The Well-being concept is an important part of the strategic plan of the Pécs Medical School, PotePillars. It was within the framework of this project that the Well-Being Expo and the Well-Being Conference were organised on October 9 and 10, funded by the Visegrad Fund – both days were spent in the spirit of wellbeing. The first day showed through colourful programs how we can make our everyday lives more balanced and energetic, and the second day was for sharing experiences gained from research done on wellbeing and shared ideas and best practices with participants. The realisation of the worthwhile and atmospheric togetherness was supported by the well-being team of the medical School, and the staff of the Marketing and Communication Department has taken the lion’s share of organising the expo. The creators of the “Promoting the well-being concept at medical and public sector of the Visegrad Region Visegrad Fund” application are dr. Zsuzsanna Varga – professional head of the project, and also of PotePillars Well-Being Concept - and dr. Boróka Gács, professional head of the Pszichology Councelling Service of the Medical School.
written by Rita Schweier
“The first part of the two-day event was the well-being expo, which we organised with the aim of showing the students and employees of the faculty how vivid the notion of well-being could be, and how many ways this is shown at the Pécs Medical School. it was not only a valuable event because students playing table tennis in the aula and the flowers in well-being colours created a nice atmosphere, but also because this was the first time this topic received the time and place to be talked about, to share each others well-being moments and share the message of the faculty leadership, that this pillar of PotePillars, the strategic plan of the faculty is also important” – said dr. Zsuzsanna Varga.
As she said, the second part of the event was oriented towards sciences, examining the topic from an interdisciplinary view as the closing part of the Visegrad Fund application won in 2023. The notion and role of well-being were discussed and deepened at the conference for medical students and employees, and for the general public of the Visegrad region. The shared time allowed professionals to share their experiences, ideas and best practices for developing wellbeing programs.
“It was nice to see how the aula was filled with life, smiles and laughter. The students were open and cheerful and the programs attracted many, as did the conference. The number of participants exceeded expectation – almost 250 guests registered – that shows that the topic is relevant and important both at home and abroad. The hybrid organisation allowed for online participation. Even though the event was hosted at the medical school, there were participants from various areas: we had presenters from the faculties for engineering, natural sciences, humanities, economic, law and also from the public sphere” – summarised dr. Boróka Gács.
Regarding the success of individual programs, they shared that the most popular was the table tennis, but many tried the smoothies, showed interest in board games and the table of Yourlife as well. The organisers were satisfied to see that many students filled the mental health survey at the Pszikon table, which can help them notice when they have a serious problem. Uniquely, the library was also present, and many photos were taken at the selfie-point.
Participants were most interested in the “Health and well-being” and “Well-being at the workplace” sections of the conference, and mostly in the lectures that were about best practices and the scientific approach to an element of well-being. They emphasized that two of the plenary lectures were unique: their experts of the University of Cambridge and Sunshine Coast University in Australia shared their well-being experiences.
The numerous, 33 exhibited posters displayed important topics: the functionality and efficiency of the Visegrad region’s organisations, the beneficial effects of a forest walk and the results of the focus group research done on student well-being at the Pécs Medical School.
Aside from the plenary lectures, five sections dealt with well-being and health, mental health and well-being, workplace well-being, well-being and infrastructural sustainability and well-being and education.
“Encouraged by the success of this project, we are planning on future cooperation with the other three countries, supporting the promotion of well-being and communication in the Visegrad region. Thanks to the professional connections, we already see many intervention and collaboration possibilities” – said dr. Zsuzsanna Varga.
The project coordinators also wished to add that the two-day event was a result of teamwork, thanks to the staff of the Department of Behavioural Sciences, who work continually for the well-being of faculty citizens.
Photo:
Kerekes Fotó és Film