KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

HKU JC-WISE launches ‘Water WISE Tram’

The Jockey Club Water Initiative on Sustainability and Engagement (JC-WISE) has launched the ‘Water WISE Tram’, a theme tramcar decorated with knowledge of Water Footprint and highlights of multiple functions and values of Hong Kong’s rivers. Water WISE Tram will travel through the heartland of Hong Kong with high visibility from March 22 to April 18, 2019, celebrating the annual World Water Day (March 22) and raising public's awareness of the importance of water conservation and sustainability through promulgating the concept of Water Footprint and re-connecting us with our rivers.

HKU and Ocean Park sign MOU to strengthen collaboration on Education and Research Programmes

HKU and Ocean Park signed a MOU to strengthen collaboration on innovative education and research initiatives. Innovation and knowledge exchange projects planned include the inaugural Ocean Park International STEAM Education Conference and Ocean Park x HKU DreamCatchers’ Hackathon in June 2019, and an International Conservation STEAM Competition with the theme “STEAM and Marine Conservation”. Public engagement initiatives such as Water Fun Fest will be hosted by Ocean Park and the HKU Faculty of Social Sciences from April 19 to May 1 to raise public awareness on water consumption and sustainability.

Animal Assisted Intervention for Hong Kong’s ‘Hikikomori’

The therapeutic value of animals to relieve stress in the young, elderly and sick has been documented by academics and medical professionals around the world. But what has not been known until relatively recently is how therapy animals can also help people who have difficulties dealing with modern society and lock themselves away in their rooms. Dr Paul Wong, Associate Professor at the Department of Social Work and Social Administration, is working with a non-profit-making social service organisation to study how therapy animals, mainly trained dogs, are helping Hong Kong’s hidden youth to regain their self-belief. Watch the full video.

HKU set up online counselling platform “Open Up” for Hong Kong young people

Funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, HKU Jockey Club Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention (CSRP), together with three leading youth non-profit organisations, Caritas-Hong Kong, The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, and The Boys’ & Girls’ Clubs Association of Hong Kong, have set up the Jockey Club Online Youth Emotional Support “Open Up”, an online counselling platform for young people aged between 11 and 35, which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Those in need can message counsellors at “hkopenup” on social media platforms including Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WeChat. The project team led by Professor Paul Yip, Director of CSRP, polled 1,527 and 1,732 young people using mobile phone and online surveys respectively. Findings reveal that young people prefer text messaging to phone calls or face-to-face conversations. Online respondents tended to have more emotional problems than phone call respondents, among them 46% had considered suicide and 8% had attempted suicide.

Faculty Knowledge Exchange Awards 2018

The annual Faculty Knowledge Exchange (KE) Awards recognise each Faculty’s outstanding KE accomplishment that has made demonstrable economic, social or cultural impacts to benefit the community, business/industry, or partner organisations. Results of the 2018 Faculty KE Awards are now available.

Sociology UG Capstone Archive launched

The Department of Sociology has launched the UG Capstone Archive to showcase capstone projects produced by undergraduate students that aim to transform both society and our students.

HKU JC JoyAge project releases findings on public awareness and misunderstandings on elderly depression

Professor Terry Lum, Project Director of JC JoyAge and Professor of Department of Social Work and Social Administration, released findings of a survey on awareness and attitude towards elderly depression. Of the 1,332 respondents, more than half (52%) estimated at least 10% of elderly are suffering from depression, even up to 30% predicted by half of them. Over 85% of the respondents agreed to help the emotionally distressed elderly friends, relatives and neighbours. The survey also revealed common myths about elderly depression with half of the respondents failed to recognise depression is not a normal feature of ageing. About 40% of them did not take it seriously when the elderly express suicidal thoughts, and 48% were not aware that memory problem can be one of the depression symptoms. Up to 75% of them thought that it would be helpful to depressed elderly by reminding them to count their blessings and advising them to focus on positive thinking. Researchers reminded the public to pay more attention to changes in elderly's conditions and their complaints as elderly depression could be expressed as physical discomforts or cognitive problems.