The New Normal Charity Hong Kong 新常態慈善（香港）

Hello LinkedIn! 👋 We are The New Normal, a registered Section 88 Hong Kong charity (91/19147) supporting adults through life's most difficult moments. Our mission is to ensure that mental health and community resources are accessible to all. We understand the complexities of life, especially when financial difficulties and emotional distress intertwine. In a city where 21% of the population lives in poverty and many lack access to necessary mental health services, our initiatives are designed to serve as essential lifelines. We offer free peer-to-peer support groups, holistic well-being programmes, and mental health-related training. We believe in making sure everyone has access to the support they need, when they need it. As the saying goes: "If there's one, there's two." We want to share our story, our journey, and our hopes for the future with you here on LinkedIn. Stay tuned, there's so much more to come 🤍 Jessica Hulton Benjamin May Anna Tee Désirée Fong Cindy Kwan Steven Lam, CEP® Connor Jackson Chris Mack Heinok Fan Bianca Yip Julian Ngai Toby Wai Olivia Parker Shannon D. Annissa Suen Maitreyi Mehta Marcus Lam Sammee Tse Valerie Teh Fion Yu Stephanie Wong Bosco Fung Karishma Sajnani Senior Wealth Management Manager Sarah Hanniffy Aisling McDonnell Catt Kleyn Yvonne Wenham

Suicide First Aid Training - Understanding Suicide Intervention One in five people will experience thoughts of suicide in their lifetime. Are you equipped to help someone in need? 💬 Join our Suicide First Aid (SFA) course and gain the essential skills to intervene, support, and potentially save a life. This accredited, internationally assured training is designed to help you recognise the signs of suicide, take action, and provide support. 🧠 What You Will Learn: - Recognise warning signs and ask the right questions - Understand the causes and impact - Learn how to create a safety plan with someone at risk - Develop confidence in providing support to those in crisis Who Should Attend? - Frontline or first responders, healthcare or caring professionals, educators, community volunteers, or anyone wanting to make a difference. This training is for everyone —no prior experience required! Subsidised Places Available: We believe in making suicide prevention training accessible to all. We offer subsidised spots if you’re facing financial hardship or work for an NGO. 📱 WhatsApp us at 5223 4002 for a chat. 📅 Course Details: -3 November 10am - 4pm - Duration: 6 hours with breaks and lunch (snacks provided!) - Format: Mini-lectures, group work, videos, and practical exercises -In-person venue Kennedy Town Hong Kong Island - Support: Ongoing support through The New Normal Charity HK Contact us at hello@thenewnormalcharityhk.org for more details or WhatsApp +852 5223 4002 https://lnkd.in/ghBWXXCQ

Suicide First Aid Training - Understanding Suicide Intervention One in five people will experience thoughts of suicide in their lifetime. Are you equipped to help someone in need? 💬 Join our Suicide First Aid (SFA) course and gain the essential skills to intervene, support, and potentially save a life. This accredited, internationally assured training is designed to help you recognise the signs of suicide, take action, and provide support. 🧠 What You Will Learn: - Recognise warning signs and ask the right questions - Understand the causes and impact - Learn how to create a safety plan with someone at risk - Develop confidence in providing support to those in crisis Who Should Attend? - Frontline or first responders, healthcare or caring professionals, educators, community volunteers, or anyone wanting to make a difference. This training is for everyone —no prior experience required! Subsidised Places Available: We believe in making suicide prevention training accessible to all. We offer subsidised spots if you’re facing financial hardship or work for an NGO. 📱 WhatsApp us at 5223 4002 for a chat. 📅 Course Details: -3 November 10am - 4pm - Duration: 6 hours with breaks and lunch (snacks provided!) - Format: Mini-lectures, group work, videos, and practical exercises -In-person venue Kennedy Town Hong Kong Island - Support: Ongoing support through The New Normal Charity HK Contact me directly at jess@thenewnormalcharityhk.org for more details or WhatsApp +852 5223 4002 The New Normal Charity Hong Kong 新常態慈善（香港） https://lnkd.in/ghBWXXCQ

