Since 2012, the Hong Kong Governmental Advisory Committee on Mental Health has called for holistic, community-based interventions that combine physical activities with social-emotional building mechanisms to improve children’s and adolescents’ mental resilience – and that’s where our Play to Thrive program comes in.
Who We Serve
“Play to Thrive” is an innovative football programme developed by Save the Children Hong Kong. It leverages the power of football to promote the physical and mental well-being of vulnerable girls and boys aged 6-12.
Through play and group physical activities like football, children can develop essential social and emotional skills such as empathy, relationship-building, and resilience to manage challenges.
Objective
Football coaches have improved capacity in incorporating social-emotional skill sets into football coaching
All children participated in the programme are able to demonstrate improved social-emotional competencies
Create a safe environment for children to grow up in by enhancing caregivers and other stakeholders’ knowledge, attitude and practice.
Our Programme
Play to Thrive Social-Emotional Football Handbook
Publishing the handbook which provides information on the implementation of social-emotional skill sets in the children’s football training sessions.
Children’s Football Training Sessions
Through a series of football activities, children are able to improve their physical and emotional competence, enhancing their mental well-being and resilience.
Children with Caregivers’ Football Training Sessions
The weekend football training session will invite caregivers to join together with their children. Engaging caregivers will help enhance their awareness of the importance of sports and social-emotional development in childhood, as well as improve child-parent relationships.
Heart to Heart Parent-Child Sessions
This activity aims to provide parents and caregivers with positive parenting knowledge and skills, while enhancing their understanding of child development.
Children’s Football Tournaments
Children will participate in football tournaments after they finish all football training sessions. These tournaments raise public awareness on children’s physical and mental well-being.
Children Club
After completing their training sessions, children will be invited to join continuous training with the Children’s Club. Our social workers will provide social-emotional services to our children.