About Lead for Life
Why Lead for Life?
Why Lead for Life?
Lead for Life is a transformational journey for all HKU undergraduate students, cultivating essential character qualities for effective lifelong leadership. Our approach is life-enriching and nurturing, with a goal of wellness and thriving for students during their time at HKU and beyond.
Lead for Life offers a community of virtue where character leadership is caught, taught and sought. We are inclusive and accessible to all students, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or perceived abilities. Join us on this transformational journey towards building flourishing communities.
How did Lead for Life start?
How did Lead for Life start?
Lead for Life builds upon the success of previous Character of Leadership programmes at HKU in partnership with The Oxford Character Project and The Program for Leadership and Character at Wake Forest University. We launched in 2021 as a non-credit bearing Character Leadership Certificate Programme for undergraduate students.
Our programme draws on deep, multi-cultural traditions of wisdom and virtue to equip and enable HKU students to become leaders of character who can make significant social impact. We are a partnership between HKU CEDARS and Faith and Global Engagement. Ultimately, we aim to involve collaboration from all university faculties.
#HKULeadForLife
What is our mission?
What is our mission?
Our mission is to cultivate a community of character leaders who positively impact their communities. We value the contributions of students from diverse backgrounds and cultures, fostering a culture of inclusion and growth.
The Lead for Life programme commenced with the first cohort in 2021/22. In each subsequent year, we welcome approximately 200 new students to our community. Students journey with the programme for four years, and upon successful completion, they will receive a Character Leadership certificate from HKU.
What is character leadership?
What is character leadership?
At Lead for Life, we believe that everyone has the potential to be a leader. Growing our character leadership is a journey of commitment to developing and demonstrating good character qualities and leadership competencies that are consistent and appropriate for different contexts. Character leadership is about understanding who you are and how you can consistently be the best version of yourself to lead others to build flourishing communities.
Does it work?
Does it work?
One of the most frequently asked questions regarding character and leadership development programmes is, “Does it work?” At HKU Lead for Life, we are committed to conduct ongoing evaluation and research to ensure that the programme is effective. In addition, we actively collaborate with partners from other international academic institutions to stay up-to-date with the latest research on character and leadership development.
Some of our main research areas include investigating the impact of virtue-based communities on an individual’s self and social purpose, and cultivating commitment to good character and leadership for the greater good. We are also interested in the transformation of university students’ understanding of character and leadership, along with the real-world implications for nurturing flourishing individuals and communities. If you are interested in collaborating with us on research or discussing our work, please feel free to reach out to our team.
Contact Us
Contact Us
We welcome your inquiries and invite you to connect with us. Whether you have questions about our programme or would like to explore potential collaborations, we are here to help. Please feel free to reach out to Francis Tsui (fkctsui@hku.hk) or Steve Gaultney (steveg@hku.hk) directly, or use our Contact Us page. Our team is dedicated to promoting character leadership and building flourishing communities, and we would love to partner with you to achieve these goals. We look forward to hearing from you!
