Dr. Sylvia Yuk-ching KWOK LAI

Award Citation

The inter-institutional Joint University Mental-Wellness Project (JUMP) Team is led by Dr Sylvia KWOK from City University of Hong Kong with Professor Daniel WONG (The University of Hong Kong), Dr TO Siu-ming (The Chinese University of Hong Kong), Miss Loretta LEUNG (The Education University of Hong Kong) and Dr PAN Jiayan (Hong Kong Baptist University) as team members. The Team aims to enhance students' well-being and foster positive learning experiences. To achieve these objectives, the Team has developed and implemented a positive transformational learning pedagogy, which employs a strength-based and process-focused approach to maximise students' potential by transforming their attitudes, values and beliefs. Positive transformational learning pedagogy combines positive education, which is an approach to education that blends academic learning with character strengths and well-being, with transformational learning, which refers to a process allowing learners construe, validate, and reformulate the meaning of their experiences. The transformational pedagogical framework delivers positive education content by enabling students to first learn about positive education theories and concepts, and ultimately embed a positive education atmosphere in the university and the community by way of student-led projects. Through a variety of activities, over 1100 staff and professionals, around 4000 university students and 1500 members of the wider community have benefitted from the work of the Team.