Hong Kong NGO using ‘social-emotional learning’ to help students improve mental health gets funding boost

Teach for Hong Kong project helps students better manage their emotions, interpersonal relationships through series of activities

Group will also use HK$400,000 grant from NGO Leadership Programme, sponsored by UBS and Post’s Operation Santa Claus

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(From left) Matthew Kwok and Raymond Yang, co-founders of Just Feel Hong Kong, and Henry Lee, CEO of Teach For Hong Kong. Photo: Edmond So

Published: 10:00am, 1 Nov 2021Updated: 10:36am, 1 Nov 2021

A Hong Kong NGO’s project to help improve the mental health of 500 students – by equipping them with skills to better manage their emotions and interpersonal relationships – has received a funding boost from a local leadership programme.

Teach for Hong Kong will also provide 200 parents and 100 teachers from participating schools with training on “social-emotional learning”, so they can help students better use those skills in their daily lives.

Their training will be conducted by recruits of a fellowship scheme funded by the HK$400,000 (US$51,420) grant the group won from this year’s NGO Leadership Programme.

The programme – organised by Chinese University’s social work department and Swiss investment bank UBS – was sponsored by UBS and Operation Santa Claus, a joint fundraising initiative of the South China Morning Post and RTHK since 1988.

The annual project has been in place since 2015.

The NGO selects degree holders aged 30 or below for its fellowship programme, while participating schools are required to have a substantial portion of students who are non-Chinese or recipients of government subsidies.