The stepped-up meaningful engagement model and its supportive environment in later life: A case study of a social enterprise in Hong Kong

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I worked on this paper over the summer of 2025 at the University of Hong Kong with Professor Tracy Lu and research assistant Alex Wong. This paper is currently under review for The Gerontologist, a flagship peer-reviewed journal of the Gerontological Society of America that publishes interdisciplinary research on aging. The Gerontologist is one of the most cited journals in gerontology worldwide.

 

Our study examined JClub, a Hong Kong social enterprise, as a case study for rethinking how baby boomers engage in later life. We introduced the “Stepped-Up Engagement Model” (SUEM), which progresses older adults from joyful participation in low-barrier activities, to empowered co-production as peer tutors, and finally to purposeful roles as community partners and mentors. Through interviews and focus groups with 36 participants, we found that meaningful engagement rests on three components—emotional satisfaction, autonomy in co-production, and generativity through equitable partnerships—supported by enablers such as a merit-based time-credit system, a decentralized entrepreneurial culture, and JClub’s role as a trusted cross-sector intermediary. The findings highlight how social enterprises can transform older adults from service recipients into active contributors, offering a replicable model for healthy aging policy and practice.

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During my time at the University of Hong Kong, I conducted extensive literature review, and participated in multilingual interviews of JClub staff and participating seniors.