WECARE FUND
HKU Mental Health Ambassador
INSTITUTION
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
TEAM MEMBERS
Choy Kai Tung, Annabel (Project leader)
Fu Hong Chung, Helon
Choi Man Yui, Vivian
Tse Sze Wa, Shirley
Zheng Yu Chen, Kelvin
Michelle Lam
Chan Wing Ying ,Ofelia
Chow Hoi Kin
Kong Wing Fung, Novia
So Wai Lung, Perseus
PROFESSIONAL ADVISOR
Prof. Chen Yu Hai, Eric
Professor
Department Head
Department of Psychiatry
University of Hong Kong
LINK
BACKGROUND
This project was proposed by a group of medical students. As students who study medicine are under enormous stress, this project aimed to promote mental health awareness, facilitate help seeking behaviour and enhance stress management skills for medical students at the University of Hong Kong.
OBJECTIVE
This project aimed to promote mental health awareness and resilience among medical students, to facilitate stress coping, help seeking as well as providing helping hand among fellow students. Also, to equip students to identify peers with emotional distress and encourage them to seek for professional help at the early stage. At last, they hope to build up a platform for medical students to share their own psychological experience.
METHODOLOGY
Various activities, ranging from distribution of survival guide, stress coping workshop, Mental health Carnival to film appreciation were conducted throughout the implementation period.
Survival guides including sharing and reflections from senior medical students were distributed to freshmen medical students of Year 1. Stress relieving workshops, such as yoga and art jamming workshop were also conducted, which provided stress coping strategies for medical students. In addition, film appreciation among students on a psychological movie, “A beautiful mind”, was conducted. Through this, students were allowed to understand briefly the etiology and presentation to psychiatric disorders.
IMPACTS AND OUTCOMES
Yoga workshop has raised mental health awareness among students and helped them to learn to de-stress through creating a body with vibrant health. The carnival, especially the art jam, was successfully held. Not only the participants, but also the mentor herself, enjoyed spending the time expressing themselves through artwork and discussion. Furthermore, film appreciation workshop allowed participants to gain a brief idea of the inner mind of a schizophrenia patient. Nearly all participants reflected in the post-activity questionnaire that they have gained better understanding in mental diseases. Also, medical freshmen found the survival guide useful as it aids them to get prepared for what the medical course is like for the next 5 years.
NUMBER OF BENEFICIARIES
250 students
