Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Applied Social Sciences 2022

APSS is pleased to announce that our alumni Mr Charles CHAN has received the "Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Department of Applied Social Sciences 2022". The Award aims to give public recognition to outstanding APSS graduates for their professional achievements and significant contributions to the Department, PolyU and the community. Congratulations to Charles on receiving this well-deserved honour! Biography: Mr Charles CHAN is a registered Social Worker with over 30 years of working experience. He completed three social work-related programmes, i.e. Diploma, Bachelor and Master Degree, in PolyU. He was awarded the Outstanding Social Worker Award in 2006.   Charles is now the Executive Director of The Boys' and Girls' Clubs Association of Hong Kong. He has worked for various reputable non-governmental organisations, such as The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council and Evangelical Lutheran Social Service of Hong Kong.  Charles has spent decades focusing on various services for young people, such as career guidance and training, rehabilitation of substance abusers and outreach social work. Working in senior management positions in the past 10 years, he is also well experienced in social service management and development. In recent years, with various governmental and non-governmental entities, he has assumed an active role in promoting social work education, research and policy advocacy, information technology strategies and service development.

Over 1,400 participants joined the OSS events and activities

Since launching the One Stop Shop (OSS) in late March, more than 1,400 participants have joined OSS events and activities. The events covered a wide spectrum of topics related to mental health care, art therapy, mindfulness, and parenting. Heartfelt thanks to all the supporting units for making all the events run smoothly.

PolyU study shows family resilience can help improve family members’ mental health

PolyU study shows family resilience can help improve family members’ mental health A study conducted by PolyU’s Faculty of Health and Social Sciences has found that at least one in ten core family members exhibited psychological trauma symptoms due to the pandemic.   Dr. Janet LEUNG, Associate Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences, and Prof. Daniel SHEK, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme) and Chair Professor of Applied Social Sciences, pointed out that family relationships and individual mental wellbeing among respondent families were generally affected by recent stressful events and the pandemic, but family resilience served as a buffer against these impacts. As such, it is important to promote family resilience in order for family members to be better able to support one another during adversities.   Press release: English - https://polyu.me/3uD65ba; Chinese - https://polyu.me/3KKCS3K   Online coverage: Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3jBoPBF Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3xprmXG Sky Post - https://polyu.me/38QwMAQ Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/3E94EEF

Social Work Student wins The Outstanding Students Award Scheme 2021

Mr. Sunny LAM, a Year-4 Undergraduate Student in Social Work, received our department’s Outstanding Student Award. He was awarded this prize for his academic excellence and involvement in extra-curricular activities and community service.   Sunny is one of the team captains of the PolyU Taekwondo Team. He was selected as the Champion of the Hong Kong Black Belt Taekwondo Competition in 2019.    Sunny is also an avid volunteer. In 2019, he received the Outstanding Service Award for Tertiary Students from the Hong Kong Outstanding Tertiary Students' Service Association. In 2020 and 2021, he received the HSBC Social Work Scholarship. Outside of Hong Kong. He served as a volunteer team leader in the IDEA Service Trip to Cambodia, and helped with the Vision Screening Project of PolyU School of Optometry as a student helper in 2019.   Congratulations to him on this achievement! 

Launching APSS One Stop Shop Platform to Serve our Society

One Stop Shop (OSS) is a co-creative and co-owned information platform that marks the latest joint endeavour of staff, students, and alumni of APSS. Online media coverage of this news can be found in the following link: Sing Tao Daily - https://polyu.me/36rsO0N Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/3qHzqPj 01 - https://www.hk01.com/article/752999?utm_source=01appshare&utm_medium=referral

Third APSS International Scholar Talk Series

Prof. Johanna MAIR, Professor of Organization, Strategy and Leadership at the Hertie School in Berlin and also a renowned scholar in the field of social enterprise, was invited on February 24, 2022 to deliver a speech at the APSS International Scholar Talk Series.   Mr. Warren LUK, CEO of The Good Lab, served as the Moderator of the talk. Over 60 participants attended the online presentation. 

Serving our Society

Outstanding athletes from APSS have lined up to share tips on sports and health to elderly participants of a self-health management programme, implemented by the Wong Tai Sin District Health Centre. The aim of the programme is to use various activities, such as online seminars and exercise demonstrations, to enhance the awareness of hypertension among residents of Wong Tai Sin district. The project was also supported by various organisations and institutions.   Online media coverage of this news can be found in the following link: hket - https://topick.hket.com/article/3179395

Second APSS International Scholar Talk Series

Prof. Rebecca ANG, Professor at the Psychology and Child & Human Development Academic Group, National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, gave a talk on February 11, 2022.   After the talk, Prof. Daniel SHEK, Associate Vice President (Undergraduate Programme) and Chair Professor, and Dr. Ann LI, Assistant Professor, joined the discussion on reclaiming teachers’ psychological wellbeing under the COVID-19 pandemic. Over 120 participants attended the online presentation.

APSS School Talk to Secondary School Students and Teachers

Dr. Kong YAM and Dr. Raymond TAM, Co-Programme Leaders of BA (Hons) Scheme in Applied Social Sciences and Teaching Fellows of Social Work, delivered a school talk to S.4 to S.6 students and Secondary school teachers on January 26, 2022. The talk introduced degree programmes offered by APSS, information about career paths and admission interview tips. The talk also featured student sharing. Over 190 participants attended the online school talk.

Moving Forward Together: MoU Renewed between PolyU, PekingU, and UChicago!

Since 2016, PolyU has established a strong partnership with Peking University (PekingU) and The University of Chicago (UChicago). The Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) signed between the three parties brought together a wide range of specialty areas and provided unique opportunities for knowledge and skills exchange to enrich education and research.   In the past five years, two research teams involving leading experts from the three universities, had formed to address the issues of rural-to-urban migration and poverty in China. Winter Institutes were organised for students from all three universities to engage in in-depth discussions and gain overseas fieldwork experiences. A total of 22 APSS students, 24 PekingU students and 23 UChicago students have participated in and benefited from this collaboration.   On 2 November 2021, faculty members from PolyU's Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS), PekingU's Department of Sociology, and UChicago's Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice (formerly known as School of Social Service Administration) came together to discuss about the MoU moving forward. We are thrilled to share that the MoU has been renewed, paving the way for another fruitful five-year collaboration!   The collaboration aims to advance the development of post-graduate social science education and research in social work, social welfare and social policy in China through facilitating collaborative international collaborative graduate education, scholarly exchange and research in social work.   Faculty members from three universities look forward to fostering a stronger partnership in the coming five years!   Cheers!