Positive Education Conference cum I-WELL’s 3rd Anniversary Ceremony
Positive Education Conference cum I-WELL’s 3rd Anniversary Ceremony
A conference dedicated to the promotion of positive education, focusing on cultivating wellbeing through mindfulness, was held today (11 June) at The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK). The conference provided an interactive platform for 300 academics, educators, parents, clinical practitioners and the public to exchange ideas and experience. The conference featured a number of academic presentations and the sharing of hands-on experience of mindfulness practice by scholars, clinical experts, and educational practitioners from local schools to enhance understanding about implementing positive education and the promotion of wellbeing in schools.
Over the past four decades, mindfulness-based interventions (e.g., MBSR and MBCT) have been influential in promoting wellbeing in physical and mental health in evidence-based settings. Recently, various second-generation mindfulness programmes have been brought from the West to Hong Kong to cater for the needs of specific education communities: for example, ‘MindUP’, ‘.b’ and ‘Paws b’, for students in the school setting; and ‘MYmind’, for students with special educational needs (SEN), their parents, etc.
On the morning of the conference, Professor Nirbhay N. Singh, from Augusta University, shared the application of mindfulness-based programme for SEN students. Professor Samuel Wong Yeung-shan, Head of the Division of Family Medicine and Primary Health Care of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, shared how mindfulness can benefit people from birth to old age, adding that mindfulness has a significant positive impact on pregnant women. Dr Herman Lo Hay-ming, from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, discussed the application of mindfulness training in children and families in the Chinese context.
Dr Elsa Lau Ngar-sze, from EdUHK, and Ms Chiu Wai-chun and Ms Kwok Ka-wing, from Aplichau Kaifong Primary School, shared the experience of a positive education project in the school setting. In the afternoon, three mindfulness experts led workshops on the application of mindfulness for teachers, parents and helping professionals: Mr Chang Shih-chieh, from Taiwan, Ms Christine Cheung Sze-kuen, and Dr Candice LYM Powell, a clinical psychologist.
In welcoming the participants, Professor Allan Walker, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Human Development at EdUHK, said, “In recent years, happiness and the mental health of students have become increasingly popular topics among school principals in the field of education leadership research. Through this conference, we hope educators can explore positive education applications in families, schools and communities from different perspectives, with the objective of facilitating and enriching the wellbeing of teachers, students and parents in Hong Kong.”
Established by EdUHK in 2016, the Integrated Centre for Wellbeing (I-WELL) provides comprehensive services for SEN students and their families. As the University is celebrating the third anniversary of I-WELL, Professor Hue Ming-tak, Co-director of I-WELL and Head of the Department of Special Education and Counselling, said, “In the past three years, I-WELL has been committed to integrating research and clinical services to support SEN students, their families and schools, and community organisations. Looking ahead, the Department of Special Education and Counselling will continue to promote evidence-based research through collaboration with different organisations.”
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