Planned and funded by the Simon K. Y. LEE Karen's Fund, the second phase of "Project Careerpillar" was launched in April last year by the Children and Youth Research Centre of the Saint Francis University (SFU), in collaboration with Caritas Hong Kong (Caritas), the Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service-Hong Kong (ELCSS-HK), the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups (HKFYG) and the Hong Kong Playground Association (HKPA). The project provides a series of career services to participants aged 25-39, including career-related information, individual and group counseling, career matching and experiential services, as well as support groups, to facilitate their life and career development. The project team held a large joint event, which known as the Mid-term Sharing Session on 15 Feb 2025 (Sat) to showcase and assure the transformation of project participants in the mid-term, as well as to allow them to meet the participants from other organisations, so as to broaden their social circle and build up a network of contacts.
Nearly 200 participants attended the mid-term sharing session, they showcased their achievements, works and mid-term results in the form of exhibition panels and booths, as well as musical performances to demonstrate their potentials and teamwork spirit. Mrs Mabel LEE, Board Member of the Simon K Y LEE Foundation, Prof LO Tit Wing, Acting President of SFU, as well as representatives of the four participating organisations also attended the event.
Mrs Mabel LEE, Board Member of the Simon K Y LEE Foundation, said that the objective of planning and funding the project is to continue the late Dr Karen LEE's wish to help young people plan and develop their careers, to inspire them to have a deeper self-understanding and self-actualization, so that they can find the meaning of work, and lead a more fulfilling life. She is pleased with the results of the participants' transformation in the mid-term of the project, and hopes that the participants will benefit from the project, thus contribute to the society.
Prof LO Tit Wing, the project leader, thanked the Simon K Y LEE Foundation for its support in continuing the project to fulfill Dr Karen LEE's wish. Prof LO said that the project was set up for young people aged 25-39 with university or above qualifications because the community needs to support this group of young people as they have already been working in the community for some time and are under heavy pressure and lack of opportunities due to various constraints, such as family and financial constraints.
Participants attending the event described their feelings since joining the project as "Elevation, Gratitude, Breakthrough, Courage, Companionship, Opportunity, Practice and Struggle". One of the participants said in the sharing session that she had learnt about herself once more through the project and realized that as a working mother, there were still various opportunities and possibilities outside her work and family life, and that she should not set up a framework for herself, and that she had learnt to find a balance between her life and career through the activities of the project and the guidance of the social workers. She is also thankful to have met other participants through the project to face the challenges of career and life together.
After the sharing session, participants were divided into groups to participate in activities organised by the four organisations. Mr Salmon CHOW, a senior professional coach and trainer of corporate talents, was invited by ELCSS-HK to share his own experience of "failure" and encourage participants to appreciate themselves and design "challenges" for themselves on a regular basis, so as to enhance their life experience. HKPA used a theater format for participants to explore and reflect on the direction of life development and how to explore more possibilities and choices in life or career. Caritas had the bartending class students make special cocktails on-site, using different flavors of the drinks as a guide to let participants to share their stories and give feedbacks to each other, creating a space for exchange through a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. HKFYG let participants to know each other through group games and thematic story sharing, learn about their career experiences, build peer support, and further broaden their social circle.
About "Project Careerpillar" 2.0:
The project is funded by the Simon K Y LEE Foundation, building on the positive outcomes and successful foundation of the experimental phase, the Foundation partner with Caritas-Hong Kong, Evangelical Lutheran Church Social Service-Hong Kong, Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups and Hong Kong Playground Association in 2024 to implement the second phase of "Project Careerpillar". The project was successfully launched in April 2024, Prof LO Tit-wing, Acting President of SFU and his team provided specialized training to facilitate social workers to develop necessary skill sets for effective project implementation. The project adopts a perspective of career planning and development, established an unique and effective evidence-based service model that can facilitate individuals' career development in the local context, serves young adults aged 25-39 with a range of services, including career-related information, individual and group counseling, career matching and exploration, as well as support group, and focuses on promoting participants' self-understanding , lead them to find the meaning of work and life, enhance their life and career development, and have a fulfilling life.
Please refer to the following website for more information of the project:
https://www.simonkyleefoundation.org/en/karens-fund/project/