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A Journey of Self-Care and Awareness
A Journey of Self-Care and Awareness
Lauren Chao, Y11
Hey there! Today, I want to talk about something close to my heart: mental health. In this fast-paced world, it's easy to get caught up in the hustle and forget about taking care of ourselves. Nonetheless, I've learned the hard way that neglecting our mental well-being can lead to a host of problems. So, let's dive into why mental health is so important and the challenges we might face along the way.
The Importance of Mental Health:
Picture your mind as a garden. In the same way that plants need nourishment and care to thrive, our mental health requires attention too. Prioritising mental health allows us to build resilience, manage stress, and maintain overall well-being. It's about acknowledging and valuing our emotions, thoughts and experiences, as well as seeking support when needed. When we learn to take care of our mental health, we unlock the potential for personal growth, healthier relationships, and a more fulfilling life.
Challenges We May Encounter:
Let’s be honest - taking care of our mental health isn't always a walk in the park. We might face obstacles along the way, but that's okay! Recognizing and addressing these challenges is part of the journey.
1. Stigma: Sadly, there is still a stigma surrounding mental health. It's crucial to break down these barriers, educate others, and create safe spaces for open conversations. Remember, seeking help is a sign of strength, not weakness.
2. Self-Care Guilt: In a society that glorifies constant productivity, we might feel guilty for taking time for ourselves. But self-care is not selfish; it's necessary for our well-being. Embrace activities that bring you joy, whether it's reading, exercising, or simply taking a long bath.
3. Lack of Support: Sometimes, we might struggle to find the support we need, and it can be a challenge to open up to people. However, it's important to reach out to trusted friends, family, or professionals who can offer guidance and understanding. Remember, you are never alone in this journey.
4. Overwhelm: Life can be overwhelming, and it's easy to get caught up in stress and anxiety. Practising healthy coping mechanisms, such as deep breathing exercises, meditation or journaling, can help us navigate these challenging moments.
Taking care of our mental health is a lifelong journey. It's a process of self-discovery, self-compassion, and self-growth. Let's all prioritise our mental well-being, break the stigma, and create a world where mental health is given the attention it deserves. Remember, you are worthy of happiness, peace, and a healthy mind. Take that first step today, and let's embark on this beautiful journey together.
An Interview with Mother's Choice
An Interview with Mother's Choice
Mother's Choice YLC, FIS
Our FIS Mother’s Choice Youth Leadership Council got in contact with Mother’s Choice, an organisation dedicated to providing children with a loving home, and procured an interview discussing the key details of the organisation and their vision. Read below!
An Interview with Mother’s Choice
Q: How has Mother’s Choice changed your life?
A: The charity has given me the opportunity to connect with children in need and make a difference in their lives.
Q: How does Mother’s Choice help these children?
A: Mother’s Choice provides various services towards children and mothers in need. Firstly, there is infant and toddler care in which there are daily rotations organised by us to expose and enhance these children’s lives. Secondly, we provide early intervention training which involves physical, speech and psychological therapists. Moreover, we have transition programs dedicated to preparing the children for their move to a permanent home.
Q: How does Mother’s Choice help children achieve permanency?
A: Well, this all stems from us giving them a sense of belonging. Our early intervention services help us to understand a child’s unique needs and preferences. We then bring in individual care plans and necessary therapeutic interventions to aid the child’s development and well-being. It is imperative for us to then collaborate with families to make a safe and welcoming environment for the child to return to. We also attempt to build emotional and psychological resilience in the children and provide ongoing support for post-permanency in order to ensure a smooth transition, with counselling being used to support the transition.
Q: What is the greatest lesson that working with these children at the childcare home taught you?
A: The lessons of empathy, compassion, and the importance of developing a basis of trust and love in relationships with children could be considered to have been the greatest lesson I’ve learned.
Q: What changes do you wish to see happen in the world regarding children and the help of Mother’s Choice?
A: I hope to see greater support from governmental systems regarding supporting children. As it stands, the processes of family reunification are not nearly as efficient as they could be, and I hope that these bureaucratic measures can one day be overcome for the sake of these children. Moreover, community engagement is vital. I hope that one day everyone can be involved in helping children without safe and loving homes, whether it is through volunteering, fostering or adoption.
Q: What struggles do you see children encounter when they live at the childcare home?
A: I think the most common struggle I see is a lack of security in these children. There is often distrust and feeling of unease among them and the challenge of juggling a constantly changing parental figure is disoriented at times.
Q: What are some challenges that you encounter when working at Mother’s Choice? How do you overcome them?
A: The hardest part of this job is the emotional attachment that is formed with these children. It is inevitable that the children must one day move on to a different place, whether it be a foster home, permanent family or institutional care. The bond formed with them from the love I pour into my work is something that tears me apart each time they leave. Additionally, children in institutional care find it harder to express their emotions and can engage in destructive behaviours. Mother’s Choice has programs such as ‘Cuddle Me’ to help instil a sense of security, guide them to regulate their emotions and encourage reflection in the children.
Q: What can we do to help Mother’s Choice?
A: We currently operate with 50 volunteers and 30 staff members per day taking care of 44 children. We want to reduce this ratio as much as possible so that every child has the support that they need, if this is not the case this can lead to delayed development of the child. If you are above 16 you can apply to volunteer at the childcare home and help us achieve our goal!
HELP for Domestic Workers - The Hidden Heroes
HELP for Domestic Workers - The Hidden Heroes
Jiya Mahapatra, Y12
Migrant domestic workers are the backbone of Hong Kong. Over 355,000 of them work tirelessly in this city, day and night. They take care of children, elders, and pets; clean the house; buy groceries for our families. They work day in day out to provide for their families back home. Yet, despite everything they do, many of them are working in an unpleasant environment. Some even mistreated, abused and exploited.
