Wellness Ambassador Programme (WAP)
Programme Overview
The Wellness Ambassador Programme (WAP) is an evidence-based initiative designed to enhance the well-being of participants and their surrounding communities. Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the programme is now in its fourth year (2024). WAP has been conducted through face-to-face, online, and hybrid sessions, engaging university students from both local and non-local institutions.
WAP Development Timeline
2020 - 2021 (Year 1)
- Launched WAP during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Conducted 8 sessions (12 hours) via online platform
- Covered 6 topics
- Participants prepared service plan proposals to promote health and well-being
2021 - 2022 (Year 2)
- Continued providing courses through online platform
- Further refined course content and structure
2022 - 2023 (Year 3)
- Extended to local universities (CUHK and PolyU)
- Expanded to universities in the Greater Bay Area (Sun Yat-Sen University)
- Extended to overseas institutions (Pakistan, Netherlands)
- Adopted hybrid mode: face-to-face and online sessions
- Conducted 8-week sessions from February to April 2023
- First WAP in secondary school (St. Catharine's School for Girls, October to November 2022)
2023 - 2024 (Year 4)
- Conducted face-to-face sessions at Sun Yat-Sen University campus (May 2024)
- Continued hybrid mode for multiple local universities
- Continued expanding the programme to cover more institutions in the Greater Bay Area and overseas
- Ongoing research and analysis to further evaluate and enhance the programme's impact
WAP Objectives
- Promote physical and psychological well-being of students
- Equip students with psychological theories and basic counseling skills
- Apply learnings to benefit themselves, classmates, family members & wider communities
- Evaluate programme effectiveness through evidence-based practices
Training Topics
- Basic counselling skills
- Resilience
- Physiology
- Stress coping strategies
- Gratitude
- Growth mindset
Course Format
WAP follows an 8-week course structure, including:
- Theory and skills training
- Student presentations
- Service plan proposal writing
Research Methodology
WAP employs rigorous research methods to evaluate programme effectiveness:
- Pre-test and post-test design
- Experimental and control group comparisons
- Quantitative and qualitative measures
Physiological data collection using wearable devices
Key Achievements Over 4 Years
- 58 sessions conducted
- Engaged over 400 participants
- Trained more than 200 Wellness Ambassadors
- Benefited over 1200 people
Key Research Findings and Their Significance
WAP participants showed significant improvements in:
- Prosocialness: Promoting positive social behaviors, fostering a sense of community and empathy
- Resilience: Enhancing ability to cope with stress and adversity
- Growth Mindset: Increasing confidence in ability to change and grow
- Community and Civic Engagement: Cultivating social responsibility and active community participation
- Positive emotion: Boosting overall well-being
- General health: Improving both physical and mental health
Participants also experienced reductions in psychological symptoms and insomnia severity, indicating the programme's positive impact on overall well-being.
Participant Satisfaction and Impact
- Approximately 90% of participants would recommend WAP to peers
- High satisfaction with programme content, design, and delivery
- Follow-up study revealed significant ripple effect:
- 93% reported helping someone in their community
- 31% helped between 6 and 15 people
- 12% helped more than 15 people
- 93% reported helping someone in their community
Programme Expansion
WAP has successfully expanded to:
- Other local universities (CUHK and PolyU)
- Universities in the Greater Bay Area (Sun Yat-Sen University)
- Overseas institutions (Pakistan, Netherlands)
- Secondary schools (St. Catharine's School for Girls)
Activity Highlights
Future Directions
The WAP is committed to extending its benefits to more students and communities. Through ongoing research and analysis, we aim to further evaluate and enhance the programme's impact, creating more opportunities to promote well-being and equip students with valuable skills across regions.
Organizer: Wofoo Joseph Lee Consulting and Counselling Psychology Research Centre, Lingnan University
Sponsor: Wofoo Social Enterprises