UChum – The new cohort of College UChum Programme has recently completed its recruitment.  The College recruited a total of 12 students to serve as College Mental Health Ambassadors this year. UChum members participated in a two-day-one-night team training camp at the Breakthrough Youth Camp in Sha Tin during the New Year break. They faced various challenges, such as mountain climbing, rock climbing, and high ropes activities, to build their resilience and foster team spirit among UChum members. This laid a solid foundation for them to organise and promote activities related to mental health awareness within the College.

The College Student Wellness Programme also invited a counsellor from Breakthrough to conduct Peer Support Counselling Training for the UChum members, together with representatives from the College Student Union, Residential and Non-Residential Halls in mid-January. The trainer emphasized the importance of “empathy,” which means not questioning others and trying to understand their perspectives, empathising with their difficulties, and making efforts to connect with them. Furthermore, the facilitators reminded students to be aware of their own limitations, be willing to keep secrets for others, and learn how to refuse elements that could strain relationships between individuals. Only by doing so can we take better care of ourselves and others.

UChum members also participated in a mental health promotion event named “The Path of Serenity”, jointly organised by College Student Union and AISEC in CUHK on 29 and 30 January 2024.

On the first day, two UChum members, Kate Liu (MEDU/2) and Erik Persson (PSYC/3), gave a talk under the topic of “Essence of Mental Health”, sharing UChum’s origin and highlighting the importance of mental well-being. They provided practical tips and emphasised the power of empathy. Above all, they reminded everyone that they are not alone and encouraged seeking support from others, as we are navigating our mental health journeys together.

On the second day, the ambassadors prepared virtual reality headsets for participants to experience stimulating and challenging situations. After the trial, participants were encouraged to express their feelings, promoting the message that “It’s okay to be not okay”. They reinforced that facing difficult challenges can be tough, and it is alright to not feel okay at times.