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A UKZN Neuroscience team organised a variety of activities for Brain Awareness Week (BAW) from 12- 18 March.
Held world-wide, the annual event is the brain child of the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and the Society for Neuroscience to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research.
UKZN Psychology students were the main volunteers at the annual Advocacy Walk organised by the KwaZulu-Natal Mental Health Advocacy Group to raise awareness about the neglected issues of mental illnesses and substance abuse and their impact on wellbeing.
More than 700 people participated in the walk which started at the amphitheatre on Durban’s North Beach.
President of the Student Society of Psychology at UKZN Ms Shwetha Singaram said volunteering for the walk was a fulfilling experience.
Thuma Mina, Send Me, was the theme of the 4th Annual Durban Mental Health Symposium held on UKZN’s Howard College campus.
Organised by the KZN Mental Health Advocacy Group, the symposium was attended by mental healthcare practitioners and specialists from the Psychology, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Social Work and Psychiatry fraternities from government, academic, private sector and nonprofit organisations in KwaZulu- Natal.
The KwaZulu-Natal Mental Health Advocacy group recently hosted a successful second annual mental health walk.
The aim of the event, held on 15 October, was to destigmatise mental illness by creating a platform where all stakeholders can meet in a relaxed environment and share information. During the event government departments, private organisations and non-profit organisations provided advice on mental illness and substance abuse and also conducted free health screening for participants on the day.
The College of Health Sciences, in association with the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG) and the directors of the Township Yogi documentary film hosted a premier screening of the production for Mandela Day.
The documentary was produced to raise awareness about the Township Yogi Project, which offers free yoga classes to people living in townships and empowers those who are unemployed with free yoga teacher training. The documentary is produced and narrated by the renowned American producer and actor, Blair Underwood, who is an ambassador for the Township Yogi Project.