Q & A

The major enhancement measures of the Second Cohort include –

1. the number of mentees will be increased from 2 800 to 4 000 and the coverage will be extended to Secondary Four students from underprivileged families;

2. group mentoring will be introduced on top of the one-to-one matching basis for enhancing the learning experience of mentees and offering better peer support among mentors; and

3. the variety of group activities will be enhanced, such as organising more study and exchange programmes in the Mainland to broaden the horizons of mentees.

The Government started recruiting mentees(students) through local networks and secondary schools on 21 October 2024.  Students can enquire about the Programme through their schools and District Organisers. Eligible students have to download and install the mobile application of the Programme with mobile phones or tablets and then complete the online application form through the mobile application, which can be downloaded by clicking the icon below.  Recruitment will end on 8 November 2024.

The Government started recruiting mentees (students) through local networks and secondary schools on 8 September. Students can enquire and apply for the Programme through their schools and District Organisers. Eligible students can complete the electronic application form at this dedicated website. Recruitment will end on 28 September.

The Government started recruiting mentees (students) through local networks and secondary schools on 27 October 2023.  Students can enquire and apply for the Programme through their schools and District Organisers. Recruitment will end on 16 November 2023.

Point-to-notes for application for the Third Cohort

The Social Welfare Department will select 2 000 mentees through drawing lots. Applications from eligible students who are not admitted to the first cohort will be kept for the next cohort, subject to the student’s consent.

The Government will accord a higher priority to eligible upper secondary students. Applications from eligible students who are not admitted to the Second Cohort will be kept for the next cohort, subject to the students' consent.

The Third Cohort will continue the enhanced measures of the Second Cohort, including: –

(1)  the number of mentees will be increased from 2 800 to 4 000 and the coverage will be extended to Secondary Four students from underprivilege families;

(2)  group mentoring will be introduced on top of the one-to-one matching basis for enhancing the learning experience of mentees and offering better peer support among mentors; and

(3)  the variety of group activities will be enhanced, such as organising more study and exchange programmes in the Mainland to broaden the horizons of mentees.

Besides, the Third Cohort will further enhance the training of mentors, foster mentor-mentee relationships, strengthen the sense of responsibility and self-esteem of alumni of the Programme through grooming them to become youth leaders, etc.

The Programme lasts for one year.  Mentees are required to attend about 9 sessions of activities under four categories, including orientation programme; basic training (compulsory and elective); group visits (at least 3 sessions); graduation ceremony.

The one-year intensive foundation programme includes orientation, foundation training (compulsory and elective), mentor-mentee interaction, group activities and graduation ceremony.

Upon completion of the intensive foundation programme, mentees will automatically become members of the Alumni Club, where they will continue to expand their social network and horizons through participating in diversified activities and job tasting/internship programmes.

The Government will accord a higher priority to eligible Form Four students.  Applications from eligible students who are not admitted to the Third Cohort will be kept for the next cohort, subject to the students' consent.

Considering that the organisations/schools running the CDF Projects have arranged relevant training and matched mentors for the students, and some have also started to formulate personal development plans, students who are currently participating in CDF Projects will not be accorded priority for joining the Programme for better use of public funds.

Students who have completed CDF Projects may apply if they meet the eligibility criteria of the Programme.

Considering that the organisations/schools running the CDF Projects have arranged relevant training, matched mentors and/or formulated personal development plans for the students, students who are currently participating in CDF Projects will not be accorded priority for joining the Programme for better use of public funds.

Students who have completed CDF Projects may apply if they meet the eligibility criteria of the Programme.

The one-year intensive foundation programme includes orientation, foundation training (compulsory and elective), mentor-mentee interaction, group activities and graduation ceremony amounting to about 14 activities.  Mentees are welcome to join more activities subject to their interests and availability.

Upon completion of the intensive foundation programme, mentees will automatically become members of the Alumni Club, where they will continue to expand their social network and horizons through participating in diversified activities and job tasting/internship programmes.

