Aisha Nasim, Contributor
Featured image courtesy of Health Education and Promotion
Most people understand the importance of taking care of their health, but it often requires taking steps that many people find difficult to take on their own. Within the York community there are many services that are available for students and staff to reach out to when they need help, but these services often go underutilized.
On the university’s part, such services are offered by Health Education and Promotion, a department of Student Community and Leadership Development. They provide peer health education, a program in which students engage with other students through interactive games, activities, and open dialogue to develop healthy living strategies.
This kind of health promotion is designed to empower all community members to take control of their own health. The program facilitates this by providing access to resources and support systems, including space for discussions on health care that are often left unspoken, such as mental or sexual health.
“I think a greater awareness regarding health and health promotion is definitely starting to shine through in society,” says Curtis Lue, social media coordinator for Health Ed. “We’re seeing a greater following behind health causes in lots of new places. Social media, for example, has become a huge hub to advocate for things like mental health and active living.”
The Health Ed team is made up of paid professionals and student volunteers. Providing effective support requires a team effort and dedication.
“Maintaining a role as a collaborative facilitator has been challenging,” says Daniel Voloshin, a member of the sexual health team.
“Everyone expresses their sexuality in one way or another, and it’s important to share factual information while leaving room for students’ personal experiences, which will hopefully lead to an intrinsically motivated healthy lifestyle.”
Contrary to what many people in the York community seem to believe, these are professionals that know what they are doing when someone goes to seek support. “Sympathy is seeing that a person is struggling, whether it be mental health, physical health, or whatever it is,” says David Kim, the Mental Health and Stress Team lead.
“Real empathy is not only seeing that the person is struggling, but genuinely trying to feel what that person is going through. I feel that once you can truly feel what that person is going through, the dialogue opens up in a natural way, and in a way that makes that person feel validated and heard. We do have two ears and one mouth after all,” he says.
Members of the York community should take advantage of these resources that are available to them and remember that no matter what they are going through with their health, they don’t have to go through it alone.
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