Holding a Social Enterprise Puzzle Challenge Activity for the First Time

In collaboration with several social enterprises and start-ups, APSS implemented the Social Enterprise Puzzle Challenge on 14 and 15 March, 2023. Around 150 university students and staff members participated in this Challenge. Students from APSS guided visitors through the stories of social enterprises and start-ups. Visitors were also invited to play a puzzle game, which aimed at introducing two business model development toolkits for social enterprises. Visitors gained an appreciation and greater understanding of how social enterprises could benefit our society. One of the co-organisers of the event was Spartan, a start-up established by a group of BA (Hons) in Social Policy and Social Entrepreneurship students. Spartan provides a platform with an artificial intelligence (AI) system that integrates job-matching, skills-enhancement tutorials, and CV enrichment. It is designed for students in post-secondary education, and it aims to help them be well-prepared for their future careers. This was the first event organised by APSS that effectively bridged social enterprises, start-ups, and the university community. We encourage more students to team up with others to brainstorm and apply innovative ideas. If you want to team up with others, please fill out the e-registration form: https://forms.gle/Rp3N3vbxirjYAjQn7

Having Fun outside Classroom – A Chinese Character Ink Rubbing Workshop

All incoming exchange students, local and non-local students were invited to join a Chinese Character Ink Rubbing workshop organised by APSS Student Exchange and International Affairs on 16 March 2023. In addition to having fun, it was a great opportunity to learn the traditional art and also to get to know each other. Special thanks go to Miss Nancy SONG, our Year 3 undergraduate student (majoring in Social Policy and Social Entrepreneurship), for teaching us the history and techniques of ink rubbing.

APSS International Scholar Talk by University of Warsaw, Poland

We are honoured to have Dr Maria THEISS, Assistant Professor of the Faculty of Political Science and International Studies at University of Warsaw (UW), to deliver a talk amid her hectic three-day visit to PolyU.  The talk, entitled “Who should receive what and why?": Citizens' perceptions of deservingness and distributive justice in a multilayered welfare context”, was held face-to face for the first time in the International Scholar Talk Series on 9 March 2023. This talk is also one of APSS’ 50th Anniversary celebratory events. During her presentation, Dr THEISS examined how Polish citizens reflect on deservingness principles and how these notions are contextualised by the legacy of the Polish welfare state.  The talk was moderated by Dr Qiaobing WU, Associate Professor and Associate Head of APSS.  Dr Herbary CHEUNG, Research Assistant Professor of APSS, and several attendees joined the discussion on how people’s mindset of deservingness affects social policy implantation in Hong Kong and identified areas for possible research collaboration between UW and PolyU. Thank Dr Maria THEISS for delivering an inspiring presentation!  

Establishment of a Dual Degree Programme and Staff and Student Exchange with The University of Warsaw, Poland

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Faculty of Political Science and International Studies (WNPiSM) at The University of Warsaw (UW) on 8th March 2023.  The aim of the MoU is to foster a strategic cooperation and collaboration between Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS) at PolyU and WNPiSM at UW. The partnership includes the establishment of a dual degree programme, staff and student exchange, joint research activities, participation in seminar and academic meetings, exchange of academic materials, and special short-term academic programmes.  Prof. David SHUM, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences at PolyU, was invited to give the opening remarks. Prof. SHUM said, “Our Faculty of Health and Social Sciences and APSS have always been committed to nurturing professional service providers in the health and social sciences sectors. We strive to offer the best education for social and healthcare professionals, and we work towards innovative and impactful research that addresses complex social and health problems in society.” Prof. Daniel PRZASTEK, Dean of the WNPiSM at UW, was delighted to see the strategic cooperation and collaboration between our two universities, especially the proposed dual-degree programme in the area of social policy. Marking this special occasion, Dr Aleksander DAŃDA, Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Hong Kong and Macau, was invited to give a congratulatory speech. Dr DAŃDA had high hopes that the partnership will facilitate students “to go into distant places, to see the differences with their own eyes and to understand the differences. By understanding, accept those different cultures.” The MoU was signed by Prof. David SHUM and Prof. Daniel PRZASTEK. The signing was witnessed by Dr Aleksander DAŃDA, Prof. Kwok-yin WONG, Vice President (Education) of PolyU, and Prof. Ben YOUNG, Vice President (Student and Global Affairs) of PolyU. Prof. Eric CHUI, Head of APSS, exchanged a souvenir with Prof. PRZASTEK, as a token of appreciation. The signing ceremony ended with rapturous applause. PolyU has always encouraged academic departments to strengthen cooperation and academic exchange with different world-leading universities. APSS looks forward to exploring further opportunities for collaboration with WNPiSM in different areas.  

