For the ninth consecutive year, Hopewell Holdings Limited ("Hopewell") has partnered with St. James' Settlement to co-organize the "Hopewell Junior Volunteers Program.” This year, the initiative continued to focus on the mental health of primary school students by hosting five horticultural therapy workshops and a farming experience day, designed to support the psychological well-being of primary school students.
 
Using plants as a therapeutic medium, professional horticultural therapists guided participants through activities such as planting and handicrafts. These sessions helped students relieve stress, improve emotional regulation, and address mental, cognitive, and social challenges, delivering positive therapeutic effects.
 
The activities were held on March 29 and April 12 at the farms in New Territories, with partner schools including Fr. Cucchiara Memorial School and Po Leung Kuk Chan Yat Primary School. Through horticultural therapy workshops and interactive engagement with volunteers, students were able to relax and enhance their emotional resilience.
 
Activity One
- Understanding the relationship between plants and people
- Plant dyeing
- Farming experience and planting beans
 
Activity Two
- Farm tour and concepts of sustainable cultivation
- Natural plant dyeing and herbal sachet making
- Experience of no-dig planting
 
St. James' Settlement also distributed mental health questionnaires to students to assess the effectiveness of the workshops in improving psychological well-being. The program aims to identify high-risk students at an early stage, enabling school social workers to provide follow-up counseling or refer them to professional organizations for appropriate treatment.