Healthy outlooks on campus

Health and social care students stepped out of the classroom and into roles as health experts as part of a promotion they had organised. They encouraged fellow students, staff and visitors to the main campus to visit their information stands about cancer, autism, dementia and diabetes.

The health promotion was part of the students’ Integration Week where they put together their learning from all units and apply this to real people in the workplace. Raising awareness of illnesses and conditions is an essential component of work in health and social care, along with taking good care of ourselves. Leading a healthy lifestyle is an important part of this and one which all students are encouraged to adopt.

18-year-old Gracious Munjama hosted a stand in aid of Autism Awareness. “World Autism Day recently took place so it seemed right to tell everyone a bit more about the condition. A lot of people we talked to said they’d heard of autism but didn’t know much about the behaviours that some of the people with this condition might have.

“This is the first time we’ve done something like this. It’s given us the chance to really show what we’ve learnt on our course.”

Juliegh Cassteele-Foxworth’s health stand about diabetes was the result of her own type 2 condition which she has been managing for 11 years. She was keen to get students to think about the dangers of not eating well and exercising regularly.

“It’s easy to choose fizzy drinks, sweets and chocolates over water and sugar-free snacks,” she said. “I was guilty of it myself when I was younger – I used to eat two Kit-Kats twice a day with hot chocolate! But too many of these things can cause serious problems.

“It’s about taking a more balanced approach to what you eat so you can still enjoy a small amount of the sweet stuff later into your life.”

Many of the students chose to raise awareness of Cancer in its various forms, all groups had received talks from guest speakers and were keen to give something back for Cancer Research and Macmillan. The students will be taking part in events throughout the year to continue their theme of ‘social conscience’ and early diagnosis through improved awareness.