Shue Yan University Receives Funding from Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust to Promote Emotional Learning for Primary School Students

In response to escalating concerns over youth mental health, Hong Kong Shue Yan University announces its partnership with Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups to launch a project aimed at promoting social and emotional learning among primary school students.

The project titled “Emotion World: Enhancing Middle Primary School Students’ Emotional Competence Via a Holistic, Integrative, Gamified Platform” is co-led by Professor Catherine Tang, Vice President (Graduate School) and Distinguished Professor of Psychology, and Dr. Jason Chow, Associate Academic Vice President (Teaching and Learning Development) and Associate Professor in the Department of Counselling and Psychology. This project will adopt a comprehensive approach to address the critical need for emotional competence development among primary school students. It integrates both online and offline counselling, and will provide capacity building workshops for students, teachers and parents. Moreover, the project team will design digital games to enhance deep learning of emotional skills, creating an engaging and immersive experience for the participants.

This project has won a funding of 27.36 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trusts, with 18.86 million allocated to the Mrs. Dorothy Koo and Dr. Ti-Hua Koo Centre for Interdisciplinary Evidence-based Practice and Research at Hong Kong Shue Yan University. It is anticipated to benefit 5,000 primary school students, in addition to their parents and teachers, representing a significant step towards addressing systemic challenges in promoting mental health and emotional well-being among Hong Kong’s youth. Dr. Jason Chow stated that this collaborative effort underscores Shue Yan University’s commitment to leveraging digital technology and evidence-based research to make a meaningful impact on society. Furthermore, it aligns with the centre’s mission to promote intergenerational health. In the future, there are plans to expand the project to different age groups and incorporate more advanced technology such as AI chatbot and VR-assisted training.

Miss Helen Kwok, the Assistant Director of the Mrs Dorothy Koo and Dr Ti-hua Koo Center for Interdisciplinary Evidence-based Practice and Research, suggested that there is a general lack of teaching materials for enhancing primary school students’ emotional competence in the society, and she expected that this project could help students developing emotional skills via gamified and immersive learning experience.

Through the partnership between Shue Yan University, the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, and the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the Project aims to empower the next generation with essential skills and support to navigate life’s emotional complexities effectively.

(From Left to Right) Ms Hsu Siu-man, Executive Director of The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups;Professor Catherine Tang, Vice President (Graduate School) and Distinguished Professor of Psychology, and Dr. Jason Chow, Associate Academic Vice President (Teaching and Learning Development) and Associate Professor in the Department of Counselling and Psychology.