Mental health first aid for schools under stress

Henry Siu

Students, teachers and parents in 20 secondary schools will receive mental health first-aid training and other support through a project by the Mental Health Association of Hong Kong, funded by the Jockey Club.

The Jockey Club Embrace Life Series 2.0 - Quality Mental Health Campus Project aims to deliver support services to the schools in Kowloon City, Wong Tai Sin, Kwun Tong and Tai Po.

The two-year pilot project is funded by the Jockey Club Charities Trust since mid-2024 and is partnered with the Hong Kong Metropolitan University.

It has three key strategies:

? Mental health first-aid training for students, teachers, and parents to help them identify issues, initiate preliminary intervention and seek appropriate help;

? Mental health ambassador training to promote awareness on campus and encourage students to support each other; and

? Consulting services provided by a professional team of psychiatrists, clinical psychologists and experienced social workers. They will help develop preventive measures for crises on campuses.

The project is in line with the Education Bureau's recently launched 4Rs mental health charter, which covers rest, relaxation, relationship and resilience.

At a launch ceremony yesterday, Poon Pey-chyou, chairman of the association's T N Foo Centre for Positive Mental Health, said: "The project echoes the government's 4Rs charter."

The association will continue promoting mental health to teachers, secondary students and parents in Kowloon City, in line with "City Companion" community alliance launched by the university, Poon said.

Kowloon True Light School principal Lee Yi-ying said "the project not only raises teachers' and students' awareness and understanding of mental health, but also establishes comprehensive prevention and response mechanisms with the support of the professional team."

Sandra Chan Sau-man, associate dean (student support) of the faculty of medicine at Chinese University, said such programs were highly important, noting that two fifths of people suffer from lifetime mental disorders, often starting in their student years.

She suggested students develop healthy stress-relief methods and get support and care from their campus community to better cope with pressures from new school years.