BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK 2021

BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK CALENDAR OF EVENTS FOR THE UK AND IRELAND

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a global campaign, founded by The Dana Foundation, to engage and educate the public on the advances and advantages of brain research in a worldwide celebration of the brain!

This UK and Ireland events calendar will be continuously updated with new events - please check back for updates. 

Contents

Events by date

  1. Monday - 15th March
  2. Tuesday - 16th March
  3. Wednesday - 17th March
  4. Thursday - 18th March
  5. Friday - 19th March
  6. Saturday - 20th March
  7. Sunday - 21st March

Events by date

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Monday - 15th March

Are you a Coach, Counsellor or Health Care professional, (or studying in these fields)? Are you seeking to broaden your understanding?

Neurodiversity is an umbrella term used to describe a range of conditions including ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia. 15-20% of adults are considered Neurodiverse and may experience significant barriers in achieving positive mental health, employment and academic inclusion and meeting their potential.

In 3 hours we will explore and discuss a wide range of issues in relation to Neurodiversity as well as identify proactive and inclusive ways to best support the unique needs of your neurodiverse clients.

Throughout March – May 2021, Dementia Research Network Ireland will be hosting free weekly webinars for the public on Brain Health.

 Key findings from the Neurological Alliance of Ireland survey of neurology services. This is a free event.

A free workshop for undergraduate students, at The University of Sheffield, to provide you with the knowledge and skills to look after your mental health and wellbeing. Several dates are available. Spaces are limited so book now!

In this session, we will have the expertise of barrister Lorraine Lally on hand to discuss any employment-related queries you may have. There are often concerns from people with epilepsy about their rights in the workplace and this session will aim to guide and inform you on those rights. We will also have our Community Resource Officer, Edel Killarney in attendance to provide further information and advice alongside Lorraine. 

Dr. Kearney will explain how your GP can support you in living with your neurological condition and insights into how referrals work between GP and consultants.

This free event, live-streamed from the Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, aims to disseminate current research on positive ageing and dementia through the medium of music. As part of National Brain Awareness Week, the event will feature performances of original musical compositions by Ian Wilson and Paul Noonan depicting experiences of living with dementia. It will also feature presentations by leading researchers and clinicians on positive ageing and music and dementia research, and an experiential workshop exploring the effects of singing on well-being and cognition in older age.

Check all the events/features offered by the University of Birmingham. This event is free and open to all.

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Tuesday - 16th March

The workshop will go through the latest understanding of neuroscience & developmental psychology, with practical strategies to help families understand the changes teenagers are going through, and how they can support. For Berkshire adopters, foster carers, kinship carers and birth parents of young people with early life trauma.

This is a  FREE online session delivered by Support Staffordshire, working in partnership with Staffordshire County Council.In this session, we cover common mental health problems and symptoms, how to support someone who is struggling and where to look for professional support. We will also look at wellbeing tools and practices that we can all use to improve our mental health during these difficult times.

The webinar will provide: a brief introduction to the concepts of mental health and wellbeing; an improved understanding of how we can look after our wellbeing during COVID-19 and an understanding of how to incorporate the Five Ways to Wellbeing as a healthy coping strategy into our lives. 

This Brain Awareness Week looks to explore the current state of patient engagement in EU-funded Brain Research projects, looking at IMI and MULTI-ACT as concrete examples and solutions and analysing in discussion with key officials what has been done and what can still be done in order to guarantee change.

A 2-hour interactive online workshop for any undergraduate student who wants to know more about managing their wellbeing at university. This free course is for any student at the University of Bath who would like to learn more about mental health or looking after their wellbeing.

Free Online taster Yoga Classes run by Lily Parkinson with Formula Health Clinic. Multiple dates are available before and after this date.

Join Unite the Union Wales and Sheree Williams for a one-hour mental health awareness session for people working in education. Please note this free workshop is only open to residents of Wales.

These two-hour zoom sessions are delivered for free by Ben Kingston-Hughes. The sessions are delivered with a blend of humour and will bring positive playful ideas to your home that will support children’s brain development, make children feel happy, keep them fit and healthy and promote children’s language abilities. The workshop is designed for mums and dads with children up to 4years with a focus on the 0-2 age group.

This free seminar will investigate emotional intelligence; focusing on knowing your mind and aim to equip you with vital skills to better manage your emotional wellbeing at times of crisis and challenge.

Join Mark Humphries as he draws on decades of research in neuroscience, exploring how spikes are born, how they are transmitted, how they lead us to action and the mysteries that still surround them.

Maynooth University psychology department and FENS organisation invite you to a free synaesthesia concert for Brain Awareness Week. 

