The COVID-19 pandemic has tested the limits of empathy and compassion in our community. Thanks to the hard work and cooperation with the Macau government and the Education and Youth Affairs Bureau, the pandemic was effectively controlled.
Despite the greatly minimized threat, there are still some uncontrollable factors that are part of the ongoing challenge of ensuring the health and safety of our community. As common wisdom dictates, “Prevention is better than a cure.” Indeed, the goal is not simply to cure the disease, but to prevent it and future outbreaks that threaten our community. This not only applies to public health, but also to education, where teachers work diligently to prepare students with the skills, fortitude, and discipline necessary to prevent undue stress and anxiety in the face of emotional and academic challenges, both immediate and long-term.
The pandemic has made us more aware of and concerned about the mental health of students and youth. In response, Colégio Diocesano de São José 6 (CDSJ6) organized a series of life education activities called “Hope and Love After Rain,” that was held from mid-March to mid-May. These were spearheaded by the CDSJ6 Civil Education teachers and the Bosco Youth Service Network. These activities aimed to help students learn about the meaning of life, to develop their potential, to bring them on a path of self-actualization, to learn about Christ’s teachings about acting with love and empathy towards one’s neighbors, and to cultivate perseverance and positive attitudes.
“A SHARED JOURNEY THROUGH WIND AND RAIN” AND ONLINE CHECK-IN ACTIVITY
A wide net of umbrellas hangs above the entrance corridor of the school. It is called “A Shared Journey Through Wind and Rain” and symbolizes the shared path that we all walk together, no matter the wind, rain, storm, or challenges that we face. Peers, teachers, and students accompany and encourage each other through the adversities of life.
Hanging from the net and the umbrellas are also umbrella-shaped cards. As part of the “Hope and Love After Rain” Life Education Activities and Civics lessons, students wrote positive messages, such as words of gratitude to family members, their hopes and dreams for the future, and ambitions. Students also “checked-in” online and took photos together as part of the interactive experience and to continue cultivating a positive mindset and welcoming school atmosphere. Additional note cards were written and distributed to encourage optimism and camaraderie amongst the students.
RECREATION CAMP
In order to support the mental wellness of our high school students, the Counseling Office of CDSJ6 organized the Recreation Camp in May 2021 at the Grand Taipa Country Park. Students learned more about the activity spaces in Macau, encouraged positive living habits, and strengthened the bonds between themselves and the counselors. During the camp’s hikes and communal barbecue, everyone shared stories about their lives in a warm and congenial atmosphere.
MINI CONCERT
The CDSJ6 Counseling Office held “Hope and Love After Rain: A Mini Concert” at noon for three days on the school playground. This not only allowed students to show their musical talents, but also, through music, to convey love and hope to the whole school. Participants were enthusiastic during the event as, in addition to the dozen or so students who originally signed up, some students joined in and improvised on the spot, singing together with great enthusiasm. Their singing filled every corner of the school, attracting those who entered the campus, bringing out teachers and students from their classrooms, and bringing work to a pause in the faculty room as staff temporarily stopped their work to admire from the playground and corridors.
ZENTANGLE WORKSHOP
The teachers and counselors led students in an introductory Zentangle Workshop. Students constructed paintings stroke by stroke using the Zentangle painting technique. With this technique, they carefully make every stroke with purpose and feeling, breathe with intent, work with appreciation, and establish a good mood. There is no right or wrong in the process, helping the artists let go of their worries and focus on the present creation. After the event, all the students were happy with their results.
MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS ACTIVITY
In April, CDSJ6 invited Baptist Oi Kwan Social Service (Macau) to conduct a series of activities promoting mental health education for our students. Junior secondary students attended a lecture about stress relief, while senior secondary students attended one about mental health.
Through these lectures, students understood the characteristics of stress and anxiety as well as developed awareness on how to help themselves adjust to stressors and assist those around them. During noontime, they promoted relaxation and gratitude through mental health exhibitions and interactive stations. Through affirmation, positive psychology, and overcoming adversity, students improved their resilience, physical, and mental health. Students commented that the activities helped strengthen their relationships with their classmates, especially with the games centered around appreciation, the exchange of notecards, and taking commemorative photos together.
PARENT-CHILD ABSEILING ACTIVITY
On the afternoon of April 24th, CDSJ6 and the Youth Dreams Association jointly organized a Parent-Child abseiling activity at the rock-climbing wall located along the Coloane Fitness Trail. The event promoted interaction between parents and their children through collaborative challenges, reciprocal support, and encouragement. Participants bravely partook in the two challenges of rock climbing and abseiling (rappelling). Throughout the challenges, onlookers cheered each other on, fostering a positive and motivating atmosphere.
“CONFRONTING STRESS” PARENT SEMINAR
Beyond the student activities, parents’ mental health also needs attention. CDSJ6 was fortunate enough to host speaker Rosa Cheong as she led a seminar on “Confronting Stress” on the 8th of May. Ms Cheong explained how, when internal and external expectations do not match with the actual outcome, stress results, which further leads to physical and mental concerns and declines in competency. During the seminar, Instructor Cheong introduced and demonstrated the methods and benefits of meditation, recommending a 15-minute sitting method, which, when done daily, can help relieve stress and lower blood pressure. Parents actively participated in the exercises and had confidence in the stress-relieving methods presented.
With the support of the school, the colleagues in the Counseling Office and the teachers, the CDSJ6 series of life education activities promoting hope and love was successfully completed. The activities allowed students to communicate and interact with peers, parents, and teachers in a positive environment, full of camaraderie, blessings, hope, and love, while also providing an appropriate environment to tackle the negative emotions and stress that surround students’ and parents’ lives. The activities further provided guidance and opportunities for collaboration in creating a caring, respectful, and welcoming campus. On the foundations of cooperation between school and family, we can build a space where students can grow and learn along the lines of the school’s motto: “labor et virtus – hard work and virtue.”
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