Media

Collective Capacity Building -- Restoring Hope & Meaning for Survivors of Trauma

18 Nov 2008

 

What are the challenges faced by areas affected by the Sichuan Earthquake in reconstructing their communities -- six months after the catastrophe? The University of Hong Kong (HKU) will invite local and overseas experts in social sciences and health care to discuss various aspects of collective capacity building in a symposium this Thursday (November 20).  

The symposium will be followed by 3 parallel training workshops. In one workshop, 4 social workers from the Mainland and Hong Kong will share their   experiences in working with bereaved family, youth and elderly in the temporary housing areas in Sichuan. 

Members of the media are cordially invited to cover the event.

November 20, 2008(Thursday)

(1)   Symposium 9:00am - 2:30pm
Venue: Lecture Theatre 1, Cheung Kung Hai Conference Centre,
           William M W Mong Block, HKU Faculty of Medicine, 21 Sassoon Road

• Professor Joshua Miller (Chair of Policy Sequence, Smith College, USA)
  -- "Fostering Resiliency through Collective Capacity Building in response to Natural Disaster"
• Professor Cecilia Chan (Si Yuan Professor in Health and Social Work, HKU)
  -- "Community Capacity Building: A Long Term Solution for Reconstruction of Dignified Living in Sichuan"
• Dr Poon Tak-Lun (Specialist in Orthopaedics)
  -- "Community-Based Rehabilitation -- Empowerment of Disabled Victims of Disaster"
• Dr Timothy Sim (Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Social Sciences, Hong Kong Polytechnic University)
  -- "Constructing a Chinese Yet Creative Response to the Sichuan Earthquake Trauma"
• Dr Eric Lau (Medical Doctor / PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy)
  -- "Post-traumatic Writing Therapy - A New Paradigm of Trauma Therapy for the 21st Century"

(2) Training Workshops  2:30pm - 5:00pm
Venue: William M W Mong Block, HKU Faculty of Medicine, 21 Sassoon Road

(a) Vulnerable Population after a Disaster Working with Children, the elderly and those offering care and responses (in English)
-- by Professor Joshua Miller

(b) Developing Death Work Competence: Self as a Core Component in Working with Traumatic Death (in Cantonese)
-- by Dr Wallace Chan & Ms Agnes Tin (Teaching Consultants, Centre on Behavioral Health, HKU)

(c) Social Workers' Practice Experience on Working with Bereaved family, Youth, Elderly in Temporary Housing Environment (in Putonghua)
-- by Ms Sha Wei & Mr Zhao Huan (Teaching Consultants, Fudan University, Shanghai); and HKU's Mr Liu Nian (PhD Candidate) & Ms Zhang Ke Wa (Master in Social Work Student)

For enquiries, please contact:-
-  Ms Amy Choi, Centre on Behavioral Health, HKU (Tel: 2589 0512 / E-mail: amychoi@hku.hk ) or
- Ms Denise Wong,External Relations Office, HKU (Tel: 2859 2600 / E-mail: denise.wong@hku.hk )