Spirit of Hong Kong Awards: Local charity JUST FEEL uses creative games to help schoolchildren discover their emotions
- Founders aims to transform communication culture in schools to enhance students’ well-being
- Charity’s programmes are based on compassionate communication and social emotional learning
Feelings such as joy and anger can be expressed in words. Thoughts running through one’s mind may also be depicted in colourful sketches and communicated in other creative ways.
Hong Kong charity JUST FEEL has devised a range of games and communication tools, such as flash cards centred on feelings and needs, to help schoolchildren discover their emotions and connect with others.
The team, founded by Matthew Kwok Tsz-lok, Raymond Yang Sze-ngai and Anthony Ngai King-kwok in 2018, aims to transform the communication culture in schools to enhance students’ emotional well-being.
The charity also works with teachers and parents, with a view to empower those who have the greatest influence on pupils’ growth.
“[Me and my co-founders] are all interested in education,” Ngai said. “We go to different schools to provide our services.”
JUST FEEL’s programmes and products are based on two theories, namely compassionate communication and social emotional learning.
The theories suggest that through learning and practising compassionate communication, students can gradually develop empathy and establish positive relationships.
Social emotional learning is defined as a process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply knowledge, skills and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals.
