Read our students' stories that start from the CUHK and go further beyond.

Living in a big city, we meet and interact with many people every day. But when the going gets tough, we may sometimes find ourselves all alone and helpless. “Everybody needs a companion in life who understands and supports them, no matter you are emotionally healthy or in need.” This is what Michael Chan believes, and it echoes Rachel Leung’s idea that “companionship is patient’s best cure”. 

With a resolve to help people in need, Michael established Companion HK, a mental health concern group that aims to educate the public on emotions and mental health and to eradicate stereotyping and stigma towards people with mental disturbances. 

According to Michael, supporting people with mental problems does not mean helping them do their work. What is important is to let them know there is always someone who stands by them and understands how they feel. This belief, nurtured through Michael’s years studying at CUHK, was recognised by the Hong Kong Red Cross in early 2022, when he was awarded the Hong Kong Humanity Youth Power 2021 in recognition of his contribution to the mental health community.

In the Government and Public Administration programme, Michael has learnt how to spot flaws in existing policies, especially those related to mental health and disability support. When putting into practice his classroom knowledge at Companion HK, he has identified various problems faced by members of the mental health community when they seek employment. For example, a five-day work week could be challenging due to the side effects of medication. Besides, many people with mental health problems are not highly educated, which also adds to the difficulty. With all this in mind, Michael hopes to develop Companion HK into a business in the long run. As a stopover spot, the enterprise will accompany patients on their journey towards financial independence and greater self-confidence by providing them with flexible work opportunities and organising workplace social functions for them.

“The Human Library” is one of the activities organised by Companion HK to encourage interactions between participants and patients. The message of the programme is that there is nothing shameful in showing one’s emotionally vulnerable side to others. Through communication, the participants can find common ground with the patients, and understand that the latter are just humans and there is no need to be scared of them. Organising the Human Library has been a learning curve for Michael. Before each session, he and the volunteers at Companion HK always consult their guests to make sure not to cause any ill-feeling among them. Through communicating with the guests, he has come to realise that the actual needs of people with mental illnesses and the challenges they face are not adequately covered by teaching and promotional materials. It takes being a true companion to be able to understand their actual circumstances.

Learning continuously and persevering through challenges is what it takes to be an understanding companion of people with mental illnesses. It is never easy to find a balance between studying and running an organisation, but that is not an excuse for Michael to give up. He learnt to persevere through difficulties as a child, having undergone a brain cancer operation that resulted in a 90% loss of vision in his right eye and hearing loss in his right ear. He is thankful that CUHK supports innovation and entrepreneurship and provides students with different forms of support including subsidies, such that “as long as there is an idea, there is a chance to make it happen”.