Health awareness – CSI

Invitation of job-package council member to host a session; practical tips for health awareness.

The Health Awareness Module was perhaps the most successful module implementation during the whole training, for several reasons: firstly, CSI invited Michalis Koliandris, a sports expert who is also a job-package council member to deliver one of the online sessions. Michalis is a sports and nutrition expert and in the context of the “Health Awareness” module, he delivered a presentation about exercising, nutrition and how they go hand-in-hand with the general well-being of a person, including physical and mental health. This was a very successful session since all the participants were very active and involved, there was a lively discussion throughout the whole presentation.

During the session certain concerns were raised about the link between eating healthy and healthy food costing more. For this reason, the trainer put together a list of cheap and value-for-money supermarkets and open-air markets and shared with all participants, to inform them about places where they can shop for less. This turned out to be very useful, as all participants appreciated it.

Additionally, when talking about healthy nutrition, each participant shared a traditional dish from their country and described it, which made them feel closer to their home.

Certain tips were also shared on how to protect ourselves and maintain our health especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. These included washing our hands often, wearing a mask and changing it every few hours, proceed with vaccination etc.

Feedback from participant(s) or trainer:

What’s the most important thing you have learned during the workshop?

One of the greatest lessons of this methodology under the Health Awareness Module is to try and listen to the participants and discuss the relationship of the physical and mental health as these two go hand-in-hand. We wanted to really emphasise on this relationship, especially amidst the current COVID-19 crisis and the toll it has taken on a lot of people’s mental health. Therefore, we wanted to convey that mental health is equally important as physical health, and by taking care of one’s body means it is also easier to take care of the mind.