Oct 2025 to Jan 2028
The Youth Transformer 2.0 project, implemented by HKYWCA, is designed to address the escalating mental health crisis among Hong Kong’s youth. With youth suicide rates under the age of 15 showing a distressing upward trend, the programme targets the high-pressure transition from primary to secondary school as a critical window for support.
The initiative addresses several modern challenges identified through HKYWCA frontline observation, including the developmental gaps caused by COVID-19 and the prevalence of “helicopter parenting”. These factors have contributed to weak self-competence and a lack of autonomy among students, particularly within new immigrant families where academic expectations are exceptionally high.
To combat these issues, the programme utilizes a three-tier service model:
Running from October 2025 to January 2028, the project aims for participants to report manageable stress levels and improved self-management. By equipping students with emotional resilience and guiding parents toward more empowering parenting styles, Youth Transformer 2.0 seeks to ensure that students transition smoothly into secondary school with enhanced psychosocial competence.
For students
Interview talk & Individual practices
Self-understanding workshops
Self-management training camp
Summer transforming classes and city tracing
Workshops for team building, handling of physical change, self-hygiene and time management
Life Simulation activities
Development of healthy stress-releasing habits
Workshops for time management and stress management
Mentors’ individual guidance and support
For parents
Communication & parenting talk
For families
Family photo shooting
Parent-child activities
Formulation of family improvement plan and interviews
Closing ceremony
For the community
Recruitment of mentors and training
Students: Local P5 to P6 students,
Parents and family members of P5 & P6 students.
Public
All districts, Hong Kong
Oct 2025 – Jan 2028
Phone: 2700 1700
Email: kcfwc@ywca.org.hk
Nurturing the resilience of the next generation requires strengthening the multi-generational family dynamics surrounding them, moving from a child-only focus to a holistic family support network.
The Research Foundation:
Our youth strategies are grounded in evidence-based research by Hong Kong Shue Yan University regarding child-focused in-law relationship enhancement in multi-generational families. The study demonstrates that a child’s psychological and emotional wellbeing is highly related to their interaction with family members, particularly parents and grandparents.
It is crucial for children to learn positive family values at a young age.
Since 2016, the Foundation has established an annual family value theme, directly responding to the core pillars proposed by the Hong Kong Family Council: “Love and Care”, “Responsibility and Respect”, and “Communication and Harmony”.
To translate these values into daily action, the Foundation integrates Dr. Gary Chapman’s “Five Love Languages” framework (Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch). LKKFF specifically champions the promotion of Quality Time and Words of Affirmation to encourage family members to express love through action:
Quality Time (Active Togetherness):
Concentration: Giving undivided attention to family members during interactions and conversations.
Get Together: Enjoying precious moments by bringing the family together to engage in activities of mutual interest.
Quality Dialogue: Paying close attention to body language and emotional expressions when listening to family members.
Be Expressive: Creating a safe environment that allows family members to confidently express their personal thoughts, feelings, and expectations.
Words of Affirmation (Positive Reinforcement):
Appreciation: Expressing clear gratitude to family members when they do something for the household.
Encouragement: Developing empathy by understanding the needs of family members from their perspectives, and offering vocal support whenever necessary.
Kindness: Learning to express deep care, empathy, and condolences within the household.
Humility: Communicating needs and requests with a humble, polite, and respectful attitude rather than demands.
Our framework recognizes that a family’s health depends on its capacity to perform essential functions, satisfy the diverse needs of its members, and interact constructively with its environment.
The Research Foundation:
Our approach adapts the conceptual framework of the Hong Kong Family Wellbeing Index (HKFWI) study conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong. To systematically elevate family wellbeing, the Foundation prioritizes initiatives that focus on improving the following six key domains derived from the index:
Family Solidarity: Enhancing mutual trust, appreciation, and emotional support, while fostering family harmony and quality time to build long-term resilience among members.
Family Resources: Fostering the growth of psychological capital, essential life skills, and safe home environments.
Family Health: Safeguarding and tracking both the physical and mental health conditions of the family unit.
Social Connection: Encouraging social involvement and empowering the family to contribute positively to the broader community.
Social Resources: Improving the accessibility of both informal support networks and formal institutional help.
Work-Life Balance: Creating strategies that mitigate the friction where work interferes with home life or home interferes with work.
(Note to Applicants: Funded projects are not required to apply all six domains simultaneously but must explicitly target and measure impact in at least one specific domain, and we would prioritize projects addressing the domains of the overlapping areas).
For further details of each domain, please browse at https://www.hkfws.org.hk/hkfwi/hkfwi-report (pp 41-43)