Scheme to help needy students

August 22, 2022

(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

 

The Government today announced the details of the Strive & Rise Programme that aims to address intergenerational poverty by helping underprivileged students achieve their life goals.

 

At a press conference this afternoon, Chief Secretary Chan Kwok-ki said: “In the Chief Executive’s (election) manifesto, he suggested that we should tackle the cross-generation poverty issues for those junior students living in sub-divided units. So this is our target (for the Strive & Rise Programme).

 

“After discussing (the issues) with some scholars and after referring (to) some surveys, we know that our programme will suit the need of the students and will help them to achieve their life goals. And we think that, by doing so, we will enrich their personal experience and also their understanding (of) Hong Kong and other areas of other occupations - the details.

 

“So we think that this is very important. I believe that this will help them to achieve their own life goals.”

 

Formulated by the inter-departmental task force led by the Chief Secretary, the goal of the programme is to support junior secondary school students from underprivileged families through tripartite collaboration between the Government, the business sector and the community.

 

It comprises three key elements, namely mentorship, personal development plans and financial support.

 

Each student will be paired up with a mentor who will inspire the mentee to explore more possibilities for personal development, develop action plans and make good use of a start-up sum of $5,000 provided by the programme to take forward such plans under his or her guidance.

 

Upon the programme’s successful completion, the mentee will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship for applying the financial planning concepts acquired.

 

The first round of the programme will last a year, with a target of recruiting 2,000 Secondary 1 to 3 students, regardless of age, from underprivileged families, particularly those living in sub-divided units.

 

“We trust that, after one year, these students will surely know better themselves and then they will be able to set up their own life goals and they (will) know how to achieve their goals,” Mr Chan added.

 

The Government plans to start recruiting mentees through district networks and secondary schools in early September, to be followed by the matching of mentees with mentors, with a view to organising an orientation in October.

 

Separately, the Chief Secretary discussed the Strive & Rise Programme with members of the Commission on Poverty and listened to their views during a commission meeting that he chaired this afternoon.

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