The Chief Secretary for Administration has sent letters to various private enterprises/ corporations,  professional associations and public/ statutory bodies, etc., to invite nominations of mentors with rich life experience.

The eligibility criteria of mentors are as follows:

• aged 21 or above, with preference for  younger ones
• engaged in employment and are able to offer  job shadowing in the mentor's workplace
• able and willing to communicate with the  youth
• responsible and committed, with a positive  mindset and optimistic personality;
• have rich life experience, and are open and  frank to share his/ her experience with the mentee
• prepared to actively participate throughout the one-year Programme

The Chief Secretary for Administration has written to various chambers of commerce, professional associations and public/statutory bodies, etc., to invite nominations of mentors with rich life experience.

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The eligibility criteria of mentors are as follows:

- aged 21 or above, with preference for younger ones
- engaged in employment and are able to offer job shadowing in the mentor's workplace
- able and willing to communicate with the youth
- responsible and committed, with a positive mindset and optimistic personality
- have rich life experience, and are open and frank to share his/her experience with the mentee
- prepared to actively participate throughout the one-year intensive foundation programme

Considering that the organisations/schools running the CDF Projects have arranged relevant training, matched mentors and/or formulated personal development plans for the students, students who are currently participating in CDF Projects will not be accorded priority for joining the Programme for better use of public funds.

Students who have already completed CDF Projects may apply if they meet the eligibility criteria of the Programme.

Each mentee will be paired with a mentor. If a mentee has expressed his/ her career aspiration or specific interests in the application form, he/ she will be matched with the mentor with related background as far as possible.

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Under the enhancement measures of the Second Cohort, group mentoring will be introduced on top of the one-to-one matching basis.  Each mentee will be paired with a suitable mentor according to his/her career aspiration or specific hobbies/ interests as stated in the application form.  Mentoring group will be formulated by two to three pairs of mentors and mentees for enhancing the learning experience of mentees and offering better peer support among mentors.

The Government calls for the support of all sectors of the society, including but not limited to the commercial sector, professional associations, community organisations, public/statutory bodies to nominate mentors with rich life experience to mentor our mentees on a one-to-one basis. If you are interested in becoming a mentor, please enroll through your employer / organisation, you may contact email: ys@swd.gov.hk for more details.

The eligibility criteria of mentors are as follows:
- aged 21 or above, with preference for younger ones
- engaged in employment and are able to arrange visit to workplace
- able and willing to communicate with the youth
- responsible and committed, with a positive mindset and optimistic personality
- have rich life experience, and are open and frank to share his/her experience with the mentee
- prepared to actively participate throughout the one-year intensive foundation programme

The start-up sum is for the mentees to achieve their personal development plans under the guidance of the mentors.

The start-up sum is for the mentees to achieve their personal development plans under the guidance of their mentors. Upon completion of the Programme, a scholarship of $5,000 will be awarded to the mentees for their own deployment by applying the financial planning concepts acquired.

The Government calls for the support of all sectors of the society, including but not limited to the commercial sector, professional associations, community organisations, public/statutory bodies to contribute to the Programme by:

1. making a cash donation (for mentees' start-up sum and scholarship) or donation in-kind (such as team jersey, musical instrument, interest class, etc.)

2. nominating mentors with rich life experience to mentor our mentees on a one-to-one basis; and

3. organising group activities for mentees (e.g. visits to your organisation's facilities, unique experience, sharing session with senior management of your organisation, job shadowing opportunities) and cross-border study and exchange programmes etc.

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Please contact email: ys@swd.gov.hk for more details.

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An impact assessment will be conducted by the research team of a tertiary institution with relevant experience, including designing questionnaires and arranging mentees, mentors and parents to complete the questionnaires before and after the Programme, so as to assess the effectiveness of the Programme based on pre-set impact indicators.

Impact assessment will continue to be conducted by the research team of a tertiary institution with relevant experience, including designing questionnaires and arranging mentees, mentors and parents to complete the questionnaires before and after the Programme, so as to assess the effectiveness of the Programme based on pre-set impact indicators.