This morning I woke up to see I had been tagged in this reel, which shows our new host in Hong Kong being taken through their training to become meeting facilitators. In 2021, Jessica Hulton moved from England to Hong Kong and complained to me that the UK based meetings were no good to her anymore. I flippantly told her to start her own meetings, something that Jess took and ran with! Launching the first Good Grief HK meeting - an English speaking meeting for immigrants and English speaking Hong Kongers. As the weeks and months passed, Jess turned one meeting to many others, introducing new hosts, volunteers, founding The New Normal Charity Hong Kong 新常態慈善（香港）and building the first board of trustees for the new charity. During this period Jess crucially met Désirée Fong, who rightly questioned how Jess intending on serving Hong Kong nationals and not just English speaking immigrants. Though this was something Jess and I had already discussed at length, the introduction of Désirée was an important moment and, with the help of many incredible and dedicated volunteers, the direction of our work began to shift. During the recent host facilitation training we saw 11 new Cantonese speaking hosts! This is an incredible number and the importance of this shouldn’t be underestimated. The support for HK nationals is vitally important and the continued work and development of spaces is greatly needed. From the first meeting, Jess and her incredible team have taken what began in London and pushed it beyond my wildest expectations. I’m so proud of the work they do and am incredibly grateful to call them my colleagues. So many people have been involved with the growth and trajectory of the work in Hong Kong. Thank you to each of you for your time, energy and dedication to this work.

We’re grateful for Ming Pao Newspaper （明報)’s feature, shining a light on our mission to change the conversation around mental health in Hong Kong. For a small charity like ours, this recognition means the world as we work alongside other organisations to change the mental health landscape. Jessica Hulton, our Founder, shares: “When we gather to share our experiences, we create a community that heals together.” Charlotte Lam, our Trainer and Lead Facilitator, notes: “Speaking about mental health in a familiar language helps break down barriers. It’s crucial for creating authentic conversations.” Désirée Fong, Head of Impact, adds: “When people speak about mental health in Cantonese, they often switch to English for terms like ‘anxiety’ or ‘depression’. This reflects both the stigma and the lack of a conversational framework in our culture.” We are so incredibly thankful to our wonderful community of dedicated volunteers who are driving meaningful change in how mental health is perceived in our community. 🤍 You can read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gPaS-Rd7 #peersupport #MentalHealth

Every life lost to suicide is a devastating tragedy. The better equipped we are to recognise and safely intervene when someone is at risk, the more lives we can save. Jessica Hulton and I had the privilege of joining Chris Mack | Community Business to share our work at The New Normal Charity Hong Kong 新常態慈善（香港）on mental health and suicide prevention. Suicide is one of the most preventable forms of death. With the right tools and support, anyone can play a crucial role in preventing someone from taking their own life—it doesn't always require a professional to make a significant difference. If you or someone you know is feeling hopeless, please reach out. If you or your business want to get trained in suicide first aid, contact us at hello@thenewnormalcharityhk.org It's that easy to create a community where mental health is prioritised, and no one has to face their struggles alone. There are resources and people ready to help. Links to suicide prevention hotlines and support services are available in this post and on https://lnkd.in/g8DfMD2F You can listen to our conversation on Community Business' website or in the post below.

