Training Days for Presidents at the SSVP in Hong Kong

Building on the momentum from the National Presidents’ Seminar held in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in July 2025, the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Hong Kong organised a Presidents’ Training Programme for Conferences on 30–31 August 2025.

The gathering brought together more than 50 leaders from the 31 local Conferences, who shared two intensive days of spiritual renewal, leadership development, and strengthened collaboration. The training materials from Kuala Lumpur were carefully adapted to Hong Kong’s cultural and operational context, ensuring a deeply contextualised learning experience.

Highlights of the programme included:

• Spiritual deepening around the figures of Blessed Frédéric Ozanam and Saint Vincent de Paul.
• Practical leadership work, including safeguarding, governance, and financial management, through case studies and role-playing dynamics.
• Promotion of unity and collaboration, with interactive spaces for youth engagement, inter-Conference work, and spiritual dialogues.
• A rich liturgical life, with daily prayers and a solemn closing Mass that consolidated the faith dimension of the training.

As a result of this effort, the SSVP in Hong Kong has strengthened the leadership capacities of its office-holders, renewed its commitment to the protection of vulnerable people, and prepared materials translated into Chinese to support the forthcoming training to be held by the SSVP in Taiwan. The resources will also be shared within the “Asia 3” framework to inspire similar initiatives across the region.

This experience makes the SSVP in Hong Kong the first branch in the area to launch a national training programme of this scale, setting a path to replicate Vincentian training in cascade, bringing it closer in each place to the needs of every local reality.