Conference Programme
Day 4 - 26/4/2022 (Tue)
(All in HKT time zone: UTC+8 hours)
All programmes conducted in English unless otherwise specified.
09:30-11:15
Symposium
Being a Young Ethnic Minority: Experience and Mental Health Support Services
Session Chair: Dr Paul WONG (The University of Hong Kong)
Speakers
Developing protective factors for mental health among Ethnic Minority youth through Positive Youth Development initiatives
Ms Sky SIU (KELY Support Group)
Mental Health amongst Ethnic Minority Young Adults
Ms Shalini MAHTANI, MBE (The Zubin Foundation)
The Role of Peer Support and Trauma Informed Conversation in Youth Mental Health Care
Ms Avneet BHULLAR (London School of Economics & Political Science)
Synopsis
Emerging adulthood is a critical period in life. Growing up as minorities may pose additional challenges for some of the young people. In this session, we will hear the voices of minority young people and NGOs about their narratives of the needs and success of promoting mental well-being and positive youth development of ethnic minority young people around the globe.
13:45-15:15
Symposium
Can mental health promotion surf on the surge of digitalization? How young people ride on social media for advocating mental health today
Session Chair: Dr KT CHAN (The University of Hong Kong) and
Dr Stephanie WONG (The University of Hong Kong)
Speakers
Ms Aika HUI (@theoxfordpsych) (The University of Oxford)
Ms Cassie LAM (@shellandspines)
Synopsis
The surge of digitalization today saw the growth of digital mental health and digital psychiatry in the recent decade. Advances in these areas appear promising in engaging young people in mental health services, not only in terms of reducing the barriers to service access but also in improving help-seeking tendencies, which is particularly important in the time of COVID-19.
At the same time, the proliferation of social media has become an important channel for information sharing and acculturation, especially in youth populations. How can we ride on the rise of digitalization to improve mental health literacy and “break the stigma” among young people?
We invite two young speakers – Ms Aika Hui (@theoxfordpsych) and Ms Cassie Lam (@shellandspines) – to share with us their experiences with managing their Instagram accounts for sharing their own experiences and promoting mental health awareness and knowledge.
Coming from two different backgrounds, different personal experiences with mental health and disorder, and each with followers from different backgrounds, their sharings will offer us new insights into the importance of capitalizing on social media platforms for advocating mental health in today’s world.
15:30-17:15
Symposium
Preventive Mental Health in Secondary School Setting
Session Chair: Dr Esther HO (Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters) and Dr Gloria WONG (The University of Hong Kong)
Presentations/Speakers
Mindfulness culture and school mental health
Prof Shui-fong LAM (The University of Hong Kong)
Using system approach to promote positive psychological wellbeing - from the perspective of a school-sponsoring body
Dr Elaine Chan (Po Leung Kuk)
Promoting mental health through fostering a system of positive education in schools
Dr Esther HO (Hong Kong Association of Careers Masters and Guidance Masters)
Cultivating a positive mental health environment in secondary schools in Hong Kong: The ‘Mindshift Educational Networking Programme’
Dr KT CHAN (The University of Hong Kong)
Synopsis
In this symposium, participants will be able to learn about the experience of several recent key initiatives for mental health prevention and promotion in Hong Kong secondary schools. We will first discuss how mindfulness can help teachers, students, and parents, moving on to positive psychological wellbeing and positive education approach, and finishing with a multifaceted programme involving contact interventions with education to improve stigma of mental illness in young people and encourage help-seeking. We will discuss ways to encourage concerted efforts for primary mental health prevention and promotion in secondary schools.