The Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is delighted to announce the recipient of the 2024 Outstanding Alumni Award. This award serves as a testament to the exceptional leadership, commitment, and dedication of APSS alumni who have made significant impact in their professional fields and communities. This year, we congratulate Dr Chi Kong SIU as our 2024 Outstanding Alumnus.
Dr Chi Kong SIU obtained his Bachelor of Social Work in 1997 from APSS, prior to which he was named one of Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong in 1992 by the Junior Chamber International Hong Kong, an international youth leadership organisation. In 2014, Dr SIU was awarded an honorary doctorate in pastoral studies from the Hong Kong Institute of Christian Counselors.
Dr SIU serves as the Director and Founder of Gideon Ministries Ltd, a Hong Kong-based charity organisation that offers training, coursework, and counseling services for youth and families. Dr SIU is a pioneer in adventure-based counselling in Hong Kong, an innovative approach that combines outdoor hiking, training, and counseling.
Drawing on his social work background, behavior therapy, reality therapy, reward-and-discipline system, and solution-focused therapy, Dr SIU’s adventure counseling approach integrates the five stages of social group work elements into adventure training. The adventure counseling approach has been shared widely with professionals and has proven highly effective in assisting marginalised youth.
In addition, Dr SIU has designed and implemented courses tailored for special needs students, specifically focusing on youth life orientation and addiction treatment. Recognising the growing concern of internet addiction and addictive behaviors among teenagers, he developed a comprehensive model for addiction treatment. This model offers life-oriented courses to assist students with marginal behavior, internet addiction, special educational needs, and school dropouts. Dr SIU has also conducted online and offline lectures, parent seminars, and training sessions for youth organisations, as well as participating in youth conferences and delivering training to social work students at Asia University.
