HKU Graduate School appoints Inaugural Cohort of Postgraduate Student Wellness and Publicity Ambassadors
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) Graduate School has appointed its inaugural cohort of Postgraduate Student Ambassadors, consisting over 100 students from various departments. The students will serve as Wellness and Publicity ambassadors during the 2023/24 academic year.
Wellness ambassadors will play a vital role in promoting the University’s wellness initiatives and serve as a contact point for their peers who need assistance on wellness issues, whereas publicity ambassadors will be entrusted with the responsibility to promote and be the “face” of research postgraduate (RPg) programmes.
The inauguration ceremony took place on November 21. In his speech, Professor Max Shen, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Dean of Graduate School, expressed appreciation to all student ambassadors for their dedication and commitment to serve their peers and the University, “Embrace the opportunity to inspire and empower others,” he added.
Students were further inspired by the sharing from Professor Samson Tse, Dean of Student Affairs, on his unique definition of “PhD”, “P for Positive, H for Health, D for Development”, he said, highlighting the need for “Positive Health Development” to students.
To raise students’ awareness towards the importance of mental wellbeing, Mr. Ho Chung Wai, Tom, Senior Clinical Psychologist, Health Promotion Branch, Department of Health introduced services provided by Shall We Talk, a mental health promotion and public education initiative launched by the Advisory Committee on Mental Health and offered students practical strategies on striking a balance between academic studies and personal life.
Professor Cecilia Cheng, Associate Dean (Personal Development) of Graduate School emphasised that education should transcend mere knowledge acquisition, fostering the holistic development of students. It is believed that universities should play a crucial role in creating a supportive learning environment for enhancing students’ wellbeing, empowering students to thrive in all aspects of life and preparing them for a successful and fulfilling journey ahead.
HKU Graduate School has launched the “Future-Ready Series” in the 2023/24 academic year to promote all-round development to breed future-ready talents. In addition to academic and soft skills workshops for professional development, the promotion of mental wellness is a major highlight of the initiative. Collaborating partners for the series include CEDARS, Centre on Behavioral Health, HKJC Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, JC PandA, Wellness@HKU, and also external bodies Shall We Talk, OkayMinds and Heartline Hong Kong.