Ho gKo g, Chi a, July 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) —
The Ho g Ko g Me tal Well ess Associatio (HKMWA) has lau ched the I te atio al Chapte of its Me tal Well ess Ambassado s p ofessio al t ai i g p og amme, expa di g its commu ity-based wellbei g i itiative beyo d Ho g Ko g a d the G eate Bay A ea.
The i augu al I te atio al Chapte b ought togethe ea ly 100 pa ticipa ts f om Ho g Ko g, Mai la d Chi a, Taiwa , Si gapo e a d the U ited States. The p og amme eceived a e thusiastic espo se a d eached full e olme t withi two weeks of egist atio ope i g.
Desig ed fo educato s, healthca e p ofessio als, social wo ke s, cou sello s, stude ts, co po ate employees a d othe commu ity membe s, the t ai i g equips pa ticipa ts with p actical, evide ce-i fo med skills to ecog ize sig s of emotio al dist ess, offe app op iate i itial suppo t a d e cou age i dividuals to seek p ofessio al assista ce whe ecessa y.
The fi st i te atio al coho t successfully completed the p og amme i Ju e, while a seco d coho t is scheduled to begi i Novembe .
Respo di g to G owi g Commu ity Needs
Emotio al wellbei g, i clusive educatio a d eu odive sity have become i c easi gly impo ta t topics i Ho g Ko g a d i te atio ally.
Rece t data eleased by Ho g Ko g’s Educatio Bu eau i dicated co ti ued g owth i the umbe of stude ts with Special Educatio al Needs atte di g public-secto mai st eam p ima y a d seco da y schools. The figu es ei fo ce the impo ta ce of st e gthe i g suppo t systems fo stude ts, families, educato s a d school commu ities.
I te atio al health data also show that a sig ifica t p opo tio of the global populatio expe ie ces emotio al o psychological challe ges. Howeve , ma y i dividuals may hesitate to seek help because of social p essu e, u ce tai ty o co ce s about bei g misu de stood.
HKMWA believes that t ai ed commu ity membe s ca play a impo ta t ole i add essi g this gap. By lea i g how to liste , espo d calmly a d co ect i dividuals with suitable esou ces, Me tal Well ess Ambassado s ca help c eate mo e suppo tive e vi o me ts i schools, wo kplaces, families a d local commu ities.
Buildi g a Netwo k of Me tal Well ess Ambassado s
HKMWA established the Me tal Well ess Ambassado s p og amme as a p ofessio al gatekeepe -t ai i g i itiative aimed at st e gthe i g ea ly ecog itio , espo sible commu icatio a d commu ity ca e.
Si ce 2024, the Associatio has t ai ed mo e tha 1,200 Me tal Well ess Ambassado s a d Stude t Me tal Well ess Ambassado s ac oss Ho g Ko g a d the G eate Bay A ea. Pa ticipa ts have i cluded teache s, social wo ke s, cou sello s, you g people, healthca e p actitio e s a d co po ate employees.
I espo se to a majo commu ity eme ge cy i late 2025, HKMWA also i t oduced its WeCa e SOS — Suppo t Ou Spi it i itiative, p ovidi g accessible emotio al suppo t a d p ofessio al efe al se vices to people affected by the i cide t.
Th ough the i itiative, mo e tha 250 medical p actitio e s, u ses, healthca e p ofessio als, psychologists, f o tli e espo de s a d commu ity membe s eceived Me tal Well ess Ambassado s t ai i g.
“Commu ity wellbei g depe ds o people feeli g see , hea d a d suppo ted,” said D . May Lam, Fou di g P eside t of HKMWA. “Ou t ai i g helps pa ticipa ts become mo e awa e of thei ow emotio al wellbei g while developi g p actical skills to suppo t colleagues, stude ts, f ie ds a d family membe s. They a e ot expected to eplace p ofessio als. I stead, they se ve as a impo ta t fi st poi t of co ectio a d e cou ageme t.”
A I te atio al Platfo m fo Lea i g a d Excha ge
The I te atio al Chapte adva ces th ee p i cipal goals of the Me tal Well ess Ambassado s p og amme.
Fi st, it p epa es pa ticipa ts to become capable emotio al-well ess gatekeepe s i thei schools, wo kplaces a d commu ities, whethe i Ho g Ko g, the G eate Bay A ea o ove seas.
Seco d, it e cou ages i te atio al excha ge amo g specialists i educatio , healthca e, psychology, cou selli g a d elated fields.
Thi d, it suppo ts HKMWA’s lo ge -te m missio of imp ovi g public u de sta di g of emotio al wellbei g a d p omoti g compassio ate, i clusive commu ities.
The i augu al p og amme focused pa ticula ly o the wellbei g of eu odive ge t stude ts a d the applicatio of i clusive p actices i educatio al a d biomedical setti gs.
Delive ed th ough a hyb id fo mat, the p og amme welcomed pa ticipa ts atte di g both i pe so a d o li e. Schola s a d p actitio e s f om Ho g Ko g a d the U ited States sha ed pe spectives o eu odive sity, commu icatio , ea ly suppo t a d i clusive lea i g e vi o me ts.
By co ecti g p ofessio als f om diffe e t egio s a d discipli es, the p og amme c eated oppo tu ities fo pa ticipa ts to excha ge p actical k owledge, p ofessio al expe ie ce a d commu ity-based app oaches.
Suppo ti g Ea ly Recog itio a d Timely Assista ce
The Me tal Well ess Ambassado s p og amme emphasizes that ea ly ecog itio a d app op iate suppo t ca co t ibute to mo e positive outcomes.
Pa ticipa ts lea how to:
ecog ize cha ges i behaviou o emotio al wellbei g;app oach i dividuals with empathy a d espect;liste without judgme t;p ovide app op iate i itial suppo t;u de sta d pe so al a d p ofessio al bou da ies; a dco ect i dividuals with qualified se vices a d commu ity esou ces.
The p og amme also p omotes g eate u de sta di g of eu odive sity a d e cou ages pa ticipa ts to app eciate diffe e t ways of thi ki g, lea i g, commu icati g a d expe ie ci g the wo ld.
HKMWA believes that commu ity t ai i g ca compleme t the wo k of psychiat ists, physicia s, psychologists, cou sello s, social wo ke s, educato s a d othe p ofessio als. A b oade etwo k of i fo med a d ca i g i dividuals ca help e su e that people eceive app op iate suppo t at a ea lie stage.
A Collabo ative App oach to Commu ity Wellbei g
Imp ovi g emotio al wellbei g equi es coope atio ac oss gove me t, healthca e, educatio , commu ity o ga izatio s, families a d the p ivate secto .
HKMWA will co ti ue wo ki g with p ofessio al pa t e s, academic i stitutio s, schools, co po atio s a d commu ity g oups to expa d the Me tal Well ess Ambassado s p og amme a d make p actical wellbei g educatio available to mo e people.
The Associatio ’s message emai s:
“It is okay ot to be okay. You a e ot alo e.”
About the Ho g Ko g Me tal Well ess Associatio The Ho g Ko g Me tal Well ess Associatio (HKMWA) was established i Ma ch 2022 to imp ove public awa e ess a d u de sta di g of emotio al wellbei g i Ho g Ko g.
Th ough p ofessio al t ai i g, public educatio , commu ity p og ammes a d c oss-secto collabo atio , HKMWA seeks to build a mo e ca i g, i clusive a d suppo tive society.
HKMWA is a cha itable o ga izatio exempt f om tax u de Sectio 88 of Ho g Ko g’s I la d Reve ue O di a ce.
Website: https://hkmwa.o g.hk/
