Matthew Kwok, the co-founder of the charity Just Feel, wants t
o change that by cultivating a more compassionate culture, starting with schools.
Matthew Kwok was a primary school teacher in Hong Kong before starting Just Feel, a charity dedicated to enhancing students’ emotional well-being. While teaching, he encountered a student who liked to play pranks on his classmates and even pushed one of them down the stairs.
Kwok chose to approach the student with compassion rather than punish him. Using a set of illustrated cards, he helped the student identify his emotions and realise that they were linked to unfulfilled needs; it turned out that the student wanted to be seen by his peers and craved friendship.
“Children have negative emotions because some of their needs aren’t fulfilled, but they can’t realise that or voice out. Their teachers and parents need to help them identify the unmet needs, acknowledge them and discuss solutions,” Kwok says.
Kwok invited the boy’s classmates to join him during recess with the condition that he would treat them with respect. “Since then, he has never bullied his classmates. Through the conversation, I helped him understand his needs and how he had affected others,” he says.
This method of compassionate communication is now part of the three-year programme that Just Feel introduced to local primary schools. The ultimate goal of its approach is to promote students’ psychological well-being. It enables them to develop skills in five key areas: self and social awareness, relationship skills, responsible decision-making and self-management.
Other initiatives are also included in its curriculum, such as regular lessons, educational toolkits, classroom decorations and training or workshops for parents and teachers.
Since its founding in 2018, Just Feel states that around 84 percent of the 26,500 students in their partnered schools have reported that they are more willing to express their feelings and able to understand their classmates better. Most teachers and parents also find it easier to communicate with their students and children.
From a lawyer to a teacher
When Kwok was in high school, he wanted to pursue a university degree in law. He believed that a successful system in a society, which is built by law, could distribute resources fairly to people and lead them to live harmonious lives. Later, when he became a law student at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, he had another realisation: “A great system is the result of a group of people working hard to maintain it—the focus was the people behind it.”
Then, his interests shifted from law to social science, communication, psychology and education. Among these disciplines, he developed a strong interest in education, seeking to understand how to nurture children to become the future pillars of society.
In 2017, after graduating from law school, he spent one year as a teacher in Hong Kong’s non-profit Teach For Hong Kong, which enlists university graduates to serve in schools attended by underprivileged children. This was also when he noticed the stressful reality the students were facing.
“I’m glad that I’m not born in this generation,” the former teacher says. “Children are in their own world and are forced to study and complete test papers nonstop; hence, they are not curious about the world, and they don’t care for others.”
“The teachers refuse to be less strict with their students because everyone is strict. If the kids relax a bit in class, as I have done, the children who had suppressed their feelings and needs in other classes would also misbehave. This creates a vicious cycle.”
An assessment conducted by the Department of Health revealed that 2.8 percent (or 9,240) of Hong Kong primary and secondary school students considered suicide in the school year 2022 to 2023. There was also an increase in referrals for psychosocial and behavioural problems.
Breaking the cycle
“We need to build an environment that allows students to know their feelings should be respected. They could communicate when there is a conflict. Most importantly, they could explore themselves and identify what they need—I think this is the key in education,” Kwok says.
He and his co-founder, Raymond Yang, who was also teaching for the same non-profit group, then tried to find ways to build a more compassionate school culture. They started familiarising themselves with theories and toolkits that could facilitate that.
Despite their efforts to enact change at their respective schools, it was a daunting task. “I was miserable. But being in the system allowed me to know what I would do to change it and the culture that stemmed from it,” Kwok says.
In 2018, Kwok, Yang and Anthony Ngai, who used to work in the banking industry, co-founded Just Feel, an independent organisation with a mission to change the cultures at school through partnerships.
They continued refining their model as they received more funding from multiple foundations, including The D.H.Chen Foundation, Swire Trust and The Hong Kong Club Foundation. One-third of their resources were allocated to conducting research and improving their products to ensure effectiveness and smooth adoption by schools.
During the last school year, Kwok says that the group partnered with 17 schools whose teachers are genuinely committed to its mission. The group also refrains from sending its staff to teach the students at the institutions. “We believe in the connection between students and teachers. Our role is like supporting staff to athletes—we couldn’t compete for you in a race, but we would offer the best resources throughout the journey.”
Starting a movement
Kwok says Just Feel’s ultimate goal is not to partner with a large number of schools but to build a framework that can be smoothly implemented in all schools in Hong Kong.
“Childhood is a crucial period for an individual to understand themselves. Their experience will influence how they perceive the world after they grow up. Since schools are where they spend most of their time, we need work on this front,” the co-founder says.
The charity has been up and running for around five years. How long will it take to reach its goal? “Give us five more years,” Kwok says.
He clarifies that he doesn’t think his team would have figured out a universal framework by then. But what they have done in this decade should be able to leave a lasting impact on schools. Not only can they take inspiration from their work, but they can also gain confidence to participate and improve on a larger scale.
“Ten years is long enough to form a habit at school. The thing about culture is that it’s difficult to change. But you can sustain it once it has been changed,” Kwok says.
From studying law to becoming a teacher and founding Just Feel, Kwok is driven by his fascination with finding an answer to one question: How can we build a more loving and fair world?
The social entrepreneur believes fewer conflicts would occur if people were more compassionate toward each other despite their differences. “A more loving society is built by a group of more loving individuals,” Kwok says.
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