The Young Ambassadors Supporting Caregivers Program

Launched by THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG · Aug 5, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is called the Young Ambassadors Supporting Caregivers Program. It aims to see if training young adult volunteers can help support older adults who are taking care of family members or loved ones. The study will look at three types of training for these volunteers—mindfulness and compassion, caregiving skills, and communication skills—to see how well prepared the volunteers feel and whether this helps reduce feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety for the caregivers they support.

The study is looking for two groups of participants: young adults aged 18 to 35 who are willing to complete training and volunteer at least two hours a week for six weeks, and older adult caregivers aged 50 or above who live in the community and have been caring for someone aged 65 or older for at least a year. Caregivers will meet with the volunteers at least four times during the program. Both volunteers and caregivers should be generally healthy without major physical or mental health issues. Participants can expect to be involved in training sessions, volunteering activities, and regular meetings, all designed to help improve support for caregivers and better prepare young volunteers to provide meaningful help.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• • Volunteer Recruitment and Eligibility
• This study will recruit university students in Hong Kong as youth volunteers. Eligible participants must meet the following criteria:
• • 1. Aged 18-35 years;
• • 2. Willing to complete training and commit to at least 2 hours of volunteer service per week for 6 weeks;
• • 3. No self-reported major physical or mental health conditions, including cognitive impairment;
• • 4. Limited prior formal volunteering experience (≤4 engagements in the past year).
• • Older Adult Caregiver Recruitment and Eligibility
• We will recruit community-dwelling Chinese adults in Hong Kong who provide care for older adults. Eligible caregivers must:
• • 1. Be aged 50 years or older;
• • 2. Consent to interact with youth volunteers at least four times during the intervention;
• • 3. Report no major physical or mental health conditions, including cognitive impairment; and
• • 4. Have resided with and provided care for an older adult (aged 65+) for a minimum of one year.