Mentoring for success

The Swire Trust’s TrustTomorrow initiative is all about “connecting the dots” between different organisations and individuals, in order to maximise positive outcomes. A valuable way of forging these connections is through mentorship – For TrustTomorrow, an area of focus is Hong Kong’s ethnic minority communities who are often from less-privileged backgrounds and face socio-economic as well as educational challenges, such as language and cultural barriers.

In October last year, TrustTomorrow launched the Aviation Mentorship Programme – a collaboration with NGO, Teach For Hong Kong. Volunteers from Cathay Pacific, HAECO, and John Swire & Sons (H.K.) Limited were matched with 15 secondary school students from Delia Memorial School, which has a significant percentage of ethnic minority students. Over three weekends, students had the opportunity to participate in company visits and mentorship sessions. Many said they felt inspired to seek careers in aviation after learning so much more about the industry. Frosti Lau, Cathay Pacific’s GM Cargo Service Delivery, said the benefit is mutual and he found it particularly rewarding to be making a positive impact on the lives of the youngsters.

TrustTomorrow is also funding 12 tertiary education scholarships for low-income ethnic minority students in the current academic year through the charity, The Zubin Foundation, and Swire Trust has also matched the scholars with mentors whose areas of expertise fit with their aspirations.

Ahmed Meenail, pursuing a social science degree, is one of The Zubin Foundation’s Young Women Scholars. She said: “With the Young Women Scholarship I will be able to complete my education, and achieve my dreams.” In late April, TrustTomorrow also launched mentoring programmes for youngsters from public housing estates, as well as refugees and asylum seekers, in partnership with Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Tung Chung Integrated Services and Christian Action Centre for Refugees.

Please contact SwireTrust@jsshk.com if you are interested to learn more about Swire Trust’s activities.