On a Saturday morning on 17 January, a room tucked away inside a commercial building in Wong Chuk Hang was set abuzz with excited chatters coming from more than a dozen individuals across generations.
Gathered here in the indoor baseball facility were 14 HSBC Scholars and Hub for the Future community members; Nivey Tsang, Co-founder and Business Development Director of Eldpathy; “Ken Sir”, a social worker and baseball coach at Eldpathy; three elderly volunteer baseball players; and, from the FSI team, Toni Leung, Program Manager, and Mandy Yeung, Program Officer of the HSBC Scholarship Scheme.
Incorporated as a social enterprise in 2013, Eldpathy was founded on the belief that strong intergenerational power can be created by combining the experience and wisdom of the elderly and the passion and creativity of young people. The name, combining “elderly” and “empathy”, explains the social enterprise’s mission: to nurture the public’s empathy and understanding toward the mental and physical needs of the elderly, as a compassionate response to Hong Kong’s ageing population.
Initially started by Nivey and his two schoolmates at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology as a physical simulation for Hong Kong youth to experience old age, the social enterprise has grown to offer corporate training workshops and education workshops to expand its mission since the project won the Championship and Best Presenter Awards at the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge in 2012.
Said Nivey: “Eldpathy is a social enterprise dedicated to promoting active ageing by bridging generational divides via innovative intergenerational programs. Our baseball workshops are a core part of this mission, fostering empathy and dismantling stereotypes through shared activity.”
Intergenerational Interaction Through Baseball
Forming a big circle with the three elderly volunteer baseball players, HSBC Scholars took turns to introduce themselves and share their thoughts on interacting with the over-60 amateur athletes.
All eyes then turned to “Ken Sir”, the baseball coach, who showed HSBC Scholars the correct way to pitch the baseball, with the support of the elderly baseball players.
Once the HSBC Scholars got the hang of pitching, they were split into two groups to learn about throwing and batting the baseball with Ken Sir and the elderly players. HSBC Scholars also took turns to hit the baseball dispatched from an automatic pitching machine, and each successful hit was celebrated by a round of applause from the crowd.
When a Fun Baseball Game Offers a Glimpse of Active Ageing
The two-hour event not only introduced HSBC Scholars to the game of baseball, but also offered them a glimpse of what active ageing is and how it is being achieved by Hong Kong’s elderly.
Said Hubert Ching Ho Wong, a recipient of the HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship in 2023: “I am very happy to join this indoor baseball event today. It allows me to communicate with the elderly, and I can see that they are very dedicated and active in participating in this baseball event. This is a demonstration of the concept of active ageing. I have gained a lot from this event.”
Hubert’s sentiment is echoed by Mimi Wing Yan Wong, a recipient of the HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship in 2024: “I feel very grateful for this event because I learned a lot from the elderly.
I realized that the elderly are really talented and they have a lot of skills to share with us.”
“The event today is a very meaningful opportunity to know the other HSBC Scholars and the elderly,” said Rooney Long Hin Chow, a recipient of the HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship in 2021. “It was a very good opportunity to also play baseball with them and learn about their habits and lifestyle.”
“I learned how to actually play baseball, which is actually very impressive to me, because I am not an athletic person,” said Tasha Ka Yin Lam, a recipient of the HSBC Innovation and Technology Scholarship in 2025. “But with the elderly, fellow HUB members, and the trainers, we were able to experience at least part of the baseball game, which is very rewarding.”
HSBC Scholars weren’t the only ones who found the event rewarding. Nivey, the Co-founder of Eldpathy, and his team were duly inspired, too. “We were truly inspired by today’s session with the Hub for the Future members. Watching the young participants connect so genuinely with our senior players over baseball was powerful. Laughter and encouragement filled the field, transforming a simple game into a meaningful exchange of energy and stories. We look forward to seeing more inspired young HSBC Scholars taking a step toward building a more inclusive and age-friendly community for all with their skills and profession in the future.”
