‘Like a dream come true’: Hong Kong students from poor families given lift with free flight, mentorship programme

Jenny Lau Wan-ching, 15, was thrilled when she boarded a plane at Hong Kong’s airport on Sunday to fly for the first time in her life, which she predicted would feel like riding a roller coaster.

“Today is like a dream come true,” she said. “I am excited. My family has never taken me out of town.”

Jenny and about 84 other students were taking part in a programme run by Cathay Pacific, the city’s flag carrier, that allowed children from low-income families to enjoy the thrill of flying, an experience they might not otherwise have due to the cost of air travel.

The students, accompanied by mentors, boarded an Airbus A350-1000 and took a 90-minute flight over Hong Kong before returning to the airport.

The carrier has held eight such flights for young people since 2007, but was forced to suspend the programme during the coronavirus pandemic.

For Jenny, every aspect of the journey was new, from lining up at the check-in counter to passing through customs and security.

She said she would never have dared to ask her parents to take her on an overseas vacation, given their limited finances. Her father is the sole earner in the family and his income suffered during the three years of the pandemic.

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On board the plane, Jenny took photos out the window and explained she was surprised to learn a woman was the pilot as previously she thought only men were allowed to do the job.

“If not for the programme, I would have not learned all this,” she said.

The mentors travelling with the children were participants of “Strive and Rise”, a government initiative aimed at helping them improve their communication skills, widen their social network and understand the need for career and financial planning.

The year-long programme has enrolled 2,779 Form One to Three pupils who live in subdivided flats, and each one is given HK$5,000 (US$637) at the start of the scheme and again at the end.

When asked what aspect of the programme attracted her most, Jenny replied without hesitation: “The money.”

“My mom has no job,” she said. “Only my father works to support the family. I don’t want to ask for extra pocket money to create an extra burden on them.”

She said she planned to use part of the money to buy books about psychology, which she wanted to study at university, while the rest would be spent on learning about the K-pop industry.

Lau is mentored by Anita Yeung, who works in Cathay’s insurance department. Yeung has met Lau about 10 times over the past seven months, mainly at events organised by the company where the young girl learns about the various aspects of the aviation industry.

“The biggest challenge to be a mentor is finding a time to meet face to face,” she said. “She is in Form Three and has a lot of homework and I have a family to attend to.”

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According to the government, 21 students had dropped out of the programme by late February, due to busy schedules that needed to accommodate homework and extracurricular activities.

“But I found Jenny has changed,” Yeung said. “She used to be shy and quiet. Now she is more open in sharing her feelings to me, and even makes requests to me, like asking me to take her to buy books.”

Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki, Hong Kong’s No 2 official who heads the programme, said he believed the participating students would enjoy a boost in confidence.

“The biggest impression I have since I chaired the programme last October is that many students have become more willing to communicate,” Chan said after he took the flight with the students and mentors. “They even asked for my email address to write to me.”

Chan also noted that some large companies had promised to give students priority consideration if they applied for jobs.

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