Programme:

Introduction and Description of Synaesthesia:

Dr Richard Roche (Maynooth University)

Academic Talks

Sophie Lee (University of Limerick)

Professor Fiona Newell (Trinity College Dublin)

Concert: Svetlana Rudenko

  • Live performance of Chopin Ballad N2 Op. 38
  • Scriabin Op. 57 N1 Désir with a 4D visualisation of Musical- Space Synaesthesia
  • Scriabin Sonata N5 Op. 53 with Synaesthesia Art by Dr. Timothy Layden, and Visuals by Maura Mc Donnell

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Wednesday - 17th March

Caoimhe Kenny will be speaking on how developing healthy eating habits and following a healthy diet can help you while living with a neurological condition.

Join Dr. Tamara Russell for 30 minutes that will transform your day. Suitable for all ages and abilities.  Training the body in a gentle way with movements based on tai chi and chi kung, whilst receiving expert guidance in mental training at the same time. Multiple sessions are available.

For young people aged 13-25 living or attending school in the Hillingdon Borough. Using a structured and strengths-based approach, young people are encouraged to learn new skills to cope with difficulties they may be facing with their mental health and wellbeing, and discuss their opinions and ideas in an open, non-judgmental safe space. Workshops will engage with creative arts, media and drama to allow a new experience of mindfulness that can be implemented in day to day practise, and support young people to empower themselves by taking back control. Please contact navplus@p3charity.org for more information and to book your space.

In this interactive nutrition and cooking webinar discover how a healthier digestive system means a healthier you! Gut health is a hot topic; more and more research is linking gut health to disease and wellbeing – from digestive health and metabolism to immunity and even mood.

The focus of these two sessions (2nd session is on the 24th of March) is calmness and connectivity. Would you like to find out how to manage and deal with your anxiety? Perhaps you experience scanxiety, or perhaps you want to understand and work through all the feelings you have about Coronavirus? These sessions will offer you an insight into this; will provide you with practical tools and techniques for dealing with anxiety, and allow you to experience how to let go of the past.

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Thursday - 18th March

An opportunity for CHBH PIs and their lab groups to present a short (approx. 15 mins) talk on the research that they are working on ("CHBH Paper of the Year 2020 Nominated: Facial Expression Production and Recognition in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Shifting Landscape" and "Age is associated with increased but more biased prosocial behaviour across the globe"), with the main aim being that CHBH colleagues become better-informed on the breadth of work that is ongoing. Student/postdocs are strongly encouraged to present on behalf of their group. This is part of the University of Birmingham's Brain Awareness Week (#UoBBAW) celebration.

Techniques to manage your stress and anxiety for the pandemic and beyond.

This talk, delivered by  Dr Andrea Krott, will present an overview of the latest research on the cognitive and social benefits of speaking a foreign language. As a part of the University of Birmingham's Brain Awareness Week (#UoBBAW), this event is free and open to all. 

Chartered Health Psychologist and Neuroscientist, Dr. Sabina Brennan leads this free seminar on how to best look after your brain. She focuses on how to avoid 'brain fog' in order to allow you to maximise your output in your day-to-day lifestyle. 

This course, for professionals and interested individuals, will focus on providing an in-depth understanding of how OCD affects emotions, cognition and behaviour; the brain regions and neurotransmitters involved in the process; recovery techniques and so much more. 

The reality of discovering novel and effective pain-relieving treatments through performing bench to bedside translational research.

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Friday - 19th March

Self Love Stories is a weekly journaling and meditation programme - FREE to anybody who wants to get involved. Each week, our LIVE sessions led by Mindless Academy’s founder Laurie Stewart and our dedicated Mindset Coach Karen Podesta will offer a short guided meditation, followed by a series of journaling prompts.

A free interactive online workshop looking at managing mental wellbeing when moving into the workplace in graduate or placement roles. This workshop is being delivered in partnership with The University of Sheffield's Careers Week.

Led by Chartered Physiotherapist and Practice Tutor in University of Limerick, Alison Holmes. Alison will be speaking about the importance of staying active while living with a neurological condition and how this can help day to day life.

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Saturday - 20th March

This free event is for people living with Huntington's disease, carers and family members. For more information, please contact Patricia at info@huntingtons.ie.

This course is for both professionals and sufferers who are interested in mental health, continuing professional development, and effective anxiety recovery techniques.

A musical journey through our senses and emotions, with Svetlana Rudenko & the RTE ConTempo Quartet.

To advance the education of Mental Health Awareness in Wales amongst the BAME Community members including Asylum Seekers and Refugees.

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Sunday - 21st March

In this free workshop, we will examine one of Positive Psychology's key models of wellbeing and look at how you can apply it to improve your life in six simple steps.

This webinar will explore: a brief history of Art Therapy, the psychology of colour and symbolism, techniques to help regulate mood and behaviour, creative and effective communication skills an many new and creative art therapy ideas to try with yourself and/or others, from young children through to teens and adults too. Multiple dates and times are available.

In this free webinar, we combine the latest research in neuroscience, psychology, and well-being with effective coaching techniques to change the way you look at the stress-producing events in your life, help you regain control of the way your mind and body respond to these events, understand the relationship between stress and wellbeing, and how to use these as the foundations to establish stress management strategies for those high-pressure moments and long term resilience.

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