Collaboration with Al-Farabi Kazakh National University in Kazakhstan

Dr Ben KU, Associate Professor of APSS and Director of the China and Global Development Network (CGDN), and Ms Kan YIP, Assistant Director (Development and Partnership) of the CGDN, visited Al-Farabi Kazakh National University (KazNU), Almaty, Kazakhstan on 21st February 2023, to exchange views and to discuss opportunities of developing a mutually beneficial collaboration. They were warmly received by the Rector of KazNU, Dr Zhanseit TUIMEBAYEV and several faculty members* from KazNU. The visit began at the Al-Farabi Library in KazNU. At the meeting, Dr KU and Dr TUIMEBAYEV expressed eagerness for the two universities to work together through the establishment of the joint centre at KazNU in order to pursue international and interdisciplinary collaboration, especially in the field of global social development.  *Faculty members from Al-Farabi Kazakh National University are: Dr Gulmira ABDIRAIYMOVA, Head of the Department of Sociology and Social Work; Dr Bekzhan MEIRBAEV, Dean of the School of Philosophy and Political Science; Dr Vitaly SALNIKOV, Dean of the Faculty of Geography and Environmental Management; and Dr Nurzhan KUANTAY, Dean of the Faculty of Journalism. Read more from CGDN website: https://polyucrdn.eksx.com/load.php?id=578225

Second Event to Celebrate APSS' 50th Anniversary - Narrative Therapy Workshop - Full House!

In celebration of the 50th Anniversary of APSS, Dr Siu Wai LIT, Principal Clinical Associate of APSS, hosted a face-to-face workshop on Narrative Therapy on 25 February 2023.   This workshop targeted helping professionals who were new to Narrative Therapy, and those who wanted to explore the application of Narrative Therapy in their workplace.   With approximately 60 APSS students and alumni in attendance, the workshop provided attendees with a philosophical foundation and discussed the basic concepts of Narrative Therapy. Attendees also had a taste of how to use techniques such as narrative conversation in real-life situations. We received valuable feedbacks from them on the professional and helpful training offered by Dr LIT’s workshop.   APSS look forward to providing more workshops and training for community members in the future.   Watch the workshop highlight video: https://youtu.be/uXcdtKhPa10  

Bravo! Year 3 Social Policy and Social Entrepreneurship (SPSE) Students Shine

APSS is very proud to announce that a team of APSS year 3 students, including Brandon Chiu Yeung CHAN, Wellesley Chun Yui LEUNG and James Tsz For LO, from the BA (Hons) in Social Policy and Social Entrepreneurship (SPSE) programme won the Stage One award (HKD 20,000) of the PolyU Micro Fund 2022-23 Cohort 1. The team has subsequently been admitted to the HKSTP Ideation Programme (HKD 100,000).   The student team took the initiative to kick start a social project – Spartan, a platform with an artificial intelligence (AI) system that integrates job-matching, skills-enhancement tutorials, and CV enrichment, designed for students in post-secondary education. The team won the Micro Fund award for their innovative and creative thinking, IT skills, and the social mission of the project. With the funding being awarded and associated opportunities, the team can further pursue their social enterprise dreams and entrepreneurial journey.   With support and professional advice from Dr Raymond TAM, Programme Leader of SPSE, and Mr Ken CHAU, Project Associate of SPSE and also an alumnus of APSS, the team showed remarkable skill, put maximum effort into all rounds of assessment, and ultimately stood out from more than 100 teams.   Let’s take this opportunity to congratulate them on receiving the awards!  

