About Us
About the Hong Kong Inter-School Mock Trial Championship
The Hong Kong Inter-School Mock Trial Championship ("HKISMTC"), established in 2014, is organized by ARCH Community Outreach, a non-profit organization. Our mission is to bring a new form of debate and public speaking to the students of Hong Kong. In 2019, 22 schools from around the city sent teams to compete in the tournament. During two exhilarating days of competition at the University of Hong Kong, over 300 student participants argued an explosive burglar case in front of judges drawn from the Hong Kong legal community. Upon seeing the talent and determination of the student participants, the organizers resolved to find a way to bring Hong Kong mock trial to the global stage.
To that end, the HKISMTC is partner organised with Empire Mock Trial—a prestigious international mock trial organisation—to give the HKISMTC champions an opportunity to compete at the International Mock Trial Championship in the U.S. against the best teams in the world!
The past couple of years, we have seen Hong Kong mock trial grow from a couple conversations in a meeting room into an activity loved by students across the city. It has gone from a couple kids in a classroom all the way to the international stage. And this is just the beginning. We look forward to the continued growth of this wonderful activity and many more years of fierce competition at the HKISMTC!
ARCH Community Outreach (ACO) is a non-profit charity (IR File No. 91/11870) aimed at broadening Hong Kong youth’s exposure to international education experiences and diverse careers networks.
Since its establishment in 2011, ACO has been providing international opportunities and programs for the educational development of young people in Hong Kong. ACO was originally funded through a gift from the founders of ARCH Education. Annually a portion of profits from ARCH Education is donated to ACO to continue its outreach initiatives. ACO is also supported by corporate and individual sponsorships that help fund specific programs or provide opportunities to participating students.
We received endorsement from St. James’ Settlement in 2012 as a partner charity entity. St. James’ Settlement has been providing us guidance and support in relation to our programs since we started for which we deeply appreciate.