The Wellbeing Way (2020-2021)

The Well-Being Way is a coffee-table sized booklet, designed to provide relief from the isolation and loneliness caused by cocooning and COVID-19 social distancing measures. The book is accompanied by a sensory pack with materials for activities outlined in the book. 1400 packs were distributed in local Limerick communities. Allied to this the students delivered an online workshop highlighting elements of the book, which was included in the Limerick Life Long Learning Festival

The idea for the project came from a series of local consultations held in the Southill Afterschool’s Club in December 2020. One of the key issues highlighted during these consultations was the issue of COVID-19 related loneliness and the need for people to mind their mental and physical health. As a response to this, the CWELL students decided to create a community wellbeing book that would provide activities, hints, tips and advice to people in relation to their mental and physical health.

The project group worked with organisations in their local communities.

The project group returned to the original consultation groups to sense check their understanding and the project was very well received. An initial print run of 1,000 packs were distributed but demand from local communities necessitated the distribution of an additional 400 packs. The Wellbeing Way project was also recognized by the Irish Universities Association as an excellent example of a Community/University collaboration, a video was created to profile the project.

This module comprises workshop-based project management training delivered in CWELL classes with practical, experiential learning, applied in a community- based project, designed to address an identified need. Module delivery comprises a series of practical exercises, designed to support knowledge of, and capacity building for project management. Students taking this module will be expected to design and deliver a community- based project to address an identified need

The Well-Being Way book and activity pack is designed to encourage people to mind their physical and mental health during COVID and beyond. The activities outlined in the book are intended improve the social, physical and mental wellbeing of older people in the community. The activities outlined in the book are simple and easy to replicate at home, with little or no equipment, enabling readers to develop positive mental and physical exercises to cope with the social constraints of COVID.

The CWELL team will work in collaboration with: • Older people across Limerick city • Limerick City and County Council Age Friendly initiative • Southill Family Resource Centre • Southill Hub • The University of Limerick Community Engagement Facilitator, CWELL

There will be two assessments points to this module, each worth 50% of your final mark. The first assessment will comprise a site visit to your project by a panel of CWELL assessors. The second assessment will comprise the creation of a Project Portfolio detailing the project’s design and implementation and your participation in it. Guidelines concerning the creation of portfolios are available from the module’s Sulis site.