Award-winning Chill Lab youth mental health program impacted 146,000+ lives in two years with latest "We Can" student-led projects benefiting 17,000+ people
- Chill Lab has positively impacted 146,161 people across Hong Kong
- 187 secondary schools were engaged via augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) sessions, creative workshops and capacity building for students, teachers and parents
- The latest student-led "We Can" program trained 40 youth leaders who delivered 17 projects benefiting 17,005 members of the public
- Z Zurich Foundation youth mental wellbeing white paper urges school‑based youth interventions, where Chill Lab's innovative youth‑led model aptly aligns its themes
Since then, Chill Lab has become the flagship youth mental wellbeing initiative of MHAHK.
Deep youth impact in just two years
Over the past two years, Chill Lab has positively impacted 146,161 lives, by engaging 187 secondary schools —covering more than 30% of Hong Kong's secondary schools. The program engaged youths via innovative activities such as AR/VR experiential sessions, creative art workshops, social media campaigns and large-scale community events. Capacity-building initiatives were organized to train 200 youth ambassadors, teachers, and parents, who further reached 4,620 people through school and community activities.
The program's innovation and impact have been recognized with the Platinum Award for Excellence in Health & Mental Health at the "Champions for Good Awards 2025" and the Excellence in Innovation Award from the Dr. Lo Wai Hoi Memorial Fund.
Eric Hui, Chief Executive Officer of Zurich Insurance (Greater China), said, "Chill Lab demonstrates the power of prevention, creativity and youth leadership in strengthening mental resilience across Hong Kong. We are proud to support this program alongside the Z Zurich Foundation and to see the measurable difference it has made. Our support is driven by a belief that promotion and prevention activities, and youth leadership can help build a healthier future for the next generation that aligns perfectly well with our brand purpose of creating a brighter future together."
Youth-led transformation in schools and communities
The "We Can – Youth Pioneer Program" emerged as Chill Lab's signature youth-led success this year. The program trained 40 secondary students from five schools in project design, public engagement and advocacy. Equipped with practical skills and mentorship, these young leaders designed and delivered 17 projects across schools and communities, directly benefiting 17,005 members of the public. Activities ranged from interactive booths and peer support campaigns to creative workshops encouraging emotional expression and empathy.
Post-program evaluation showed strong gains among participants: problem-solving ("always considering multiple solutions") increased from 60% to 93%, and over 95% reported greater willingness to care for their own and others' mental health. School leaders praised the program's practical training and student ownership while students described increased empathy, improved listening skills and a deeper understanding that emotional wellbeing is a life skill for everyone. The program culminated in an award ceremony during the summer holidays that celebrated outstanding proposals, creativity and impact across participating schools.
Mr. Stephen Wong, Deputy Director, MHAHK, added, "Students are the future pillars of our society, and their creativity drives meaningful change. We are proud to launch 'We Can' as a model that empowers young people to lead mental health initiatives in their schools and communities. We hope more schools will adopt this youth-led approach and help create mental health friendly campuses across Hong Kong. We are also grateful to have mentors and judge from Zurich Hong Kong who provided valuable advice to the students"
Whitepaper insights brought to action
Recently, the Z Zurich Foundation has released a compelling white paper "Youth mental wellbeing in Asia-Pacific Region", highlighting the critical need to support the mental health of young people across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The report reveals that youth mental wellbeing is at risk, with 50% of mental health conditions beginning by age 14. The insights underscore the critical need to support the mental health of young people in APAC and underscore the urgency of upstream, community-based and school-centered interventions. The white paper points to the central role of schools as platforms for prevention and destigmatisation, and the effectiveness of youth-led and interactive programs in raising engagement and help seeking. Chill Lab's focus on AR/VR experiential learning, peer support and youth leadership align directly with these findings and demonstrates how prevention oriented, school-based models can build resilience, life skills and connectedness.