APSS-led Projects to Enhance Psychosocial Well-being in Different Communities

Prof. Sylvia CHEN (Associate Dean of FHSS, Associate Director of Mental Health Research Centre and Professor of APSS) and Dr Angel LAI (Assistant Professor of APSS) have received support for their project under Phase 2 of the Mental Health Initiatives Funding Scheme (the Funding Scheme) coordinated by the Advisory Committee on Mental Health to develop innovative social services programmes for improving the mental well-being of adolescents and school communities.   Principal Investigator: Prof. Sylvia CHEN Project Title: Reducing Social Avoidance and Enhancing Prosocial Behaviour among Adolescents with Special Educational Needs Project Summary: The project aims to foster prosocial behaviour of adolescents with special educational needs (SEN) in transition with the use of virtual reality (VR) technology. It will implement social anxiety intervention based on a cognitive-behavioural approach with a virtual coach acting as the therapist and develop a gamified prosocial VR intervention for adolescents with SEN. This VR-assisted social avoidance and prosocial behaviour intervention would benefit individuals and society by cultivating psychological and socially healthy young people. Funded Amount: HK$1.9 million Co-PIs: Prof. Winnie Mak (Professor, Department of Psychology, CUHK) Dr Bryant Hui (Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Social Sciences, PolyU) Co-Is: Dr Jeffrey Ho (Assistant Professor, School of Design, PolyU) Dr Richard Li (Research Assistant Professor, Department of Computing, PolyU) Dr Rosetta Wong (Teaching Fellow, Department of Applied Social Sciences, PolyU) Principal Investigator: Dr Angel LAI Project Title: Healing Together: Building Positive School Mental Health in Post-COVID Hong Kong Project Summary: The project aims to promote mental health and its awareness for stakeholders of secondary schools including students, teachers, administrative staff and management. Healing spaces will be constructed in the partnering schools. The programme will adopt a train-the-trainer approach to train students to become mental health ambassadors for programme sustainability and student empowerment. Collaborative Partner: Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service Funded Amount: HK$1.7 million   Online coverage: PolyU Media Releases: https://polyu.hk/ilmgA Oriental Daily News - https://polyu.me/3lElu94 Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3KgY6Ja Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/3YJTEH6 Line Today - https://polyu.me/3kbBjns  

New Book Published by Dr Herbary CHEUNG

This book is dedicated to late Dr. David Ip whom Herbary would be nowhere near who he is today without. Dr Herbary CHEUNG, Research Assistant Professor of APSS, and a Research Associate at Institut de Recherche sur l'Asie du Sud-Est Contemporaine (IRASEC) in France, has recently published a sole-authored book titled Engendering Migration Journey: Identity, Ethnicity and Gender of Thai Migrant Women in Hong Kong. This book draws on ethnographic research conducted with the Thai migrant community in Hong Kong and provides original insights into the complexity and diversity of identity negotiation, ethnicity navigation, and womanhood reinvention of Thai migrant women in Hong Kong. It illustrates the influence of transnationalism and multiculturalism on migrant women's meaning-making and accentuates the importance of diversity within a migrant population.   Dr CHEUNG is the awardee of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme and Ernst Mach Grant-worldwide. His research engages with gender and migration, family, marriage and health, critical social policy, intersectionality, and feminist research methods by focusing on Hong Kong-Southeast Asia connections.   Read the book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-031-15975-6

Service-learning course opens for registration (Social Poverty in Developing Countries)