Head of Charities (Youth Development, Poverty Alleviation, and Talent and Sector Development), The Hong Kong Jockey Club
Winnie Ying, a seasoned leader with 30 years of experience in the non-profit and philanthropic sectors. She is currently initiating several innovative programmes aimed at addressing key social issues through evidence-based interventions at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. She has spearheaded impactful trust-initiated programmes such as: CLAP@JC sets a ‘Hong Kong Benchmark’ for high-quality Career and Life Development (CLD) provisions in territory-wide schools, significantly enhancing the industry standard. CoolThink@JC is now integral to the Education Bureau’s public-school innovation and technology curriculum, ensuring equitable access to computational education for primary students. OpenUp, a stigma-free 24/7 virtual platform, has transformed help-seeking behavior among the youth and gained government support for mainstreaming.
Previously, Winnie served as the Secretary General of the Community Investment and Inclusion Fund (CIIF) under the HKSAR Government. During her tenure at CIIF, she played a key role in strategic planning, managing public funds allocation, and developing community programme to build social capital. She has also been actively involved in public service, serving on committees such as the HKSAR Steering Committee on Promotion of Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET) and Qualifications Framework (QF), as well as being a member of the Overseeing Board of Education Bureau Diploma of Applied Education, under Federation for Self-financing Tertiary Education (FSTE).
Winnie’s dedication extends beyond her professional roles. She authored notable works on social issues, including “Hidden Footprints of Socially Withdrawn Youth”, “Issues Beyond Schooling Problems”, and “How Well Do You Know About Schooling Rights?”. Her achievements earned her honors like the Outstanding Professional Achievement Award and the Outstanding Social Workers’ Award. She also received Best Practice Awards for projects empowering the underprivileged and addressing social withdrawal and school-related issues.
Student empowerment is at the core of education and school is an ideal place to provide students with the skills and mindsets they need to make informed decisions that are important and relevant to them and to be productive members of societies. The panel will explore how schools can build in key platforms and infrastructure to support and empower students through their development.