Heart Bonding Machine
Activity description
"Heart Bonding Machine" is a four-day, small-scale campus interactive event centred on mental wellbeing, inviting students to reclaim breathing space amidst daily busyness and pressures. The β4Rβ in the event title represents four vital elements we encourage everyone to practise in daily life: Relaxation, Rest, Resilience, and Relationships.
Over four days, four checkpoints hidden across campus invite students to pause and reconnect with themselves and others. Each day's theme serves not merely as an activity title but as a reminder of a life attitude. Additionally, students can write an encouragement card on-site, jotting down reflections or words of support for themselves, others, or the day's theme, allowing voices to intertwine and flow. We capture your authentic self through film cameras and weave together voices through handwritten cards, letting this goodwill quietly circulate throughout the campus.
Activity highlight
Day 1 β Relaxation @ Covered playground
The first stop is the covered playground, an open yet sheltered space ideal for unwinding. Surrounded by natural light and a gentle breeze, pause your steps to stretch, take deep breaths, and as your body relaxes, your mind gradually loosens its grip.
Teachers and students wrote down their thoughts on the theme and words of encouragement.πΏ
Day 2 β Rest @ VA Room
The VA room itself is a sanctuary removed from the clamour, brimming with creativity and tranquillity. Here, you may temporarily set aside your studies and pressures, taking a brief respite amidst paints, paper or music to allow your spirit some breathing space. You may even rediscover your own inner rhythm.
Day 3 β Resilience @ STEAM Lab
Resilience stems from the process of exploring and confronting challenges, hence we have established our third checkpoint within the STEAM Lab. This space embodies the spirit of experimentation, error, and perseverance β much like how, when facing adversity in life, we remain willing to pick ourselves up and press onward.
Day 4 β Relationship @ The Bridge
The bridge connect different floors and spaces, much like human relationships, forged through trust and understanding. In this bustling thoroughfare where people come and go daily, we invite you to slow down. Through message cards, shared photographs, or a sincere conversation, rediscover the power of connection.
Purpose behind this activity
Over the course of four days, we have not merely participated in an event, but experienced sensations intimately linked to mental wellbeing: relaxation, rest, resilience, and connection. We hope this marks not just a fleeting campus memory, but a beginning β a starting point where more students learn to listen to themselves, embrace their emotions, and find the courage to seek support.
Moving forward, we aspire to cultivate a more natural and open atmosphere around mental wellbeing within our campus community. Mental wellbeing shouldn't be a topic reserved for times of stress, but a daily habit we practise. We hope everyone comes to understand that caring for oneself is a strength; reaching out to others is an act of courage.
If this event has encouraged you to give yourself a little more space, or to show greater care for someone nearby, then we believe this small seed has already begun to sprout.
