In the aftermath of the pandemic and the lockdowns and other measures set up to contain it, there has been awareness of the emotional toll this took on people, for example on young people going through their most formative years.

Yesterday, Manulife Hong Kong and JUST FEEL, a Hong Kong-based NGO dedicated to emotional education, unveiled a multi-year strategic charity partnership. 

The arrangement comes at a time when the mental and emotional wellbeing of children and young adults has been under a sharper spotlight since the disruptions to normal life from the pandemic of five years ago.

The partnership will enable collaboration with partner schools to foster a “Compassionate School Culture” among students, teachers, and parents. This collaboration aims to enhance awareness of students’ emotional wellbeing within schools and the broader community and is expected to reach over 100 primary schools and 150,000 students, teachers, and parents cumulatively. 

Manulife said the partnership fits with its impact agenda.

"Emotional wellbeing is a vital component of one's overall wellbeing, and fostering emotional education from an early age is essential," Celia Ling, chief marketing officer of Manulife Hong Kong and Macau, said. “Our partnership with JUST FEEL leverages their expertise in emotional education to jointly cultivate a compassionate school culture. This partnership resonates with our Impact Agenda, particularly our commitment to empowering sustained health and wellbeing.”

Ada Cheung, a former primary school principal, was quoted by the organisations as saying: "Since the resumption of classes after the epidemic, the education sector has gradually discovered that an increasing number of students are facing emotional issues. However, many schools and teachers are struggling with a lack of space and resources to design teaching materials and curricula for emotional education.”

Among the programme of events, Manulife and JUST FEEL have developed a course for financial advisors in Hong Kong, equipping them with communication skills to build client relationships with empathy.

The focus of this initiative also speaks to how this publication regularly hears that "emotional intelligence" is as important a quality for bankers and advisors as intellectual grasp of finance and economics.

Main picture: From left to right: Crystal Chan, board chairperson of JUST FEEL, Raymond Yang, co-founder and executive director of JUST FEEL, Patrick Graham, CEO, Manulife Hong Kong and Macau, and Celia Ling, chief marketing officer, Manulife Hong Kong and Macau, who kicked off the partnership launch ceremony.