An Honest Conversation on Youth Mental Health: What Should Parents Know?

Event Details

A study from Baptist Oi Kwan Social Services indicates that 51.5% of secondary school pupils now show symptoms of depression, and 25% demonstrate clinically-high levels of anxiety. With Hong Kong's academically-oriented culture, mental health issues are often swept under the rug and dismissed as trivial. COVID-19 has only exacerbated these concerns. How can parents and their children better support each other during these challenging times?

Acknowledging the dual identities of our members as professionals but also parents, our youth mental health event hopes to foster greater understanding around the situation in Hong Kong. To bridge an intergenerational divide, this event will feature multi-stakeholder conversations with youth, parents and clinicians.

What should parents know about youth mental health? What are some common misconceptions? What challenges do students face at school? What are the best ways to maintain digital wellbeing? Tune in to find out.

Agenda

The event will feature three segments:

Youth Panel: Moderator: Amy Smith, Speakers: Hiroko Kawase, Subin Shetty, Hailey Wong, Adelaide Ng
Sharing from Clinical Perspective: Michelle Li, Educational Psychologist at Child Development Centre
Parents Fireside Chat: Lena Wong, Marco Ferdinandi and David Butts

Audience

Parents in the AmCham community who wish to better understand mental health
Parents who want to gain practical tips to better support their children
Anyone interested in mental health!

Objectives

To bring together AmCham parents and their children for an intergenerational dialogue on mental health
To provide parents with insights from experts/ psychologists to illustrate actionable steps that parents can take to support their children
To showcase the youth voice on mental health and to shed light on students' mental health struggles (because of various stressors etc.)

Select Participants will also have an opportunity to attend an exclusive youth mental health training with Coolminds where they will learn practical tools on how to navigate youth mental health as a parent.

Please join us for a Zoom meeting with the following details:

Webinar login details will be included in your confirmation
If you are new to Zoom, here are instructions on how to download the software and join a meeting. Please familiarize yourself with the platform beforehand.
Please log in 15 minutes in advance of the session start time. This will allow time to troubleshoot any technical issues.
Please use the same name you registered with AmCham as your Zoom account.
Please type in your questions in the "Chat" button at the bottom screen, the moderator will be selecting questions during the Q&A sessions. If you are using the mobile app, please click "Participants" then "Chat."

Speakers

Michelle Li

Educational Psychologist at Child Development Centre

Amy Smith

Health & Wellbeing Teacher at Hong Kong International School

Hiroko Kawase

Student at Hong Kong International School

Subin Shetty

Student at Hong Kong International School

Hailey Wong

Student and Founder of Because Mental Health

Adelaide Ng

Student and Founder of Hong Kong Joint School Society of Psychology

Lena Wong

Founder and Executive Director of Hong Kong Momtrepreneurs Limited

Marco Ferdinandi

Co-Founder and Managing Director of AQ Strong

David Butts

President Asia Pacific and Group Executive Vice President at Techtronic Industries Co Ltd

Having received her education and training in both Hong Kong and the U.K., Michelle has an in-depth understanding of the local and international education systems and curriculums, in addition to the difficulties school-age children may face. She had six years of experience in supporting students with learning, behavioral and emotional needs, as well as their parents, teachers, and other school personnel as a school-based educational psychologist. She also served as a Specialist in the Education Bureau and took part in the development and implementation of The ‘Tiered Autism Intervention for Students with ASD’ Model (AIM) in local primary and secondary schools. In the recent two years, she has been providing professional psychological services to toddlers, children, and adolescents from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds at The Child Development Centre and The Alpha Clinic.

Michelle strongly believes that timely assessment and intervention, along with effective collaboration between parents and teachers in providing suitable support, are paramount in helping children achieve their potential.

Hailey is a year 10 student from Hong Kong, and is also ranked number 3 in her age category for squash. As a student athlete, Hailey struggles with her own mental health and has constantly battled with it. She has been advocating the importance of mental health ever since she realized how hard it is combat mental health without the help of a support system, and decided to take an extra step in educating the public about mental health through founding Because Mental Health, a youth-led organization in hopes to raise global awareness about the mental health stigma through the education of Psychology and Neuroscience. Through this experience, Hailey was able to speak and host numerous webinars to advocate for the empowerment of teenagers and also shared her own mental health journey to inspire others to speak up about their own struggles. A podcast director, and team members of both the Outreach and Research teams in ISSIA HK, Hailey also hopes to do as much as she can to branch out and further inspire others to strive and find their own spotlight.

