The School of Graduate Studies, Lingnan University Hosts the Health and Wellbeing Symposium 2025 Attracting Over 130 Scholars and NGO Practitioners to Promote Age-friendly Cities

On 26 April 2025, the School of Graduate Studies, Lingnan University successfully hosted the Health and Wellbeing Symposium, themed “Best Practices for Promoting Healthy and Age-Friendly Cities”. The event convened a diverse group of leading academics, practitioners, and students, to explore innovative strategies for fostering healthy and inclusive urban environments for people of all ages while advocating for the concept of Age-Friendly Cities. This event was co-organised with the Institute of Policy Studies at Lingnan University, the Graduate School of the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, National Chung Cheng University, Taiwan, the Consortium for Social Change, Wellbeing and Social Policy Studies, and Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Nansha) Social Organization Cooperation and Innovation Base.

The symposium brought together over 130 onsite and online participants from different regions and countries including Australia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, United Kingdom, and Taiwan, successfully serving as a dynamic platform for knowledge exchange, featuring mind-provoking presentations and insightful case studies by renowned scholars, NGOs, and students, from all over the world.

The symposium began with a welcome address by Prof Padmore Adusei Amoah from the School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University. Prof Amoah introduced the purpose for which the symposium was organised, providing a background about the Research Assessment Exercise impact case project titled “Well-being of older persons: An Age-friendly city perspective in Asia” for the social work and social policy unit of assessment at Lingnan University.

Prof Joshua Mok Ka-ho, Provost and Vice-President (Academic & Research) and concurrently Dean of Graduate School and Chair Professor of Comparative Policy of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, gave the opening remarks at the symposium. Prof Mok emphasised the need to support our elderly population by promoting age-friendly cities passionately. He also thanked the host institution and co-organizers for coming up with such a timely and important symposium.

The symposium featured 5 keynote speakers including Prof Bingqin Li from University of New South Wales, Australia, Prof Chan Sheng-ju from National Chung Cheng University, Prof Wei Yang from Kings College London and Prof Liu Kai from Renmin University of China. NGO practitioners such as ERAT BAHAGIA from Indonesia, and Jiangmen Elderly Services Association, Jiangmen, and Tianxingjian Social Services Association, Guangzhou. Overall, 21 speakers from the academic and NGO sectors gave presentations during the symposium.

Students were not left out, as the symposium showcased several exciting poster presentations by students from Lingnan University and other Universities across Hong Kong.  

The symposium concluded with a closing remark by Prof Maggie Lau from the School of Graduate Studies, Lingnan University, urging all stakeholders to work together to create healthy, inclusive and sustainable environments that support the needs of all individuals. At the end of the event, participants expressed their gratitude to the School of Graduate Studies at Lingnan University and the organizing committee for hosting such a meaningful event that promotes the development of age-friendly cities.