FWD Hong Kong forms partnerships to launch"Talk2Me Peer Supporter Training Certificate Programme"and"JA SparktheDream Wellness Workshop"to promote youth mental health

HONG KONG,April 2, 2025/PRNewswire/ -- Youth mental health is one of the most widely discussed social issues inHong Kong. This underscores the need for mental health support for youth. In response, FWD Hong Kong ("FWD")has collaborated with two non-profit organisations,KELY Support GroupandJunior Achievement Hong Kong, to provide mental health education and support, including"Talk2Me Peer Supporter Training Certificate Programme" and"JA SparktheDream Wellness Workshop", which aim to raise awareness on mental health and foster"peer support"culture among primary and secondary students inHong Kong.

Theyouthfeel helpless in the face of mentalhealthcrisis

BetweenSeptember 2024andJanuary 2025, KELY Support Group surveyed 1,273Hong Kongsecondary school students aged 13 to 18. The findings revealed significant challenges in mental health and emotional management among youth. Key issues include:

• Overwhelmed bystress andemotions:23% of students reported that they are constantly overwhelmed by stress and emotions, skewing higher for female students by 5% than male students.
• Lack ofconfidence:22% of students responded,"I can't do anything right"and"There are more things I don't like about myself than I like". Furthermore, 63% of students expressed lacking hope about their future.
• Difficulty inseekinghelp:a significant 32% of students indicated that they cannot find suitable ways to seek help when upset or overwhelmed.
• Insufficient peersupport:around 25% of students reported that they do not have friends or peers that can be trusted.

These statistics show that youth frequently feel isolated and helpless when confronting mental health challenges, highlighting the urgent need to strengthen mental health support services for the youth.

Paul Tse, Chief Marketing and Digital Officer of FWD Hong Kong andMacau, said,"FWD has always been committed to serving the community through meaningful projects and encouraging the public to care for their mental health. We hope that today's youth, as the future ofHong Kong, can celebrate living and grow up happily. As we fund the launch of mental health-related programmes in collaboration with KELY Support Group and Junior Achievement Hong Kong, we hope to equip primary and secondary school students with skills to manage stress, cultivate positive thinking, and offer peer support. This aligns with FWD's commitment to promoting early detection of mental health challenges while providing professional and appropriate treatment and rehabilitation by incorporating mental health protection into our products and services."

FWD collaborates with community partners to promote mental health education, engaging nearly 1,000 students and 100 volunteers

FWD joined hands with KELY Support Group to launch the"Talk2Me Peer Supporter Training Certificate Programme". Through a 10-hour training, the programme educates secondary school students on self-awareness and self-care, equipping them with skills to manage stress and provide peer support. Throughout the past year, the programme successfully trained approximately 80 secondary school students. FWD volunteers participated as mentors and collaborated with students to design community projects to support peers in need. Last year, FWD served as the platinum sponsor ofWeez Walk2024 and engaged its employees to participate and raise funds for youth mental health programmes. This provided a foundation to foster a closer collaboration with KELY Support Group. 

In addition, since 2022, FWD has partnered with Junior Achievement Hong Kong to launch the"JA SparktheDream programme"to nurture financial literacy among primary school students. To date, the programme has benefited over 6,600 primary school students. This year, the partnership has expanded with the introduction of"JA SparktheDreamWellnessWorkshop". The workshop integrates social and emotional learning to help primary school students build resilience in both financial well-being and mental health, empowering them to pursue their dreams. The initiative aims to benefit around 900 primary four to six students by 2025. FWD volunteers will lead group activities and discussions, teaching students about financial management skills and tackling life challenges with positive thinking and empathy.

Being the pioneer in integrating mental health coverage into medical insurance, FWD launched in 2022 the market-first¹mental health insurance"Mind Strength Protection Plan"². Additionally, the company has incorporated various mental health coverage and support services³ into selected medical and critical illness insurance plans, encouraging the public to proactively safeguard their mental and physical well-being.

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About FWD Hong Kong

FWD Hong Kong is part of the FWD Group, a pan-Asian life and health insurance business that serves approximately 30 million customers across 10 markets^*. FWD Hong Kong is firmly positioned as a top five pan-Asian insurer by business scale inHong Kong^{^}.

FWD Hong Kong has been assigned strong financial ratings by international agencies. It offers life and medical insurance, employee benefits, and financial planning.

FWD's customer-led and digitally enabled approach aims to deliver innovative propositions, easy-to-understand products and a simpler insurance experience. Established in 2013, the company operates in some of the fastest-growing insurance markets in the world with a vision of changing the way people feel about insurance.

For more information about FWD Hong Kong, please visitwww.fwd.com.hk.

About KELY Support Group

KELY Support Group (KELY) is aHong Kong-based nonprofit organisation whose mission since 1991 is to equip young people with the skills, knowledge, and opportunities needed to support themselves and each other. KELY envision a world where young people are empowered to reach their full potential and collaborate with schools and various partners to offer programmes to Chinese- and English-speaking youth between the ages of 14 and 24 around its three core focus areas: Mental Health and Wellbeing, Drug and Alcohol Awareness, and Positive Youth Development. Please visitkely.org for more information.

About Junior AchievementHong Kong 

Junior Achievement (JA) is a global nonprofit organisation whose mission is to enable young people to learn about the job market from the first-hand experience of business volunteers. JA delivers hands-on, experiential learning in entrepreneurship, career readiness and financial health preparing young people to succeed in a global economy.  Since its establishment inHong Kongin 2001, over 32,000 business volunteers were engaged to serve more than 480,000 students from over 600 schools. Please visitjahk.org for more information.

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SOURCE FWD