Adelaide is a 16 year old student with a strong passion for mental health advocacy. She is the founder of the Hong Kong Joint School Society of Psychology, an NGO for psychology enthusiasts and a strong contender for de-stigmatization of mental illnesses, and currently leads her school's advocacy group, Peace of Mind, as well. She has spoken at several youth events and has hosted numerous webinars/masterclasses to educate others about the significance of the topic. When speaking about mental health, she sees herself as a voice for those who are struggling to fight for themselves in the face of adversity. Upon reflecting on her personal mental health journey, she became aware of the stultifying prevalence of stigma in our society. With the goal to combat stigma through encouraging more and healthier conversations, she constantly seeks opportunities to share her views with others while learning from like-minded peers at the same time.

Lena brings with her a combined experience in finance and social impact. Graduated from Simon Fraser University, Canada with her BBA in Finance and Marketing, she started her career as a financial analyst in Hong Kong. Following that she served in number of asset management firms specializing in serving HNWI and institutional clients then she further herself by obtaining the qualification as a CFA charterholder.

With the arrival of her first child, Lena decided to invest the first few years focusing in the family and eventually landed herself into the social innovation space by founding Hong Kong Momtrepreneurs, a non profit organization empowers mothers to continue having their venture. Alongside her consultancy business, she is also leading the pre career initiatives for 100 Women in Finance in Hong Kong. Over the years, she has developed strong passion in sustainability especially on gender equality and diversity & inclusion and she is very active serving herself as committee member and advisor in a number of organizations such as HK Association of Business and Professional Women and Junior Chamber International.

A mother of two girls, Lena is passionate to build a more empathic world with more gratitude for our next generation. In her leisure time, she enjoys having a sip of coffee or wine with friends and eager to learn.

Marco is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of AQ Strong, an Athletic Development & Coaching company.

Marco began his journey in 1993 at a YMCA in New Jersey, USA as a Fitness Coach. He has been helping others through health & exercise ever since. Marco has served as a Sport Performance Coach & Director, business leader, service innovator and educator for the past 30 years. He arrived in Asia in 2010 to help lead Pure Fitness. He is passionate about the sports, health and wellness industries globally.

Marco’s innovative approach was cultivated through his many roles across the industry, from strength and conditioning coach to corporate wellness, medical rehabilitation and commercial fitness clubs. Notable past roles include leading the first Sports Performance Center in New York City – Velocity Sports Performance, serving as the Regional Director of Fitness for New York Sports Clubs, the Regional Director of Fitness Operations for Pure Fitness (Asia), Industry consultant in Asia and as an international educator and presenter for a variety of institutions.
Marco has a particular passion for athletic development and its value for all people and all ages. This driving focus led him to join like-minded and passionate leaders to start AQ Strong in Hong Kong. The organization’s mission to is to empower athletes and the people who serve them.

David Butts is President Asia Pacific & Group Executive Vice President of the multinational, Hong Kong listed Techtronic Industries Co. Ltd, the fastest-growing and largest cordless battery powered tool and equipment business with a world-class portfolio of brands such as Milwaukee, Ryobi, Hart, and Hoover.

In his role, David reports directly to the CEO and oversees several commercial business units and Corporate functional areas. His global experience covers business development, sales and marketing, product development and engineering, and general management. He has held a progression of leadership roles working for TTI, Emerson Electric and Bosch across geographies of North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. He is a board member of a joint venture between TTI and a large German multinational. He regularly attends the TTI main Board Meetings, sits on several operating Boards for TTI and leads the Corporate Communications which regularly interfaces with the Board and Investor Relations.

As a long serving member of the American Chamber in Hong Kong, David regularly participates with the Innovation and Technology Committee. He is a graduate of Georgetown University earning a Master of Business Administration, concentrating on International Business. Prior to attending Georgetown, he earned a Master of Engineering and Bachelor of Engineering in Operations Research and Industrial Engineering at Cornell University.

Sponsors and Partners

Connect with 210 people attending this event

Member and Non-Member

Standard PriceComplimentary

AmCham HK

Contact us

An Honest Conversation on Youth Mental Health: What Should Parents Know?

Event Details