Gregory Renand, Head of the Z Zurich Foundation, stated, "Chill Lab exemplifies the preventive, youth centric approach our white paper recommends. The program's use of schools as a platform, its interactive AR/VR learning and, importantly, its youth led 'We Can' model align directly with the white paper's call to build resilience, life skills and peer support. These are essential levers to reduce stigma and improve access to timely care for young people."
Chill Lab is committed to driving systematic change towards youth mental health by fostering long-term partnerships across education, community, private and public sectors. Entering its third year, Chill Lab will refine its interventions based on evaluation insights and strengthen collaborations with schools, teachers and community partners. Planned developments include integrating AI into AR/VR games to enhance engagement and personalized learning, expanding interactive exhibitions, and embedding youth led initiatives more deeply within the education system. These efforts aim to sustain long-term improvements in youth mental health literacy, resilience and help seeking behaviors across Hong Kong.
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About Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong)
Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong) is part of the Zurich Insurance Group, with its presence in Hong Kong dating back to 1961. Since then, Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong) has been dedicated to serving the Hong Kong community with a full range of flexible investment, life insurance and general insurance solutions for individuals, as well as commercial and corporate customers — attending to their insurance, protection and investment needs. Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong) currently ranks fourth in the general insurance direct business market1 and ranks fifth in the ILAS market2 in Hong Kong. Please visit www.zurich.com.hk for more information of Zurich Insurance (Hong Kong).
1 Annual statistics of the Insurance Authority on Hong Kong direct general business from January to December 2024, based on gross premium.
2 Annual statistics of the Insurance Authority on Hong Kong long term insurance business from January to December 2024, based on the number of policies and premiums of in-force business of investment-linked life insurance.
About Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich)
Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading global multi-line insurer founded more than 150 years ago, which has grown into a business serving more than 75 million customers in more than 200 countries and territories, while delivering industry-leading total shareholder returns.
Reflecting its purpose to 'create a brighter future together,' Zurich offers protection services that go beyond traditional insurance to support its customers in building resilience. Since 2020, the Zurich Forest project supports reforestation and biodiversity restoration in Brazil's Atlantic Forest.
The Group has more than 63,000 employees and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt (ZURVY) program, which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information is available at www.zurich.com.
About The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong
The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong was founded in 1954, The Mental Health Association of Hong Kong (MHAHK) is a non-profit social service organization with the goal of educating the public on mental health. We embrace the vision of "Mental Health for ALL" and are committed to the missions of "Quality rehabilitation for service users", "Positive workplace for staff" and "Mental wellness for the public".
The Association started direct service operation in 1967 and since then, has developed a comprehensive spectrum of rehabilitation services in the community, including residential care, community support, day training, vocational rehabilitation, employment support and special education, providing holistic care for people in recovery, people with intellectual disabilities and the disadvantaged. MHAHK currently operates over 50 subvented welfare service units / projects serving over tens of thousands of service users. The Association also manages self-financed supported apartment for people in recovery, a non-profit training and counselling centre, a special school with boarding places for students with severe mental handicaps and multiple disabilities, a social enterprise operating over 30 Supported Employment projects, and a training institute providing long-term consultation and supervision to mental health projects in the Mainland and the Greater Bay Area.
About Z Zurich Foundation
At the Z Zurich Foundation, we believe in a world where young people have the tools and resources to improve their mental wellbeing. Throughout the various projects we support, we aim to create a mental wellbeing movement that is helping young people see their feelings for what they are, so they can prevent stress from developing into anxiety.
The Z Zurich Foundation works alongside Zurich Insurance Group employees and other stakeholders as well as with governments and NGOs in pursuit of a future where people can thrive in the face of increasing climate hazards and catastrophes, where those of us feeling the stresses of life are empowered to speak up, and where the marginalized in our society can reach their full potential.
The Z Zurich Foundation is a Swiss-based charitable foundation established by members of the Zurich Insurance Group. It is the main vehicle by which Zurich Insurance Group delivers on its global community investment strategy.
Visit the Z Zurich Foundation's website to learn more about its work: https://zurich.foundation. Follow the Z Zurich Foundation on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Instagram and YouTube.
