Sustainability Report 2019/20

Promoting a Reading Culture Reading and Holistic Development Objective • Promote a happy reading and learning culture among youths Approach • Spread the joy of reading in the community through assorted reading promotion programmes and initiatives under SHKP Reading Club • Arouse young people’s reading interest by sharing aspects of reading experience and recommending good books on our ‘Read for More’ free reading platform SHKP believes that reading can promote one’s holistic development and the society as a whole, and has focused resources to more effectively engage the young generation in reading to encourage them to build up a lifelong passion for books. With this belief in mind, SHKP Reading Club was established as an open and complimentary hub to provide reading activities, programmes and competitions with a particular focus on the youth. The Club has attracted over 59,000 members to date. This year, we continued to enrich the ‘Read for More’ online reading platform by adding inspiring multimedia content with lifestyle themes. Other highlight reading events, including ‘Read to Dream’ and ‘Read & Share’, have also been lined up to foster a richer reading atmosphere among students, young people and the wider public. ‘Read for More’ Online Reading Platform Launched in 2019, ‘Read for More’ has provided the young people with a down-to- earth and engaging reading platform, introducing them to the world of reading. A wide range of content, from book recommendations to inspiring life stories and sharing from popular writers, celebrities and travel veterans, is available on the platform to enrich lives and foster personal growth of readers. To celebrate the six-month milestone of ‘Read For More’, the Club at its booth of the Hong Kong Book Fair 2019 recruited voice and writing talents to aid with producing more youth-oriented content on the platform. ‘Read for More’ has accumulated over 270,000 users and one million page views since its inception. Visit ‘ Read for More ’ for more details about the platform. Read to Dream Read to Dream is one of the SHKP Reading Club’s signature events. In collaboration with St. James’ Settlement (SJS) and Hong Kong Trade Development Council, the Club sponsored over 1,200 underprivileged students to visit the Hong Kong Book Fair. Students were accompanied by SHKP volunteers and each student was provided with a HK$250 allowance to purchase his or her favourite books. The Club also organized a series of celebrity and author talks and creative workshops to enrich the book-search journey of students during the book fair visit, encouraging them to develop a reading habit since a young age. • Our volunteers accompanied students to read and purchase books Read & Share School Programme For the sixth year in a row, the ‘Read & Share’ programme, which supports teachers with its wide range of school-based reading promotion initiatives, has reached out to 240 primary and secondary schools. Partnering with the Hong Kong Aided Primary School Heads Association, the programme recognizes students who stand out at activities, as well as teachers and their respective schools who are dedicated to promoting a reading culture through quarterly and year-end awards. A total of 71 teachers and students received the Outstanding Performance Awards at a presentation ceremony in 2019. In recognition of its enthusiastic support, Shek Wu Hui Public School in Sheung Shui received the Most Active Participation Award. Promoting Reading in the Community To further spread the fun of reading to the wider public, the Club organized activities in collaboration with different partners, including the celebrity talk ‘Detective On Stage: Transformation From Text To Theatre’ with the troupe Theatre Space, a guided ‘Kowloon City tour: food and culture’ with a cultural enterprise Walk In Hong Kong. During the tour, participants were given the chance to explore historical remains of Kowloon City and taste local delicacies along the way. In addition, relevant books about the district were recommended to deepen participants’ understanding of the community’s heritage and vibrancy today. Value Created for Community Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited • Sustainability Report 2019/20 38