The department of mental health and behavioral sciences, Fortis Healthcare, under the aegis of Dr Samir Parikh, conducted a special workshop on how to care for the environment.
As part of the pro-social peer moderator programme, the workshop was aimed at expanding the emotional connection between people and their natural world.
The pro-social peer moderator programme is a Fortis School Mental Health initiative focusing on application-based life skills. The workshop followed a peer mentoring model in which 80 students from 12 schools acrossGurgaon were given training at Fortis Hospital to become ambassadors for the environment and conduct similar sessions for their fellow students.
“As mental health experts, we understand the importance of the relatedness of people with nature. It has been our endeavor to use insights from the field of eco-psychology to build awareness and motivate young children to become more empathetic towards the environment. We have launched a campaign, #HappyEarthHappyPeople, because we believe that well-being and environment are closely related,” said Dr Samir Parikh.
As part of this workshop, students planted saplings on the hospital premises. They were also encouraged to adopt a plant in the vicinity of their homes and school and take care of it. The children also committed to a weekly digital detox, to reduce their dependency on technology.