The Faculty of Education and Human Development (FEHD) recently embarked on a successful trip to Guangzhou University in the Greater Bay Area (GBA) on 16th–17th May 2024. Led by Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching) Dr Rebecca Cheng, a team of seven staff members from FEHD, the Department of Psychology (PS), and the Department of Early Childhood Education (ECE), along with 11 undergraduate students from various programmes, participated in this exciting visit.
Not only did it serve as a pilot GBA trip for the development of a new Co-curricular and Service Learning Course (CSLC) in Mental Health and Psychological Well-being, but it also marked a significant milestone in the collaboration between EdUHK and Guangzhou University.
The visit began with a warm welcome from Prof Ma Fengqi, Dean of the School of Education at Guangzhou University. On behalf of FEHD, Dr Rebecca Cheng, Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching), and Dr Ricci Fong, Assistant Dean (Learning and Teaching), expressed their gratitude and acknowledged the collaborative efforts made by Guangzhou University in organising this study tour.
The first day featured two insightful talks. The first talk was entitled ‘Mental Health and Evidence-Based Psychotherapy’, given by Prof Yang Wendeng, Associate Dean of the School of Education, Guangzhou University. Following this was a talk given by Dr Michael Yeung, the Assistant Professor, and Dr Wang Jie, Associate Professor, both from the PS department at EdUHK, on the topic of ‘Mental Health and Electroencephalography (EEG)’. The interactive EEG demonstration was of great interest to students and faculty members from both universities. Both insightful talks fostered a meaningful and rewarding academic exchange among the students during the post-talk discussion.
On the second day, students and staff from EdUHK had an opportunity to visit the Mental Health Education and Consultation Centre at Guangzhou University. Innovative facilities, such as a sandbox for sandplay therapy and massage chairs that were linked to a music player and a bio-feedback device for music therapy, were introduced by the staff of the Centre. Through dialogues and round-table discussions, both parties exchanged ideas about the recent developments in student support practices, gaining valuable insights into the differences between the approaches used in Hong Kong and the GBA.
The Mental Health Carnival was a notable highlight of this study tour, with students from Guangzhou University participating in booth games prepared by our students. All the games centred on the theme of mental health and positive well-being. By participating in this playful form of interaction and sharing after the games, students from both universities were able to build deep connections and a better understanding of topics related to mental health.
All in all, the trip to Guangzhou University was a resounding success, fostering continued partnership and strengthening educational ties between Hong Kong and mainland China.
Remarks: News report posted by Guangzhou University:
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/yQRLyTdSB_wC8aczgdjSrw
