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The Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) Department of Social Work recently hosted the Jockey Club MEL Institute Project Final Project Pitching Day 2024-25, showcasing the fruits of training from Phase Two of the Jockey Club MEL Institute Project and enhancement in quality of the city’s social services. Thanks to a generous donation from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the Department of Social Work launched Phase Two of the project in 2022. This three-year initiative aims to equip practitioners from local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and social enterprises with knowledge and experience in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL). Building on the success of Phase One of the project, Phase Two strengthens specific training topics and introduces new training components to bolster organisational-level MEL capacity, addressing the needs of local NGOs.

About 60 participants from various social service and professional backgrounds successfully completed a six-month programme, which included a seven-week training course followed by a four-month mentored practicum. The department held the Final Project Pitching Day 2024-25 at CUHK’s campus to showcase the training outcomes. A total of 15 teams from NGOs and social enterprises demonstrated their application of MEL knowledge and programme evaluation skills through five-minute presentations. The judging panel included Ms Vickie Cheng, Deputy Executive Manager of The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust; Professor Ilan Katz, Professor of the Social Policy Research Centre at the University of New South Wales; Professor Steven Ngai Sek-yum, Principal Investigator of the Project and Professor in the Department of Social Work at CUHK; and Professor Cinzia Canali, Director of the Emanuela Zancan Foundation, an Italy-based research centre for social studies. They selected three outstanding teams as the award winners. Additionally, both online and in-person audiences voted for their three favourite projects.

In his welcoming remarks, Professor Ngai expressed his gratitude to The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust for its donations and support. He detailed the core components and aims of Phase Two of the project, as well as the six-month MEL learning journey. He encouraged participants to continue applying MEL knowledge and skills in their daily work to maximise their projects’ impact and benefit society.

In her closing remarks, Ms Vickie Cheng praised the diverse range of impressive projects that were presented, highlighting their structured approach and thoroughness within a short timeframe. She added that smaller pilot projects are helpful for funders’ reference, providing qualitative insights and driving innovation. She thanked everyone for their efforts and said she looked forward to the results of the projects, adding that she appreciated their contributions to improving Hong Kong.

Professor Katz said he found this year’s presentations to be the best over the five years the project has been underway, particularly praising their innovative nature. He emphasised the initiative’s international significance and the need to continue developing it. He expressed interest in how organisations apply the lessons learned to broader evaluations and outcomes, highlighting the importance of evolving their approaches.

Professor Canali expressed gratitude for the presentations and acknowledged the similarities to the challenges faced by Italian social workers and NGOs. She highlighted the importance of need assessments alongside evaluation of the capacities of individuals involved in projects. She added that she appreciated the growth in knowledge of evaluation and monitoring, and looked forward to sharing the results with colleagues in Italy, emphasising the significance of the work presented.