Workshops in 2008-9
November 2009
November 14, 2009: Health Care Rights
In collaboration with students from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Law, IMAGINE conducted a workshop about health care rights for St. Christopher House: The Meeting Place clients.
July 2009:
This month the health promotion committee held 2 workshops at St. Christopher House. The first discussed the recent incidents of the H1N1 virus as well as ways to avoid contracting the virus.
The second was an interactive session where participants and students engaged in a dialogue regarding common household allergens, ways to identify them, avoid and manage them. A discussion about the signs, symptoms and management of an acute exacerbation of an asthma attack were discussed as well as self-management strategies which were demonstrated and practiced.
June 2009:
Heading into the heat of the summer, a discussion regarding ways to avoid heat related illnesses including dehydration and heat stroke was held. In this session, participants shared information pertaining to places to access a cool environment during the day and night.
March 2009:
The health promotion committee delivered 2 workshops at St. Christopher House this month. The first was a discussion regarding the long term effects of alcohol on the liver. The second was an interactive session entitled “Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” where students engaged in an open dialogue with members of St. Christopher House regarding the management and prevention of bed bug infestations.
February 2009
February 21, 2009: Dealing with Hypothermia: An Interactive Skit
Inspired by the recent cold snap, we decided to hold an educational workshop on hypothermia and first aid in cold weather. An interprofessional team of volunteers prepared an interactive skit, performed by Daniella and Pete, which was well-received by attendants.
November 2008
Sexual Health: Herpes and STIs
Taking suggestions from the last workshop's participants into account, IMAGINE's interprofessional task force prepared a short presentation about herpes and sexually transmitted infections for the next session. This was also presented in an interactive Q&A format, with prizes given to participating audience members, and was once again well received. Something we noticed was that a few people seemed curious about the topics but were hesitant to participate, preferring to listen.
Sexual Health: Contraception
For IMAGINE's foray into educational workshops at the Meeting Place, we wanted to select a topic that would be both accessible and useful to the clients. We decided upon discussing sexual health for our first session, in the form of a simple Q&A about contraception. The interactive presentation was held in a small room off the main hall of the Meeting Place. Several clients attended, and a few even stayed after the session to ask additional questions and offer suggestions for our next topic.