Using the experience from the United States on positive youth development, researchers in Hong Kong developed the Project P.A.T.H.S., trained the potential program implementers and evaluated the developed programs. Because of the overwhelming success of the project in Hong Kong, the project was piloted in mainland China for several years. This project (supported by the Tin Ka Ping Foundation) was piloted in four cities in East China (Shanghai, Suzhou, Changzhou and Yangzhou) from 2011 to 2014. In this book, we present the training program in mainland China and also a leadership project for university students at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The chapters underscore the importance of evaluation, and we hope that the findings will motivate university teachers and others to utilise positive youth development principles within and outside of Hong Kong.
Daniel TL Shek, PhD, FHKPS, BBS, SBS, JP, is Associate Vice President (undergraduate Programme) and Chair Professor of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hunghom, Hong Kong, PRC, Advisory Professor of East China Normal University, Honorary Professor of Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau and Adjunct Professor, Division of Adolescent Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, Lexington, United States. He is Chief Editor of Journal of Youth Studies and Applied Research in Quality of Life, past Consulting Editor of Journal of Clinical Psychology, and editorial board member of Social Indicators Research, International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health, Asian Journal of Counseling, International Journal on Disability and Human Development, International Journal of Adolescent Medicine and Health and Journal of Adolescent Health. He has served in many government advisory bodies, including the Action Committee against Narcotics, Commission on Youth, Fight Crime Committee and Family Council. He has published numerous books, book chapters and more than 500 scientific articles in international refereed journals.
JJoav Merrick, MD, MMedSci, DMSc Professor of Pediatrics at the Division of Pediatrics, Hadassah Hebrew University Medical Center, Mt Scopus Campus, Jerusalem, Israel, Kentucky Childrens Hospital, University of Kentucky, Lexington, United States and Professor of Public Health at the Center for Healthy Development, School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, United States, the former Medical Director of the Division for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Ministry of Social Affairs and Social Services, Jerusalem and the Founder and Director of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development in Israel