Women’s Health Week will be running from September 7-11, 2020. This amazing event was first established in 2013 by Jean Hailes for Women’s Health as a way to encourage and help all women learn more about their health and make it a priority.
This year will be a little different to most, with a few more obstacles to overcome for events to take place. Fear not! There are many opportunities available to make this event one of the best so far because staying connected with friends, colleagues and family isn’t just good for you, it’s good for your health.
By engaging and fundraising, you can:
- ensure women across Australia are aware of the health services in their local community
- encourage women to check in with their health
- raise awareness of the importance of maintaining good health and preventing future health problems
- raise funds to help more women and girls get the health support they deserve
- link women within their community and help them support each other to make healthy decisions
- share ideas and information about how to live a healthier life.
Utilise free technology platforms, such as:
- Skype
- Zoom
- Houseparty
- WhatsApp
- Facetime
Workplace events:
- Healthy lunch
- Guest speaker
- Walking meeting
- Mindfulness training
- Team challenges
Get some support:
- The Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health has tips for effective written and verbal communication with people with low or limited English (ceh.org.au)
- Multicultural Centre for Women’s Health has a catalogue of health resources available in community languages (mcwh.com.au)
- The health promotion unit in your local council may have some tips
- Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet is a great place to look for health resources for Indigenous audiences (healthinfonet.ecu.edu.au).
Tips for success:
- Identify and approach potential partners within the existing network of community organisations in your area
- Work with community leaders to plan the best approach for their community members
- Start a discussion about how to use those resources in ways that best deliver health promotion messages; for instance, it may work to use a fact sheet about mental health to start a face-to-face discussion on managing anxiety.
Get your workplace involved in Women’s Health Week and help bring to light methods to improve overall health and wellness. Look out for future blogs providing more information on Women’s Health to help start the conversations.
References:
https://www.womenshealthweek.com.au/
