Peer Support Network (PSN) has dedicated its efforts to fostering the spirit of peer support and cultivating a caring campus, with the support of the Wellness and Counselling Centre (WACC) of the Office of Student Affairs (OSA). The PSN 2025 Handover Ceremony was held on February 21, marking the graduation of the 2024 teams and the inauguration of the new cohort. This is the first year that the uBuddies Peer Counselling Network, uShine SEN Service Team and uPals Wellness Promotion Team organized the joint handover ceremony to celebrate the yearly achievements of PSN members. Prof. Wing Hung KO, University Dean of Students, delivered an opening address to encourage continued support for mental wellness on campus. Together with Ms. Elaine TAM, Director of Student Affairs and Mrs. Eunice YIP, Head of the Wellness and Counselling Centre, several awards and graduation certificates were presented to the 2024 teams in recognition of their achievements.
The representatives of Best uBuddies, Best uPals and Best uShiners 2024, Alfred, Betty and Ingrid shared their fruitful experiences they gained through PSN programmes and expressed their joy in passing the torch to their juniors. They hoped the juniors would create even more memorable moments with their peers while fostering wellness and inclusion on campus.
“Despite our high expectations, witnessing the improvements in individual responses throughout the year has been incredibly rewarding. I am so glad to see your dedication to growth, and I hope you will pass on this knowledge to the juniors who joined after you, just like how my seniors passed their knowledge to me,” Alfred recalled how he oversaw the service project team, Treehole Team and believed the continuous effort to improve and the tradition of passing down seniors’ knowledge to juniors was the most romantic part of Treehole Team.
“The biggest takeaway was interpersonal communication skills. I learned how to design an attractive project by revising the proposal again and again; I practiced how to respond to unexpected situations and communicate with people on behalf of the whole team,” Betty shared her experiences in doing service projects. She expressed her sincerest thanks to the counsellors and her pals for the invaluable and meaningful time as part of the Promotion Team.
“……my experiences living first-hand in the daily struggles of people deserving our attention, have taught me meaningful lessons of empathy and inclusivity in our community,” Ingrid shared her invaluable experience in her team’s service projects which were a wheelchair and blindfolded walking experience workshop that she and her teammates have learnt a lot from these experiences.
Following the Handover Ceremony, uBuddies, uPals and uShine 2025 have begun their training and started organizing meaningful service initiatives on campus to support any student in need. This year, PSN service projects highlight the power of “Thrive Together”. These initiatives include Together We Thrive: Wellness and SEN Week, Therapy Dog Visit, Exam Cheering, and more.
In mid-March, uShiners participated in the Wellness and Inclusive Fair during the “Together We Thrive: Wellness and SEN Week”. They hosted the “SENsational Challenges Booth”, where they prepared challenging games for participants. This allowed participants to experience the difficulties faced by students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD) in a fun way, and rewarded them with some lovely souvenirs.
The uBuddies Activity Team also organized a Therapy Dog Visit together with uChum of the United College in mid-April. The workshop allowed participants to unwind with lovely dogs and learn more about animal-assisted therapy.
uBuddies and uPals visited United College and the University Library to uplift fellow schoolmates during the exam period. They distributed cheering bags and encouraged students to prioritize self-care.
Stay tuned for more service initiatives from uBuddies, uPals and uShine in the next semester!
Follow the teams on Instagram!
uBuddies: @cuhk_ubuddies
Treehole team of uBuddies: @treehole_cuhk
uPals: @cuhk_upals
uShine: @sunshineatcuhk
