WECARE FUND
Heart to Heart 心•照
INSTITUTION
The University of Hong Kong
TEAM MEMBERS
Cheng Yat Hing (Project Leader)
Lai Tsz Yung
Ma Man Lok
Chan Sze Hang Brandy
Lee Hoi Ting
PROFESSIONAL ADVISOR
Esther Cheung
Clinical Psychologist
CEDARS, HKU
LINK
BACKGROUND
The team desired to welcome all to know more about mental illnesses and encourage them to assist the mentally distressed, with a variety of knowledge-based and interactive activities held on HKU campus.
OBJECTIVE
The project aimed at raising the public awareness of mental health, through the sharing of remitted individuals’ experience with mental disorders, and providing effective ways in assisting people who are mentally in need.
METHODOLOGY
There are four major parts of the project. First, they set up a Facebook page to promote their activities and published various information related to mental health. The team also shared personal stories from remitted individuals who once suffered from mental illnesses on Facebook. Second, an activity called Say and Snap It was held. A booth was set up on campus, inviting passersby to take a photo with a quote/ sentence that they wrote about mental illness on a whiteboard. The photos were then posted on Facebook by the participants. Third, Art Jamming, an activity which enabled participants to put their fingerprint on the banner, was held on campus during examination period. The participants also received a Stress Relief Pack, which included chocolate, fidget spinner, laptop stickers and a brochure introducing how to deal with mental illness. Some passersby were also invited to make their own “happy diary”, which one could jot down happy moments of every day to appreciate the good happened in their lives.
IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES
The Facebook page allowed people who had previously experienced mental illnesses to share their feelings and how they had overcome it. Some people also shared their stories anonymously online after reading others’ stories. The general public gained a chance to understand their experiences and to think from others’ perspectives, which enabled them to reflect on the importance of mental health. The activity Say and Snap It had successfully raised the awareness and increased the understanding of mental health for the public. Students voiced out their thoughts on the definition of mental health and how they managed their negative emotions. The Art Jamming event helped participants to understand that every individual is special and we should take everyone’s mental health into account.
NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES
2100 students
