and Australia, allow underage admission. Tokyo Racecourse even blended in horse-related education element. We will fully support and commence discussions with the relevant government departments including Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, Tourism Commission, and Hong Kong Tourism Board as well as other industry stakeholders to take horse racing tourism forward.