2020-present 2020-Present 2020-present Ageing Change Making Health & Well Being Other Change Making Other Health Projects

Overcoming Loneliness

Make A Difference Institute, Hong Kong

The World Health Organization has declared loneliness to be a “pressing health threat” worldwide, with health risks comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Many studies have confirmed that loneliness not only increases mortality risks, but also worsens health problems such as hypertension, depression, and anxiety. According to the “Elderly Mental Wellness Telescreening Survey in Hong Kong 2022” conducted by the University of Hong Kong, a third of older adults in Hong Kong suffered from depression, anxiety, or loneliness. Loneliness is clearly spreading in our community and is a cause of mental health issues.

Yet, little is known about the practice of Social Prescribing in Hong Kong. Since early 2024, MaD has been receiving funding from ZeShan Foundation and the Phillip K. H. Wong Foundation to launch the Social Prescribing Lab. This program tests how to alleviate loneliness in older adults through exploring community resources and linking them to individuals, going beyond conventional medically-driven frameworks. The program piloted in Tai Kok Tsui and Sai Ying Pun, where Link Workers of different backgrounds and professions were recruited and trained. They were paired with older adults to establish relationships of trust and to co-create Social Prescribing solutions that were individualized and user-centric. The Link Workers then accompanied the older adults to take part in the prescribed activities.

MaD’s localized model aims to go deep into communities and explore untapped resources for primary healthcare, as well as mobilizing manpower reserves (such as ‘mid-old’ retirees and university students) to relieve pressures on health and social care. Through the process of co-creation and experimentation with older adults, it also aims to build ‘meaningful connections’ that foster social capital, so as to support older adults in overcoming social isolation and improving their quality of life. Ultimately, we hope that this exploration of non-medical community resources could offer alternatives that complement the existing system, thus contributing to the development of community-based primary healthcare for all.

MaD Social Lab team,
Make A Difference Institute

Link Workers and older adults explored Social Prescribing solutions together.

Link Workers learned communication skills and health knowledge to prepare for co-creating Social Prescribing solutions.

Link Workers had in-depth discussions with older adults, using innovative interventions to explore community needs.

Link Workers and older adults explored Social Prescribing solutions together.

Link Workers learned communication skills and health knowledge to prepare for co-creating Social Prescribing solutions.

Link Workers had in-depth discussions with older adults, using innovative interventions to explore community needs.

The World Health Organization has declared loneliness to be a “pressing health threat” worldwide, with health risks comparable to smoking up to 15 cigarettes a day. Many studies have confirmed that loneliness not only increases mortality risks, but also worsens health problems such as hypertension, depression, and anxiety. According to the “Elderly Mental Wellness Telescreening Survey in Hong Kong 2022” conducted by the University of Hong Kong, a third of older adults in Hong Kong suffered from depression, anxiety, or loneliness. Loneliness is clearly spreading in our community and is a cause of mental health issues.

Yet, little is known about the practice of Social Prescribing in Hong Kong. Since early 2024, MaD has been receiving funding from ZeShan Foundation and the Phillip K. H. Wong Foundation to launch the Social Prescribing Lab. This program tests how to alleviate loneliness in older adults through exploring community resources and linking them to individuals, going beyond conventional medically-driven frameworks. The program piloted in Tai Kok Tsui and Sai Ying Pun, where Link Workers of different backgrounds and professions were recruited and trained. They were paired with older adults to establish relationships of trust and to co-create Social Prescribing solutions that were individualized and user-centric. The Link Workers then accompanied the older adults to take part in the prescribed activities.

MaD’s localized model aims to go deep into communities and explore untapped resources for primary healthcare, as well as mobilizing manpower reserves (such as ‘mid-old’ retirees and university students) to relieve pressures on health and social care. Through the process of co-creation and experimentation with older adults, it also aims to build ‘meaningful connections’ that foster social capital, so as to support older adults in overcoming social isolation and improving their quality of life. Ultimately, we hope that this exploration of non-medical community resources could offer alternatives that complement the existing system, thus contributing to the development of community-based primary healthcare for all.

