Watsons Hong Kong and PARKnSHOP join Whisper to continue the Dream #LikeAGirl campaign

Hong Kong elite athletes shared their dream-pursuing journeys that manifest girl power

For girls reaching adolescence, as obvious physical changes begin to occur, the ensuing pressure of schoolwork, the influences of peers and friends, and the tensions with or estrangement from family, may lead to perplexity of life and even a loss of confidence, getting in their way of exploring exciting possibilities and pursuing dreams. An earlier investigation conducted by the Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK) reveals[1] that gender differences still exist in the selection of subjects among Hong Kong students. Female students tend to select subjects like medical treatment and product design, while male students desire to pursue careers in technology, science, mathematics, and engineering, more than their female fellow students. However, selecting careers should not be gender-biased. Be it software engineers or athletes, women are fully qualified for such jobs, as they have considerable potential. That's why P&G's feminine care brand, Whisper, joining hands with Watsons Hong Kong and PARKnSHOP, are acting to encourage girls in fulfilling their limitless potential, putting the idea of Dream #LikeAGirl into practice.

Since launching a series of activities as Dream #LikeAGirl in 2018, Whisper has been aiming to inspire young women to break through gender stereotypes and pursue their dreams, not to be restricted by the existing social values. Going one step further this year, Whisper continues to work with Watsons Hong Kong and PARKnSHOP and invited local elite female athletes to share their experiences of coping with difficulties and low tides and how they persisted with the belief of Dream #LikeAGirl.

To gather more people to push the idea forward, Whisper collaborates with Watsons Hong Kong and PARKnSHOP. Whisper products will be donated to the InspiringHK Sports Foundation, and donation boxes will be placed in every store of Watsons and PARKnSHOP to motivate consumer donations, all to help girls realize their sports potential and thus build confidence.

Elite athlete KOLs shared their stories of Dream #LikeAGirl, inspiring girls to do sports during the pandemic

According to a study of sports participation hours of primary and secondary school students by the InspiringHK Sports Foundation², among students who met the standard of sports participation hours, girls reached an average usual-day sports hour three times lower than that by boys. Supporting girls in sports participation and enjoyment plays a primary role in helping females realize their full potential in sports. To continue with the idea and mission of encouraging adolescent girls in pursuit of dreams, Whisper and Watsons Hong Kong as well as PARKnSHOP invited local female athletes to tell their stories, including badminton player Tse Ying Suet, former cyclist and InspiringHK athlete supporter Vivian Ma Wing Yu, gymnast and InspiringHK athlete supporter Angel Wong Hiu Ying, representative figure skater and InspiringHK athlete supporter Phyllis Lee Tze Ching, bronze medalist in table tennis at the 2020 Summer Olympics Lee Ho Ching, and holder of 7 Hong Kong female track and field records, "queen of long-distance running" Christy Yiu Kit Ching. They each shared how they became elite athletes all the way from as girls with athlete dreams by utilizing limited resources and how parents played an essential role in their pursuit of dreams.

Whisper x Watsons Hong Kong x PARKnSHOP once again together to promote social inclusion in every dimension

Donna Poon, Trading Director of Watsons Hong Kong, said, "Watsons Hong Kong believes that true beauty glows from the inside. Our recently featuring activity 'The New Beautiful' seeks to inspire women to make themselves to Look Good. Do Good. Feel Great. We are glad to have been partnering with P&G since 2018, to encourage our consumers in taking part in Dream #LikeAGirl and making donations to support InspiringHK Sports Foundation in bringing up a generation of youths by sports. These actions aim to help women build up their confidence and self-love. 'The New Beautiful' is how we live, who we are, and who we can be. The beautiful is in us all, and for us all. "

Kevin Wong, Trading Director of PARKnSHOP Hong Kong, said, "PARKnSHOP believes in better living through better eating. Being the most trusted food retailer in Hong Kong, we are dedicated to providing beyond quality food choices, and more than that, we also hope to build a better living environment together with our customers. We embrace the concepts of gender equality, social inclusion, and healthy life through sports as advocated by the InspiringHK Sports Foundation, so we collaborate with P&G on promoting Dream #LikeAGirl, to encourage women in breaking through gender stereotypes, pursuing their dreams bravely, and realizing the ‘Eat Better. Live Better!’ mantra."

Denman Chan, Senior Director of Hong Kong & Macau Sales cum Equality and Inclusion Leader of P&G Hong Kong, said, "As a consumer goods company that closely linked with consumers, the idea of equality and inclusion is deeply rooted in our daily operation. We are proud to do more for teenage girls in women empowerment, inspiring them to be confident when growing up." He also added, "Apart from leverage our brand voices, we advocate the values of equality and inclusion by offering our colleagues equal access and opportunity to learn, grow, succeed and thrive. We also have introduced policies that promote diversity and created a friendly work environment that facilitates employees to unleash their potential to the fullest. For example, we provide eight weeks of paid paternity leave that helps fathers to get more involved in childcare. We have introduced the ‘Workways’ program that encourages employees to flexibly arrange their worktime based on job-to-be-done principle, enabling them to work from home up to 50% of the time each month. We also celebrated the Equality and Inclusion Month to drive a meaningful impact in key areas, for our brands, employees, communities, and partners."

^{1 "Challenges and Opportunities with Hong Kong Students' Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Aspirations", Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences of the Education University of Hong Kong, 2020.
2 "'SportsHour Participation Index' for Primary and Secondary school students", InspiringHK Sports Foundation, 2020.}