Symposium on Social and Emotional Learning and Positive Youth Development in Chinese Societies

APSS hosted a one-day symposium on 20 March 2025, titled "Fostering Social and Emotional Learning and Promoting Positive Youth Development in Chinese Societies", funded by the Yuen Grant of the University of Chicago. The event gathered scholars, practitioners, and community members to explore innovative research and approaches to Social and Emotional learning (SEL) and Positive Youth Development (PYD).

The day began with opening remarks by Prof. Eric CHUI, Chair Professor of Social Work and Criminology, Head of APSS and Co-Director of the Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology. The keynote sessions featured ground breaking research on SEL advancements in rural China, presented by Prof. Curtis MCMILLEN and Ms. Linyun FU from the University of Chicago, alongside insights from Ms. Zhen ZHANG and Ms. Lihuang SHAO of the RICI Foundation on community-based SEL programme development.

Prof. Daniel T. L. SHEK, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme) and Chair Professor of APSS, showcased the PATHS programme, a school-based PYD project in Hong Kong, highlighting its impact on youth development. The presentation was followed by an engaging Q&A session, allowing participants to delve deeper into the findings.

In the afternoon session of the symposium, a series of presentations highlighted the impactful research of Prof. Juyeon LEE, Assistant Professor of the University of Hong Kong, Prof. Julie ZHU and Prof. Diya DOU, Assistant Professors of APSS, and Prof. Lu YU, Associate Head and Associate Professor of APSS. Their work explored vital topics including teacher social-emotional competence, family resilience, parenting practices, and adolescent development – offering valuable insights into the dynamics shaping youth and family well-being.

The symposium concluded with Prof. McMillen's remarks emphasising the importance of continued collaboration in advancing social-emotional learning (SEL) and positive youth development (PYD) across diverse populations. The event left participants inspired to translate these insights into meaningful actions that support youth well-being in Chinese societies and beyond.