As a member of the Tai Po community, EdUHK collaborates with local organisations to run various activities aimed at promoting social sustainability. These efforts reflect the commitment of the University’s faculty and students to the community, care for the elderly, integration and support for the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Campus return provides university experience
In March this year, EdUHK, in collaboration with the office of Tai Po District Council Member Mr Armstrong Lee Hon-cheung, held a ‘One-Day Student Experiential Programme’, inviting some 30 elderly residents from Tai Po to explore the EdUHK campus and experience university life.
The participating seniors had an average age of 76, with the oldest being 93. They visited teaching facilities, student dormitories and the Hong Kong Museum of Education. In addition, they attended a series of health education workshops to learn about exercise, brain health, and mental health. They also engaged in STEM interactive teaching using drones. After completing the experience, they donned graduation gowns and received certificates, conveying the important message that education transcends age and is a lifelong learning journey across generations.
This event is part of ‘The EdUHK SDG Living Laboratory @ Tai-po - Community Well-being’, showcasing EdUHK’s efforts in promoting community education and intergenerational integration. Looking ahead, EdUHK plans to regularise this activity and introduce new elements such as hearing tests and nutritional guidance, benefitting more seniors and sustaining their passion for learning to live vibrant lives.
Connecting communities for health integration
EdUHK also recently held a ceremony for the SDG Living Laboratory project, reflecting on the achievements of the past year. By June this year, the project team had conducted numerous workshops promoting physical fitness and exercise safety, reaching nearly 300 elders. The team also provided free cognitive screening at multiple community collaboration points in Tai Po, using the Hong Kong version of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment tool to test for impairment in nearly 1,000 seniors, raising public awareness of brain degeneration risks.
Long-term partnerships with 12 district councillors, nine care teams, and five community organisations have been established, laying the foundation for the project’s continued expansion. In the future, the project will further collaborate with local organisations to introduce new elements related to mental health and nutrition, including offering mental health screenings, hosting well-being workshops, and teaching emotional management and stress adjustment techniques. These are designed to enhance seniors’ psychological resilience and emotional health. Additionally, an innovative electronic nutrition monitoring system will assist seniors in recording and analysing dietary habits to provide personalised nutritional advice.
EdUHK will continue to leverage its interdisciplinary research and knowledge transfer strengths, combined with community resources, to offer comprehensive health support to elderly people in Tai Po, contributing valuable experience to future community health projects while promoting sustainable development.
Light volleyball helps healthy aging
The University has consistently supported the popularisation of sport in general and emerging sports in particular. Led by Dr Leung Ka-man from the Department of Health and Physical Education, the light volleyball programme has gradually expanded in the community in recent years, showing promising results. The programme is divided into two phases: research in the first phase indicates that soft volleyball is more effective in improving seniors’ health compared with tai chi. The second phase involves promoting light volleyball among the elderly in Shenzhen, Nanchang and locally.
Light volleyball is a new sport featuring a larger and lighter ball compared to a traditional volleyball, with slower passing speeds and a lower entry barrier, making it easier for beginners to master. The EdUHK research team has further developed seated light volleyball, specifically to improve the physical and mental health of individuals with physical disabilities. They have collaborated with various social welfare organisations, centres for elders and sports groups to promote this team sport in the community, including organising training classes and co-hosting competitions.
In April this year, the research team led a delegation to Singapore to participate in the 2025 Five-Star International Soft Volleyball Club Championship. They continued collaborating with the Hong Kong Light Volleyball Association, organising a competition for seniors in the community in June to enhance their enjoyment of sport, reduce body fat percentage, and promote healthy aging.
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