The arrangement of the Second Cohort will be continued in the Third Cohort. Each mentee will be paired with a suitable mentor according to his/her career aspiration or specific hobbies/ interests as stated in the application form.  On top of one-on-one matching, two or three mentor-mentee pairs will form a mentoring group to enhance mutual sharing and support throughout the mentoring process.

This is a pilot programme which will last for one year.  After accumulating experience and reviewing its effectiveness, the Government will consider enhancing the Programme and launching the second cohort after one year.

Mentees of the First Cohort will be arranged to join a wide variety of activities and job tasting/internship programme organised by the Alumni Club to expand their social network and horizons. In this connection, it is not suitable for them to join the Second Cohort of the Programme.

A mixed mode of online and offline training programme/ activities will be arranged for mentors in the Third Cohort.  A number of thematic videos on the overview of the Programme as well as the knowledge and skills of different topics involved in mentorship will be provided online for mentors through the mobile application of the Programme so as to allow flexibility for mentors to meet their training and development needs at their own pace.  The topics of the videos include understanding youth and mastering mentor's role and responsibilities, understanding the characteristics and need of students with special educational needs, understanding the culture and religious of ethnic minorities, the need of ethnic minorities students, how to communication with parents, etc.

In addition, half-day interactive training programmes will be provided for mentors to consolidate their skillsets and provide them with opportunities to share experiences with other mentors and foster mutual support throughout the mentorship.

a. Downloading the App

b. First-Time Login

c. Update Personal Information & Take Attendance

d. Create Meet-up Session

e. View Activities

f. Review Programme Progress

g. Share Activity Information

The start-up sum is for the mentees to achieve their personal development plans under the guidance of their mentors.  Upon completion of the Programme, a scholarship of $5,000 will be awarded to the mentees for their own deployment by applying the financial planning concepts acquired.

The Alumni Club is established for the graduates of the Programme for expanding their social network and horizons through participating in a wide variety of activities and job tasting/internship programmes for two years.  The Alumni Club will also support and encourage alumni with good potentials to contribute to the Club, including sharing experiences with younger mentees and even becoming mentors when they grow up.

The Government earlier commissioned Department of Applied Social Sciences of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University to evaluate the first round of the Programme. The research team invited mentees to conduct self-assessments, and collected feedback from mentors and parents, regarding the mentees' performances before and after the Programme. The evaluation was based on eight selected indicators, namely abilities in goal setting, abilities in financial planning, interpersonal skills and social network building, resilience, self-confidence, self-esteem, a sense of responsibility and empathy, and a sense of belonging to the community.

Overall speaking, mentees considered that they had achieved improvements across all indicators, and their mentors and parents agreed that the mentees had shown improvements likewise. Mentees' self-assessments show that they believe they have attained marked improvements in financial planning, self-confidence, interpersonal skills and social network building, and a sense of belonging to the community. Parents considered that mentees had made significant enhancements to their financial planning abilities, interpersonal skills and social network building, a sense of belonging to the community, and resilience; and mentors considered that the performance of mentees had improved noticeably across all eight indicators.

Please click here for details.

Mentees of the First and Second Cohorts will be arranged to join a wide variety of activities and job tasting/internship programme organised by the Alumni Club to expand their social network and horizons.  In this connection, it is not suitable for them to join the Third Cohort of the Programme.

a. Downloading the App

b. First-Time Login

c. Update Personal Information & Take Attendance

d. Create Meet-up Session

e. View Activities

f. Review Programme Progress

g. Share Activity Information

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The Alumni Club is established for the graduates of the Programme for expanding their social network and horizons through participating in a wide variety of activities and job tasting/ internship programmes for two years. The Alumni Club will also support and encourage alumni with good potentials to contribute to the Club, including sharing experiences with younger mentees and even becoming mentors when they grow up.

Please click here for details.