An event to celebrate women’s health and body image, Confidence U, was held Monday, Feb 17. The event explored a wide range of women’s health issues, from breast cancer to confidence building. Confidence U was held in the Hirst Lounge and involved a wide range of interactive learning with fun giveaways.
UHS Health Educator and event organizer Melissa Kelley explained that the purpose of the event was to “focus women on confidence in areas where we all have issues.”
The event was made possible by a grant received from the Kappa Delta foundation. In order to qualify for the grant, Kelley was given the task of creating a program focusing on confidence building and awareness in college women. Once given these parameters, Kelley set about creating an event that promoted confidence through the balance of nutrition, healthy body image, and healthy sexuality. At the same time, the event provided access to health information.
One of the frequently visited tables at the event displayed a physical representation of the fat content found in common foods around the university and pointed to better options. Another station used a matching game to show examples of healthy foods served across campus and where to find them.
At other tables, groups such as Highland Family Planning and Healthy Living Center represented resources off campus. At the same time, resources such as CARE and UR SEGway promoted resources on campus.
“This event was a great way to get off and on campus resources together,” Kelley said.
A photo booth added another element of fun to the event. With wigs, guitars, glasses and other fun items, students could dress up and have an opportunity, as Kelley said, “to be silly.” One of the greatest moments for Kelley was the sense of unity the event created. Just before taking a picture, a small group of students invited another student attending the event alone to join their group. Neither the group nor the individual knew each other, but the group didn’t want the individual to have to take a picture alone.
Event attendee and sophomore, Taryn Amatruda described Confidence U as “fun and informative.” Sophomore Akanksha Varma became “more aware of the health options.”
Overall, Kelley was happy with the turnout and said the event was an overall success.
“I thought it was nice,” junior Jessie Issacs said. “They had a lot of different areas to help educate students about health issues in a university setting.”
Johnson is a member of
the class of 2016.
