Biology Postdocs: Our Postdoc Association's Diversity & Community Outreach Committee welcomes you back with a new series of events. For the month of January, we will be hosting the Self-Care & Giving Initiative. Through this Initiative, we aim to support our postdoc community with workshops designed around self-care while also encouraging participation in a fundraiser to benefit those in our community who have limited access to mental health resources. In doing so, we will be hosting a series of FREE self-care workshops for you (listed below) and fundraising for Sasha Bruce Youthwork, a non-profit organization in the Greater Washington, D.C. area that supports youth experiencing homelessness by providing access to safe housing, food, clothing, toiletries, and counseling services.
We have a great line-up of FREE self-care events for you:
- Friday, January 13th from 6-7 PM: Terrarium-making Workshop at Plant Studio CVille, a woman and minority-owned business. Register HERE. Limited spots available.
- Friday, January 20th from 2:30- 4 PM: "The Science of Self-Care & Stress Management" Workshop at McKim Hall BIMS Education Center, room 1023. This workshop will be led by Neuroscientist Dr. Catherine Franssen from Franssen Strategies, a woman-owned business. Refreshments will be provided. Register HERE.
- Friday, January 27th from 5-6:30 PM: Mindful Meditation & Yoga Workshop at the Aquatics & Fitness Center (AFC) multipurpose room, MP4. This workshop will be led by the UVA Contemplative Sciences Center. Register HERE. Limited spots available.
You are not restricted to participation in one event and are welcome to join us for all of them as desired. However, space is limited, so please RSVP early. All of the events in this series are FREE, and no donation is required to participate, but if you can, we encourage you to consider making a gift on our team page HERE. Every little bit helps! Collectively, our goal is to donate at least $1000 to Sasha Bruce Youthwork so that they can continue to house youth and provide free counseling services to all who seek it. You are also welcome to make a donation even if you decide not to participate in the self-care events. For this, we recommend that you donate the amount that you would typically spend on your own self-care. For example, if you spend $3 on a soothing tea, consider matching that amount in your gift. Please share this fundraiser with others to help us achieve our goal. We will be accepting donations throughout the month of January. You can also reach out to Jasmine Thakurdas to discuss other ways to partner with Sasha Bruce. She can be reached at [email protected]. Please direct event questions to Megan Sayyad at [email protected]. For the latest updates, follow us on Slack.
Join us in our mission while also treating yourself to some self-care as we begin this new year!
-The UVA Postdoc Association Diversity & Community Outreach Committee