Content warning: Suicide discussed Today is #WorldSuicidePreventionDay 1 in 5 people in their lifetime will think about suicide. It’s hard to think that could be someone we care for, but it’s important to learn about warning signs. Lots of people feel like they can’t tell others when they are thinking about suicide. Recognising signs is incredibly important in keeping someone safe. We are not suggesting that all suicides are preventable or that this is easy to achieve. Despite every effort of loved ones and all those involved in care and suicide prevention, some people will end their own lives. Crisis Helplines ➔ The Samaritan Befrienders (24/7 Cantonese) 2389 2222 / (24/7 Multilingual) 2896 0000 / (6:30-10pm English) 2389 2223 ➔ Suicide Prevention Service:(24/7) 22382 0000 ➔ CEASE Crisis Centre Hotline:(24/7) 18281 ➔ Hong Kong Family Welfare Society:2343 2255 緊急求助熱線 ➔ 撒瑪利亞防止自殺會 (24/7 廣東話) 2389 2222 / (24/7 多種語言) 2896 0000 / (6:30-10pm 英語) 2389 2223 ➔ 生命熱線:(24/7) 2382 0000 ➔ 東華三院芷若園:(24/7) 18281 ➔ 明愛向晴軒:(24/7) 18288 ➔ 社會福利署:2343 2255

🌟 Volunteer Opportunities! 🌟 🔹Grant Writer/Proofreader Do you have experience with grant writing and attention to detail? We’re looking for someone to help us write and proofread proposals. Your expertise can help us secure funding to keep supporting mental health! 🔹 Translator (English to Cantonese) Help us reach a wider audience! If you can translate English social media content into Cantonese and create copy for mental health posts in Cantonese, we need your help! 📩 If you’re interested or know someone who is, please email hello@thenewnormalcharityhk.org. #VolunteerOpportunity #GrantWriter #Translator #MentalHealthMatters #JoinOurTeam #CantoneseTranslation

💭We are seeking partnership to support Men's mental health in Hong Kong Our charity has been providing free mental health peer support groups in Hong Kong, and we’re proud to have been successfully operating a Cantonese Men’s Mental Health Group. There is high demand for accessible mental health support among non-Cantonese speaking men, and we are now ready to meet this need by launching an English-language Men’s Mental Health Group. But we can’t do it alone. We are seeking a partner to sponsor this initiative and help us reach even more men in need. What’s in it for your organisation? 💭 Co-Branding Opportunities: Align your brand with a pioneering mental health initiative. 💭Impact Reporting: Receive detailed reports on the positive outcomes of the programme, which can be shared with stakeholders and used in your ESG communications. Budget Breakdown: - Training 4 Hosts: 4,000 HKD - Marketing & Communications: 3,500 HKD*L - A year's worth of Volunteer Support: 6,000 HKD Total: 13,500 HKD We hope you can join us in supporting men in our community. We run our peer support groups regularly and consistently. This isn’t a one off workshop or webinar, it’s a sustainable community led initiative. If your organisation is passionate about mental health and wants to contribute, please get in touch: hello@thenewnormalcharityhk.org. You can find out more about our organisation on our website: https://lnkd.in/gfVM74yg

Run with us to fundraise and we’ll cover your Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon race entry! 🏃 Congratulations to all who have secured a place for 2025! With all of the work we do, we want to bring awareness to accessible mental health support in Hong Kong. So we want to make fundraising and running in an event like this accessible too! Maybe you weren’t successful in securing a charity place or maybe you want to fundraise but are worried about having a big target, or you simply want to do something for mental health. So… Get your Standard Chartered Hong Kong Marathon/Half Marathon/10km/Wheelchair race entry fee reimbursed by The New Normal Charity! If you fundraise a minimum of 1000 HKD we will fully reimburse your entry fee. That means that every dollar you raise goes towards providing accessible support to more and more people. The process: 1. Set up your Give Asia campaign (see video linked in bio). Tell your supporters they’re not covering your race entry, they are supporting mental health! 2. Once you have reached your 1000 HKD target send a link to your Give Asia campaign page, your FPS ID and proof of entry to finance@thenewnormalcharityhk.org 3. We will reimburse your entry fee by FPS in 4 working days Click the link in our profile ‘TNN x Hong Kong Marathon’ for a Give Asia How To. We’re here to support you every step of the way. Any questions or concerns please email hello@thenewnormalcharityhk.org or WhatsApp 5223 4002. Why are we using this approach? We are too young as a charity to be an *official* marathon partner (we are working on that!), so we came up with this initiative to achieve the same goal!