DAY TWO of our conference started off with lots of tips about motivating oneself in the Health Q&A, featuring panelists Kubra Ozguvenc, Oumaima Ouzzine, Arafat Bwambale and Seyran Khalili. They spoke about questions such as “How do you motivate yourself when you feel like you won’t succeed?” and motivation in circumstances like now, when the future is uncertain. The conversation included some great information about how the pandemic is being managed in Uganda and the problems with dealing with those who already have serious illnesses.
Environment
In parallel we had several workshops running on the topics of Environment, Migration and Equality. In the Dutch Language Environment Workshop “European Footprints: The power of Stories” participants got to explore how you can adapt an accessible, creative medium such as a story to get a serious message across, keeping the diversity of your target audience in mind.
“Stories have the power to unite people, to inspire them, and to spark changes in our actions and behaviour. In the European Footprints Initiative, we harness this power of stories and creative media to bring young Europeans together in a joint pursuit of the Sustainable Development Goals. In this workshop, we will take a closer look at the different ways in which stories can give us insight in large, complex themes such as sustainable development.”
Participant Salamato Diallo: “…Government should make a campaign by and from young people, to attract young people to the message of caring for our environment. Otherwise, no one understands their complicated language.”
Forest Protection Workshop with Stelios Theodosopoulos. In this workshop the Greek Forest Protection Volunteering group explained in detail and answer questions on how we can help protect the forests and wildlife through our everyday actions. Stories were shared how they started volunteering and how they combined it with their work or their studies.
The first of our English language Environment Workshops “The Theory of Change: How environment influences Health, Society and Economy” led by Elis Smits, looked at how the Theory of Change explains that there is a story behind every process with regards to how every action has a reaction. It is similar to physics, however the environment affects all aspects of Human!
In “How can everyone be part of a positive chain reaction”, the second of our English Environment Workshops with Franziska Finkbeiner, participants talked about the importance of donating to plant trees and joining tree planting initiatives! Trees have the power to save our planet and environment. Plant for Planet taught students about their app that helps people around the world donate trees! Participant Jessica said: “this has been very interesting!”
Migration
During one of the English language Migration Workshops, “Seeking Asylum: Building a New Reality” JJ Tomlinson explained the different steps and processes asylum seekers go through, particularly in the UK context.
Mindfulness & Wellbeing
Our Mindfulness and Wellness sessions today included a relaxing sound bath experience as well as looking at what we put inside our bodies to nourish it, in the “Healthy Eating for Healthy Minds” session with Elis Williams. Elis encouraged participants to talk about the importance of preparing our own meals. “We learned how to make fried rice and chicken bake, and healthy adaptations you can make, such as using honey instead of processed sugar and low-sodium soy sauce.” Participants shared their favorite healthy foods and tips and how eating well can transform you from the inside out.