KELY Support Group 
Our Objectives
KELY Support Group is the only fully bilingual youth organisation which was the first to introduce the idea of peer support in helping young people in difficult times.
We aim to
- provide a supportive medium through which young people can communicate with each other and address issues involving emotional and behavioural difficulties, drugs and other related problems in a positive, productive and innovative manner
- educate the community using the KELY Support Group concept: through the spirit of self-help to foster attitudes of care and concern among, first and foremost, the youth of Hong Kong
- provide support services for individuals and their families to help them better deal with the problems of emotional and behavioural issues, drugs and other related problems
- develop and foster professional relationships with the secondary school systems and other non-government and government agencies involved with young people
- grow and develop as an organisation that is responsive to the needs of young people in Hong Kong
- build the leadership capacity of young people through meaningful engagement, involving training, mentorship and guidance
-
encourage young people to help themselves through a variety of services where they can establish and maintain positive contact with their peers
Our Approach
KELY's approach is to empower young people to help themselves through the provision of peer support and positive contact with other young people. We connect young people through the following means:
- a peer support helpline
- harm reduction education
- peer support workshops
- circus skills training
- outreach initiatives
- multi-media and art / dance projects
- interactive youth forums
According to the 2006 census, there were approximately 909,005 young people between the ages of 15 and 24 living in Hong Kong – representing 13.2% of the entire population. Although the majority of this population is Cantonese speaking, KELY serve and cater for young people of all races, ethnicities, classes, gender, orientation and abilities.
As a non-judgmental organization, we will never close the door on any young person in need. However, due to our limited resources, we are primarily committed to young people who are in a more disadvantaged position, including those living in the districts with the highest rate of young drug abusers, those from poorer socio-economic backgrounds as well as ethnic minority youths who are underserved and facing integration issues.
If you want to learn more, please email us at: contact@kely.org. If you are experiencing problems in your life, don’t feel alone – contact us at 2338 5777or email us at: help@kely.org – we’re always here to listen.
Using a Critical Approach
As with any progressive organisation, KELY strongly believes in the importance of evaluating what we do in developing our programmes and outreaching to its stakeholders. We achieve this through the following avenues:
- Applying the “who / what / where / why and how” to every programme we develop
- Developing meaningful relationships and receiving feedback from young people, the institutions that serve young people and schools, including principals, teachers, social workers, and case workers
- Applying our own critical and action-based research, as well as those of local universities, academics and credible authority figures
- Carrying out ongoing evaluation / analysis of our programmes, services and initiatives
In keeping with its commitment to facilitate youth leadership, KELY not only provides services to young people, it also encourages them to maintain their involvement with our organization through providing leadership opportunities. Young people we work with are often requested to lead projects, participate in our committees as well as develop new initiatives. KELY believes in the power of young people! As such, we always encourage their participation and feedback.
