8000 attended this year’s Joint Development Day for Church, Schools, and Social Services
On 15 May, inside the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 8000 people gathered from across the parishes, schools, and social services under the HKSKH umbrella for the 5th Joint Development Day.
Reflecting the theme ‘Wellness for All’, two guest speakers working in the field of mental health were invited: Dr Lam Ching Choi, chair of the government’s Advisory Committee on Mental Health and a non-official member of the Executive Council, and Dr Chen Chia Lu Sylvia, experienced psychiatrist. The day began with morning prayer. The Most Revd Andrew Chan gave the blessing, the Revd Christine Ho officiated, and Mr Lee Man Kit was the server.
The opening speech was given by Dr Moses Cheng, chair of HKSKH Education Services. This was followed by a speech by Mr Sun Yuk Han, Chris, the Secretary for Labour and Welfare. Mr Sun expressed his admiration for the creativity seen in the various HKSKH social service units when they tackle new challenges. He hoped that these valuable experiences from the front-line of social services could be communicated to the government, such that the city-wide leadership could better coordinate its resources and support.
There is no health without mental health
Guest speaker Dr Lam then delivered the first keynote speech of the day. He began by expressing his appreciation for all the teachers present, especially those of his alma mater, St Joseph’s Primary School and Bishop Hall Jubilee School. He recounted his early days, living by the fields of Kam Tin and growing up in a poor family. One time the headmaster saw how inadequate his lunches were, and decided to give him an extra egg every day since.
He shared the memory of how big a change and shock it was when he graduated primary school and got a place to study at Bishop Hall Jubilee School, which is in the city centre, away from Kam Tin. The stress was so overwhelming that he once considered suicide. Fortunately, a classmate took him in, with whose family Lam lived for a long while. The love and care he received helped him to overcome his suicidal thoughts.
His experience growing up taught Lam that even if supporting the urgently needy is our first care when it comes to mental health, it is always the better idea to prevent things from getting so urgently bad in the first place. He hoped that different sectors could work together for improving mental health in Hong Kong. Lam suggested the need for mental health first-aid training at schools, so that all teachers, students, and mentors working at campuses can have the ability to quickly identify the signs of mental health issues, and afford support and honest conversations before things are too late.
Dr Lam Ching Choi’s keynote speech on the importance of mental health
In order to better promote mental health at school campuses holistically and systematically, the Education Bureau issued two years ago the ‘4Rs Mental Health Charter’. As Dr Lam explained, these are Rest, Relaxation, Relationship, and Resilience. Getting sufficient rest and sleep is of utmost importance to teenagers, because sleep is the time during which the brain actually learns things and commit things to memory. The 4Rs Charter recommends 9 hours of sleep for primary school students, and no less than 8 for secondary school. On top of that, sports is recommended as a way to help students relax. The WHO recommends no less than 250 minutes of medium-to-high intensity physical activities per week. The benefits of improved circulation helps the brain in detoxifying and functioning well.
‘There is no health without mental health,’ such is the tagline from the WHO, and Dr Lam believes it to be true as well. He hoped that since HKSKH operates so many distinguished schools, it can lead the way in Hong Kong in implementing these recommendations, so that more could benefit down the line.
Seven sources of stress
The second keynote speech was given by Dr Chen Chia Lu Sylvia. Chen went through the seven most common sources of stress in daily life, and shared useful tips on dealing with each.
Chen began by pointing out that overworking is almost a norm these days, but doing nothing but work all day every day is sure to deplete even the strongest person’s batteries. We must therefore take breaks when needed, and try moderate physical activities during rests, because physically moving helps us relax our minds — the goal is to be busy, but not overwhelmed. In addition, the chaos in work is also a common stressor, distracting us even when out of office. For this, Dr Chen recommends adjusting our minds so that we can be ‘urgent without being tense’.
The gossip that flies around at work can also affect our mental health, with some falling into the trap of imposter syndrome because of a perfectionist demand on the self. Chen recommends as remedy the exercise of discovering things that you appreciate about yourself. By doing so we come to the understanding that receiving criticism doesn’t mean we are worthless as a person.
In daily life, Chen stresses the importance of joy and counting our blessings. When we are appreciative in our hearts, we are much more capable of facing unknown difficulties, and helping others around us to fulfil their potential. Thus, we become ‘encouraging, and not pushy’. Chen also mentioned that our mental stress can also be caused by boredom, causing us to become complacent and inactive. The remedy is to put our energy at rest into things that interests us — thus ‘enjoying solitude without being lonely’.
Chen also shared ways of dealing with anger, pointing out that anger can be damaging to both body and mind. We can choose to empathise with others, who may be going through their own nightmares, and replace our criticisms with love and forgiveness. By having healthy outlets of angers, we avoid unhealthy outbursts. Lastly, Chen quoted from 2 Kings, the story of Elisha and the widow’s oil, teaching us that we can worry without being desperate. Whenever we face our inevitable hardships in life, we must remember that our Lord provides. When we remember to count our blessings, that is when the grace of God will pour forth abundantly.
Dr Chen Chia Lu Sylvia’s keynote speech, analysing ways
of alleviating stress
After the keynote speeches, the Education Services then presented the long-service awards to those teachers and school managers who have worked for 30 years or more at the various schools and kindergartens, as recognition for their contribution over the decades.
The Development Day concluded with an open forum, chaired by Dr Elaine Tang, an Educational Psychologist Supervisor. On the panel were Dr Lam, Dr Chen, and Archbishop Andrew Chan. In the final remarks, Archbishop Andrew once again thanked all the colleagues who came and participated on the day. He wished that this meeting of the wider family of the HKSKH can be an encouraging day for all, and that we should all ‘love and take good care of ourselves’ — taking in the breath of the Holy Spirit, breathing out our worries, and gaining strength by the help of God. The Archbishop gave his blessing to all the participants, concluding the Development Day.
Presentation of Long-Service Awards