Jockey Club supports expansion of JC JoyAge project to provide mental-health support to a wider age range

A survey found that about one in seven of Hong Kong’s population aged 16 to 75 suffers from anxiety, depression or other common mood disorders. In response to this societal need, The Hong Kong Jockey Club has approved cumulative funding of HK$678 million in total through its Charities’ Trust to support JC JoyAge. The project aims to expand its community-based mental health support service to a primary-care level, benefiting a wider range of age groups.

Club Steward Bernard Chan delivers a speech at the JC JoyAge repurpose phase launch ceremony.

The announcement was made in a launch ceremony at The University of Hong Kong’s Rayson Huang Theatre today (27 May). Officiating guests included Club Steward Bernard Chan; Dr Libby Lee, Under Secretary for Health of the HKSAR Government; Professor Vivian Yam, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Innovation Centre) (Interim) of The University of Hong Kong; Dr Lam Ching-choi, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health; and Dr Donald Li, Chairman of the Elderly Commission and Convenor of the Advisory Committee of JC JoyAge.

Group photo with officiating guests at the JC JoyAge repurpose phase launch ceremony.

Initiated and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust since 2016, JC JoyAge has addressed the social problem of elderly depression through a cross-sectoral community support network, enhancing the capacity of professionals and caregivers while raising awareness of elderly mental health. Through collaborating with District Elderly Community Centres (DECCs) and Integrated Community Centres for Mental Wellness (ICCMWs) across all 18 districts of Hong Kong, the project has established an integrated service model covering more than 70% of service units providing relevant services. The project has also trained social workers and young-old volunteers as “Peer Supporters”, to deliver preventive service and interventions based on individuals’ depression risk level and symptom severity.

A beneficiary of the JC JoyAge repurpose phase joined the sharing session.

Building on this success and to address evolving mental health needs, JC JoyAge embarked on a new three-year phase in 2024. While continuing to provide existing services to the elderly through DECCs and ICCMWs across the territory, it is now expanding its community-based support services in a primary-care setting. Other key components are:

1. Primary Care Collaboration: partners Wong Tai Sin District Health Centre (DHC), Southern DHC, and Sai Kung District Health Centre Express (DHCE) to establish the “Jockey Club JoyAge Hub” and introduces “Primary Care Physician Co-Care Services” with designated general practitioners and family doctors.

2. Expanded Age Coverage: extends services to from individuals aged 60 or above to those aged 45 and above.

3. Enhanced Referral Mechanism: collaborates with Hospital Authority Clusters to refer stable and wait-listed psychiatric outpatient cases to community service units or designated DHCs/DHCE.

Club Steward Bernard Chan stated that primary care is a core focus of Healthy Community, a priority area under the Club’s charities strategy. The Club actively aligns with the Government’s direction on primary health-care development. The current phase of JC JoyAge partners DHCs/DHCE in three districts to build an integrated medical-social community mental health support network. Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, welcomed the development in the new phase of the project.

Officiating at the JC JoyAge repurpose phase launch ceremony are Club Steward Bernard Chan (2nd right); Dr Libby Lee, Under Secretary for Health of the HKSAR Government (centre); Professor Vivian Yam, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Innovation Centre) (Interim) of The University of Hong Kong (2nd left); Dr Lam Ching-choi, Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Mental Health (1st left); and Dr Donald Li, Chairman of the Elderly Commission and Convenor of the Advisory Committee of JC JoyAge (1st right).

This project’s new phase aims to provide services to over 13,000 at-risk and depressed elderly and middle-aged people, with 90 service users referred to designated primary-care physicians for medical support. In addition, the project will train more than 70 social workers through professional workshops to enhance their mental health knowledge and competency. To strengthen the community network, the project will engage over 480 Peer Supporters to provide community support services and conduct over 1,500 public education programmes to enhance mental-health literacy, thereby building a healthier community.

The Club’s support for the expansion of the JC JoyAge project, like all its charity and community donations, is made possible by its unique integrated business model through which racing and responsible sports wagering generate substantial tax contributions, charity support and employment opportunities for Hong Kong.

The Hong Kong Jockey Club (the Club) and the Yao Foundation signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to deepen collaboration in the promotion of basketball and the development of youth sports. The partnership aims to support the national strategy of building the country into a sports powerhouse, contributing to the high-quality development of the sports industry.

Guests at the Memorandum of Understanding signing ceremony between The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Yao Foundation.

The signing ceremony took place on 7 December at the Club’s Sha Tin Clubhouse between Yao Ming, Chairman of the Yao Foundation, and Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Club. Under the MoU, both parties will explore joint initiatives and exchange activities to strengthen basketball promotion and youth sports development.

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges, Chief Executive Officer of the Jockey Club, said the Club believes in the power of sport to change lives and has long supported sports development at every level, “Basketball is one of Hong Kong’s most popular team sports and a key focus of the Club’s sports development strategy. The Club shares the same vision with the Yao Foundation and we look forward to collaborating with it to further develop basketball in the community in support of the physical and mental well-being of young people and to strengthen social cohesion.”

Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (right), Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club, and Yao Ming (left), Chairman of the Yao Foundation sign a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen the promotion of basketball and youth sports development.

Yao Ming, Chairman of the Yao Foundation, said the Yao Foundation is guided by the philosophy of “educating through sports” and is committed to supporting education and promoting the healthy development of young people. With the sports development of young people being a focus for The Hong Kong Jockey Club, the visions of both organisations are highly aligned. He hoped that both organisations would join hands to explore cooperative projects to strengthen the promotion of basketball and youth sports development in order to empower young people to enjoy the fun of sports for all-round growth.

As a world-class sports and entertainment organisation with a strong commitment to the nation and to Hong Kong, the Club actively supports national and local sports development at both community and elite levels. These efforts reflect the Club’s purpose of acting continuously for the betterment of society. The Club is expanding its support for sports development further, pledging HK$3 billion over the next three years.

Before the signing ceremony of the Memorandum of Understanding, Winfried Engelbrecht-Bresges (left), Chief Executive Officer of The Hong Kong Jockey Club and Yao Ming (right), Chairman of the Yao Foundation engaged in a sharing and exchange session. Both expressed their shared commitment to further developing basketball in the community.

In support of basketball development, the Club’s Charities Trust has committed over HK$70 million to the Jockey Club Believe & Bounce Basketball Programme with the aim of making basketball more accessible for students and underprivileged groups. With 3 on 3 basketball now a medal event at the Olympic and Asian Games, the Club has also supported the Hong Kong Police Force to organise the Junior Police Call Anti-Narcotics and Fight Crime 3x3 Basketball Training Programme, supporting this game’s development among young people.

Other past related initiatives include the “Jockey Club Sports Empowering Programme” organised by the Department of Health and Physical Education of the Education University of Hong Kong, in collaboration with local sports associations including Hoops for Hope Basketball Asia, as well as the Club-supported “HKFYG Jockey Club Youth Sports Development Project”, which encourages young people to participate in sports, including basketball. The Club has also funded renovations at Southorn Stadium, including upgrading basketball facilities to enable it to host more high-level, large-scale and international competitions and events.