According to a recent survey, 58% of migrant domestic workers experienced verbal abuse, and 18% experienced some form of physical assault. In a foreign country without friends and family, migrant domestic workers in crisis turn to HELP for support. HELP for Domestic Workers is often the first point of contact for a migrant domestic worker in crisis. Apart from responding to emergencies, HELP works to foster a safe and fair environment for migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong .
HELP is a non-profit organisation that aims to empower migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong. Through their programmes, HELP offers case counselling services, emergency shelter, rights education, free mental counselling, and more. For instance, their HELPing Hands programs offers classes to migrant domestic workers on their contractual liberties and labour rights. HELP also acknowledges the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and the MeHeal program provides recreational yoga classes for migrant domestic workers to stretch and de-stress To quote their website, their vision is to ““to ensure that migrant domestic workers gain access to justice and receive fair and equal treatment under the law.”
HELP has had an immense impact on the migrant domestic worker community in Hong Kong. In fact, as of 2022, they have provided direct assistance to over 1,800 beneficiaries, and have connected with over 20,200 migrant domestic workers through their educational programs.
Salarda Nice, a domestic worker living in Hong Kong stated that “I felt overworked and overwhelmed in my job, but I just assumed that it was the norm”. She then went on to describe her experience with the HELPing Hands classes, saying that “I felt empowered by the knowledge that I gained about my rights in the class, and I feel as though I can now speak confidently with prospective employers and negotiate better work conditions for myself.” Since then, Nice has even extended her assistance to fellow domestic helpers who had been overcharged by employment agencies.
HELP for Domestic Workers is a wonderful charity that has done incredible work to aid the domestic worker community in Hong Kong. You can find out more about them from their website!
https://helpfordomesticworkers.org/
Three of the Most Influential Women in Science
Three of the Most Influential Women in Science
Alan Gu, Y12
1. Marie Curie (1867 - 1934)
Marie Curie, born Maria Skłodowska, was a Polish-born physicist and chemist who made groundbreaking discoveries in the field of radioactivity. She was born in Warsaw and finished her studies in Paris, becoming a naturalized French citizen.
In 1895, she married French physicist Pierre Curie, going on to share the 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with him and Henri Becquerrel for their development of their theory of “Radioactivity”.
The Curies' work was epoch-making; by overturning established ideas in both fields, she forced a reconsideration of the foundation of both physics and chemistry, revolutionizing the understanding of atomic structure and radiation. This shaped the development of both the 20th and 21st century, leading to the development of new fields such as nuclear physics and radiotherapy.
In 1906, she became the first female professor at the University of Paris, and won the 1911 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for her discovery of the elements polonium and radium, using self-invented techniques to isolate radioactive isotopes.
She founded the Curie Institute in Paris in 1920, and the Curie Institute in Warsaw in 1932; both remain major medical research centres to this date. During World War I she developed mobile radiography units to provide X-ray services to field hospitals, playing a crucial role in the development of medicine and saving many lives in the process.
2. Chien-Shiung Wu (1912 - 1997)
Chien-Shiung Wu, also known as “The First Lady of Physics”, was an Asian-American physicist who contributed significantly in the field of nuclear physics. Born in the town of Liuhe in Jiangsu province, China, she went on to study at the University of California, Berkeley, studying and working alongside famous physicists such as Emilio Segrè, Robert R. Wilson, and George Volkoff.
Notably impressing her thesis committee with her brilliance (including J. Robert Oppenheimer and John H. Lawrence, pioneers within the atomic field), she completed her PhD and went on to participate in the Manhattan project, supporting the uranium enrichment program for the war effort.
She is best known for conducting the Wu experiment, disproving the conservation of parity. This discovery was unexpected by the wider scientific community, and has had far-reaching implications on the understanding of particle physics by allowing scientists to operationally differentiate between the notion of left and right.
Unlike her colleagues, Tsung-Dao Lee and Chen-Ning Yang, who received the 1957 Nobel Prize in Physics, her role in the discovery was omitted in part due to both gender and racial discrimination. Fellow physicists have lauded her as the contemporary authority in her field, and many have equated or elevated her achievements to that of Marie Curie in terms of importance.
3. Ada Lovelace (1815 - 1852)
Ada Lovelace, also known as Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, was a British mathematician and writer who is best known for her work on Charles Babbage’s design of an early mechanical computer- the “Analytical Machine”. The only legitimate child of poet Lord Byron and educational reformer Anna Isabella Milbanke, she was often ill in childhood, and furthered her education through tutoring due to the societal restrictions on women at the time.
She developed a keen interest in mathematics and technology, and her talents and educational and social exploits brought her into contact with numerous scientists such as Andrew Crosse, Michael Faraday, Charles Dickens, Sir David Brewster, and Charles Babbage (considered by some to be the ‘father of the computer’).
Using these contacts to further her education, she recognized the potential of the Analytical Machine and went on to write an algorithm for it- the precursor of computer software. Whilst Babbage and others focused solely on calculations, she envisioned them as capable of far more.
Although the Analytical Machine was never built in her lifetime, her notes on the machine and her algorithm were unearthed in the mid 20th century. This laid the foundation for modern day computer programming, and her insights into the potential possibilities of a machine that could manipulate symbols makes her one of the earliest pioneers in computer science.
Although her works were not widely recognized during her lifetime, she has since gained prominence with the emergence of digital technology, with the programming language Ada named after her.
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