Wellness Education Week 2021:
Monday, April 19th to Friday, April 23rd
Click here for 2021 Calendar of Events!
Click here for BMC Community Virtual Scrapbook!
Look forward to speakers, workshops & de-stressers throughout the week!
An exciting upcoming event to keep on your radar is Wellness Education Week from Monday, April 19th to Friday, April 23rd! The goals of Wellness Education Week are to bring the community together around promoting health and wellness practices, engaging in both community care and self care, and building community on-campus (especially with the beautiful Spring weather!). Wellness is a holistic component of health, and wellness practices support all parts of health, including mental, spiritual, and physical health. Two off-campus speakers will join us to discuss various topics relating to wellness with a focus on mental health. The Health & Wellness Center Advisory Board (HCAB) is also planning various activities and asynchronous activities for the community to participate in. This will be a wonderful event and we are so grateful for the collaboration and support of the Health & Wellness Center, Dean’s Office, President’s Office, and Pensby Center!
2021 Keynote Speaker – Dior Vargas:
Wednesday, April 21 from 7-8PM EST, open to BMC community!
Click Here to Register for the Keynote Speaker Event!
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Dior Vargas, MS, MPH, CNP is a Queer Latina Feminist Mental Health Activist and the creator of the People of Color and Mental Illness Photo Project, a response to the invisibility of Black Indigenous People of Color in the media representation of mental illness. She is also the editor of The Color of My Mind, a photo essay book based on the photo project.
Dior is the recipient of numerous awards, including the White House Champion of Change for Disability Advocacy Across Generations under the Obama Administration, the 2015 Alternatives Conference Cookie Grant and Bill Compton LGBTQI Leadership Award, a 2017 Susan M. Daniels Disability Mentoring Hall of Fame Inductee, and a 2020 Diversability D-30 Disability Impact List Honoree.
Dior tours the country delivering keynotes, hosting workshops, and speaking on panels, and her work and insight have been covered in media outlets such as The New York Times, Forbes, Newsweek, and NBC News Latino. Dior has a BA in the Study of Women and Gender from Smith College, an MS in Publishing from Pace University, and an MPH from New York University. She is a native New Yorker and currently lives in New York City.
Check out Dior’s website for more information: https://www.diorvargas.com
2021 Keynote Workshop – Active Minds V-A-R:
Friday, April 23 from 5-6PM EST, open to BMC community!
Click Here to Register for the Keynote Workshop!
Active Minds’ Chief Program Officer, Laura Horne, and Senior Manager of Health Equity, Tanya Bass, will be hosting a workshop with a focus on Active Minds’ V-A-R tool as well as LGBTQ+, gender, and equity-related topics. Attendees will participate in a workshop to train them on the V-A-R conversation model and will receive a certificate afterward.
Validate, Appreciate, Refer® are three easy-to-use steps that provide a path to listening and responding in a helpful way. V-A-R conversations can take many forms — phone, in-person, text message, video call. No matter the format, what matters most is being there and showing that you care. V-A-R helps us know what to say in those moments. A conversation that includes the elements of Validate, Appreciate, Refer is one that allows you to actively listen to someone you care about and support them in meaningful ways.
Check out the Active Minds website: https://www.activeminds.org/about-mental-health/var/