Let’s Talk Menopause – was the first talk in an ongoing series of informed conversations.
The ‘The Community Hub’ with the Byron Community Centre presented Let’s Talk Menopause as a pilot of the Let’s Talk series in March to a sold-out Byron theatre. The audience loved connecting with community and a panel of experts, being informed and walking away feeling inspired and empowered. Proceeds were donated to Feel Good Fridays – a project run by the Community Centre. The Community Centre and TCH were delighted with the community response and plan to continue the Let’s Talk series.
Menopause is a time of transition and change that affects every woman differently. As our hormone levels change, we move from the reproductive phase of our lives to the next phase of our lives, often called the productive phase.
“Understanding what is happening to us and managing the symptoms that impact on our quality of life is both important and empowering and enables us to move through this period of change gracefully,” says Jane. Each woman will experience different physical and emotional symptoms, and of differing intensity and duration. “Every woman’s experience during this transition varies and it is important to have the knowledge to understand and make choices. Knowledge is power and as women we must also trust in our inner wisdom,” says Michelle.
Proceeds from Let’s Talk Menopause were donated to Feel Good Fridays project run by the Community Centre, a weekly opportunity for disadvantaged women to access support and improve wellbeing.
Didn’t manage to attend? You can watch the evening on Vimeo for as little as $5. https://vimeo.com/ondemand/letstalkmenopause/
Some of the wonderful feedback we’ve received.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the Let’s Talk Menopause event at the Byron Community Centre. Having worked in women’s health for a long time, I have been to sessions on Menopause but none so engaging and vibrant as this. The mix of comedy, medical and pharmacological knowledge as well as the sense of sisterhood stood out for me as being an ideal combination to ensure the topic was engaging. I also loved the Community Centre space having never been there before. Well done all who organised and participated – what a fantastic event” (Nerida Colley, Health Promotion – Lismore Womens Health and Resource Centre)
“I am so grateful I went to this talk. It was an eye opener for me around menopause that put me on a journey to dive deeper into the matter with the information given. I wouldn’t mind seeing more about this topic as it was a very powerful experience to be with so many woman (and one men!!!) it created solidarity and unconscious support to know that so many woman ‘suffer’ through menopause but that there is help out there and support. Any topic offered before has my personal interest and will attend when I can. As said before I wouldn’t mind another Let’s Talk Menopause to go deeper. Thank you for the offering.” (Anonymous survey respondent).
The ‘Let’s Talk’ series is an accessible community centred engagement program which aims to:
- Educate, inform, inspire, entertain, and connect.
- Provide a safe space to share our diverse ideas, knowledge and experiences which fosters mindfulness and empathy in our interactions with one another.
The Events are designed to be thought-provoking and to ignite debate and discussion bringing together local experts from a range of disciplines and backgrounds to share their stories, insights, experience, and perspectives. Audience members are then invited to participate in a wider discussion through a Q&A session. Informal discussions naturally follow on in the foyer post event as ideas are sparked and connections are further forged.
Building on the success and momentum of our Let’s Talk Menopause event we will present the next ‘Let’s Talk – Women in Politics’ event on 1 September 2021.
