New World Group Launches "New World Springboard" for Youth Jeremy Lin Makes Hong Kong Debut Appearance at the Inauguration Ceremony
The New World Development Company Limited ("New World Group") today announced the launch of an exciting new community and sustainability initiative - New World Springboard.
Designed to help under-resourced young people cultivate a spirit of perseverance and give them the courage to embrace challenges, the New World Springboard aims to help young people unleash their full potential through participation in sports.
Joining Executive Director and Joint General Manager of New World Development Company Limited, Adrian Cheng, to officiate at the launch of New World Springboard was NBA superstar Jeremy Lin who made his Hong Kong debut appearance at the programme's inauguration ceremony. They were joined by more than 100 young people from under-resourced families, and secondary school students who had put in outstanding performances at inter-school basketball competitions.
Kicking off the ceremony, Mr Cheng said: "New World Springboard represents our long-term commitment to local youth and is an important milestone of our community engagement and sustainability efforts. It is designed to support under-resourced local youth and their long term development to facilitate social mobility."
"We believe in the limitless potential of our young people. Unfortunately, some may not have sufficient self-confidence or spirit of perseverance. Perhaps they lack resources or simply never had the opportunity.The New World Group is determined to help such young people unleash their full potential through participation in sports."
New World Springboard is made up of four key components: the recently launched New World Swimming Academy, the New World Basketball League, the Mentorship Programme, and the Coach Sharing Session.
Initially, the programme will focus on basketball and swimming, providing 7 years of professional coaching to young people who meet the admission criteria. The programme intends to recruit students aged between 7 and 12. "We have 200 students enrolled in swimming and our goal is to recruit 150 students in basketball training for the first year," Mr Cheng said.The training will be coupled with mentorship provided by volunteers of the New World Group.
Welcoming the NBA star to the inaugural, Mr Cheng said Jeremy, known for his passionate support for youth work, shares New World Springboard's vision of supporting the long term development of young people.They took part in a hand-printing ceremony and the hand-prints will be displayed at K11 to commemorate this important event.
'A journey of LINmagination with Jeremy @ K11' followed the inauguration and saw Jeremy speak with student representatives at the event to share his journey to becoming an NBA superstar. He also played interactive games with the young participants and charmed the audience with his humour and amazed them with his basketball skills.
Jeremy Lin was very pleased to have the opportunity to come to Hong Kong for the first time. He was particularly excited to meet under-resourced children and young basketball lovers and in the process learn more about the youth in Hong Kong. Jeremy encouraged local youths to set goals for themselves and told them not to be discouraged by difficulties. He stressed that self-belief is the foundation of success. Jeremy aimed to inspire young people with his stories of overcoming challenges and the pursuit of his dreams.
New World Development Company Limited
New World Development Company Limited (Hong Kong stock code: 17) is a Hong Kong-based leading conglomerate. Established in 1970, the Group has been listed in Hong Kong since 1972 and is now a constituent stock of the benchmark Hang Seng Index with a total asset value of HK$270.2 billion.
After 40 years of operations, the Group has expanded from its original property business to include four core businesses: property, infrastructure, services and department stores. As of 31st December 2011, the Group has an effective interest of approximately 60.4% in NWS Holdings Limited (Hong Kong stock code: 659), 69.8% in New World China Land Limited (Hong Kong stock code: 917) and 72.3% in New World Department Store China Limited (Hong Kong stock code: 825).