MaD Social Lab team,
Make A Difference Institute

HandsOn YOUTH EMPOWERED

HandsOn, Hong Kong

Volunteer Training during COVID-19 Pandemic.

A yoga session led by those supporting migrant workers helps this vibrant community to increase their confidence and build social connections.

Youth Leaders organised an outreach event to inform and educate Hong Kong's migrant worker community with useful information.

Youth Empowered's environmental team got "hands-on" to organise a coastal clean-up.

Over the years, we have seen a rise of change-makers in different communities of Hong Kong. Yet, it is not easy to find the footsteps of secondary school students. Compared to their elder counterparts, teenagers are often considered lacking passion, awareness and know-hows around social issues. Such perception might also hamper the opportunities for the ones with the right hearts and minds to contribute.

Determined to dispel the myth, ZeShan Foundation is keen to cultivate an enabling environment for young people channeling their passion to positive impact, together with like-minded allies. Since 2021, ZeShan has supported HandsOn Hong Kong’s YOUTH EMPOWERED, a 10-month project focused on empowering Hong Kong youth to be active change-makers in serving the community. About 30 youth volunteering leaders representing a cross-section of Hong Kong secondary schools will be gifted opportunities to explore community needs and develop leadership skills. The volunteer leaders will also be missioned to develop and lead six new community service programmes, under the collaboration with HandsOn team and NGO partners.

By putting youth in the driver’s seat, ZeShan hopes to instil a sense of ownership and agency of young people, while at the same time, to initiate a shift in mindset in embracing youth capability, an indispensable element in building our community.

Alexa Li
Assistant Program Manager
ZeShan Foundation

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China Social Work Research Centre

Peking University and Polytechnic University

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Since 2007, Peking University has been rolling out its social work program under its Department of Sociology, in a joint effort and strategic partnership with the Department of Applied Social Sciences (DASS) of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The primary purposes of the joint program are to foster the integration of social work theory and practice as a way to indigenize and professionalize social work in China, as well as provide training to enhance the problem-solving capacity of social workers towards achieving social development.

The two institutes co-founded the PekingU-Hong Kong PolyU China Social Work Research Centre. The Centre is devoted to the development and indigenization of social work theory and practice in China, aiming to develop a pipeline for leading scholars who are committed to the social change of China in the long term. To that end, strengthening the teaching capacity both undergraduate and graduate programs in social work is an integral part of the Center’s mission.

In 2012, ZeShan Foundation and Si Yuan Foundation jointly committed RMB20 million to establish a dedicated development fund. The fund will be critical to supporting the sustained growth of the Centre, so that it may develop into a leading institution for teaching and research in social work development, a think tank for social policy, and an international hub linking with social workers and social policy makers from mainland China, Hong Kong and the international community. The fund provides seed funding for research and program capacity building and enable PKU and the Center to leverage for external funding from the government and private sector.

In 2013, to commemorate the partnership, the compound of the Centre was renamed Si Shan Yuan (思善苑), taken from the names of the two sister foundations. During the unveiling ceremony on July 20, Prof. Zhou Qifeng, President of Peking University, presented Dr. Thomas Chen with the Outstanding Educational Contribution Award in recognition of his unwavering support for education in China.

In January 2014, a 4-day intensive training on social work curriculum development and capacity building was organized for about 100 Master of Social Work (MSW) instructors from various universities across China. Co-organized by Centre, the Social Work Teaching Guidance Committee under the Ministry of Education, and the China Association for Social Work Education, the training program attracted both local and international scholars and senior social work practitioners. Leading pracademics from the University of Chicago and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University participated as trainers in the workshop.

Peking University (PKU) is considered a cradle for higher education in modern China. It has been at the forefront in the teaching and research of humanities, social sciences and liberal arts education. Throughout its history, the university has distinguished itself in terms of intellectual freedom and leadership in social sciences and has produced and hosted man prominent Chinese thought leaders.

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