• Arup’s Hong Kong office celebrates its 40 anniversary with a meaningful cause - inspiring the underprivileged young, through a mentorship programme, to contribute to the betterment of our city.
• 20 Arupians become mentors to 20 Secondary 5 students, giving advice and guidance on education and career.
• A core activity of Arup’s 40 years in Hong Kong celebrations to put our mission into action.

At Arup, we believe that the best way to harvest the past is to sow the future; so when we mark our 40 years in Hong Kong, we decide to look into the future of our city and its future leaders. In view of this, we have designed the ‘20 + 20’ mentorship programme in the hope to unleash the potential and expand the horizon of the younger generation.

The programme received generous support from five local secondary schools as well as from our staff who are keen to offer their time and themselves as a positive example to influence the lives of others.

After months of preparation, a kick-off ceremony was held on 22 April 2016 at The Rotunda, Exchange Square, Central, where many of our clients and working partners joined us to celebrate the anniversary with a vision and a cause.

Under this mentorship programme, 20 Arup colleagues will give advice and guidance to 20 Secondary 5 students on a one-to-one basis. The yearlong programme comprises a series of meet-ups, guided tours, creative workshops and shadowing activities to enhance the students’ exposure to the engineering profession and wider community, develop a vision for their own future, and make preparation for achieving education, training and career goals.

A 1.5-day long creative workshop was held from 29 to 30 June at InnoCentre where the 20 students formed in groups were given an imaginary piece of land in Hong Kong to develop for 2030, making our city more liveable and competitive. Six Arup planners and engineers as the faculty member of the mentorship programme were invited to take a look at the complex web of urban systems. With the guidance from the faculty members and advice from mentors, each team was able to come up with their vision, goals and design plan.

Outstanding mentees will also receive scholarships from Arup to continue their higher education as well as internship opportunities at the firm during their university years.

This is another step in our ongoing endeavour to make a difference in communities and live our value of being socially useful. As the programme name indicates, our past 40 years is a journey that we have shared with the local community, and we will continue to shape a better future by assisting in the development of our future leaders. Wilfred Lau, East Asia Community Engagement Committee Chair, Arup

I appreciate Arup for their passion in contributing to the community by offering such golden opportunities for the underprivileged students. This is not only about knowledge acquisition, but also a process, through idea and experience sharing on a personal level, to get valuable skills for their future career and life planning. Dr. Alex Chu, Principal of Heep Woh College