The International Day of the Girl Child and World food day was commemorated at the JC Life Skill Academy through a summit focused on discussing the various aspects with reference to food. JC’s Food summit 2020 was held on the 21st of October. We hosted an all-women panel with 6 empowered women who put forward various facts and information in terms of history, evolution and the current scenario of food. Each of our panelists were not only from different professions but are also from different backgrounds and geographical locations. They are all intertwined by one factor – Food. It is the passion and love for food that bound the panelists together in this summit. Our Powerful Panelists were:

• Ameeta Agnihotri, Author & Food Critic
• Nandheetha Varadaraj, Chef Instructor, Baking Science & Pastr Art
• Pauline Simon, Researcher, Plant Sciences
• Priya Thirumurthi, Organic Farmer & Restaurateur
• Vaishnevy Reddy, Mindfulness Coach
• Virginie Boimpoil, Chef-Ayurvedic & French cuisine

The panel discussion was moderated by JC’s senior mentor, Merlin Simon. The panelists shared their expertise on the various factors revolving around Food, Health and Lifestyle. They also spoke about the passion that drove them to chase their dreams. Some of the major topics discussed at the Summit were on the importance of a mindful eating practice, the role of food for the mind, body and soul, observing how one’s body reacts to the food they take in, the role of biotechnology in the food industry, impact of GMOs in the food we eat, the evolution of downsizing the meals we have, myths and reality about food, the impact of major and minors lifestyle adjustments, the importance of buying local and supporting local farmers, diversity of indigenous plants and food in India, and so on.

Facing difficulties while making intelligent career choices is normal which makes it extremely important to know your 'Why'. On 25th October, JC's mentor, Maria Welborne, addressed teens and their parents on how to make high-impact career decisions. She also elaborated on the different factors that influence one’s career choices. She carried forth a very interactive and lively session with real-world examples and models. It helped the participants get a clearer and broader view of the entire concept of 'career'.
Maria is an accomplished corporate leader, from the United States of America. Her 20-year career has included providing management consulting services, serving as an operational and business leader, working in engineering and production and enjoying the educational field of job-readiness training. She is now self-employed as a management consultant. For more than 25 years, Maria has frequently volunteered with causes related to education, professional development and minority youth. She strongly believes in giving back and delivering excellence.

While our nation celebrates the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru on the 14th of November as ‘Children’s day’, the International Diabetes Federation and World Health Organization created ‘World Diabetes Day (WDD)’ in response to the growing concerns about the rapidly increasing health threat posed by diabetes. This led us to create an awareness program on ‘Juvenile Diabetes’ – a type of diabetes that is majorly identified in children. We at the JC Lifeskill Academy, burdened and moved by the number of deaths and severe complications reported with reference to Juvenile diabetes mainly due to the lack of awareness and the importance of the treatment, realized a deeper understanding and knowledge is necessary in order to fight this disease and we wanted to bring in more awareness to the common public. Pediatrician and our Mentor, Dr. S. Shahana Parvin, MBBS, DNB (Pediatrics and Neonatology) spoke in detail about Type 1 diabetes – the causes, the treatment, the diet that should be carried out and so on. She also guided us on how the insulin shots are needed to be taken. She also spoke of the mental and physical trauma the children and the family go through and she brought to light the social stigma that lies prominently behind this diabetes and the severe negative impact it poses to the lives of the children. The interview was aired on our social media accounts on the 14th of November. The main aim of the video was that knowledge and awareness about this diabetes should reach the common public, hence the video is primarily in Tamil, our regional language. The video was also translated and presented in Hindi by our mentor Kusum Gul, and this was published on our channels on 30th of November. It is also being translated into other local languages.

On the occasion of World Diabetes Day, a Physiotherapist and JC’s senior mentor, Merlin Simon, had a discussion with Radhika Dhruv (State Vice President, WICCI Tamil Nadu Social Service Council) about the prevention and management of diabetes. Merlin spoke about her philosophy of managing diabetes - with the help of the 4 M's - Medication, Meals, Movement and Meditation/Mindfulness. She went into detail on the impact of movement and exercise on diabetes management and also gave a lot of tips on how one’s sugar level can be in control through simple lifestyle changes. She also explained how non-insulin-dependent diabetes or Type 2 diabetes works. The video was published on our social media channels on 23rd November.

While our nation celebrates the birthday of Jawaharlal Nehru on the 14th of November as ‘Children’s day’, the International Diabetes Federation and World Health Organization created ‘World Diabetes Day (WDD)’ in response to the growing concerns about the rapidly increasing health threat posed by diabetes. This led us to create an awareness program on ‘Juvenile Diabetes’ – a type of diabetes that is majorly identified in children. We at the JC Lifeskill Academy, burdened and moved by the number of deaths and severe complications reported with reference to Juvenile diabetes mainly due to the lack of awareness and the importance of the treatment, realized a deeper understanding and knowledge is necessary in order to fight this disease and we wanted to bring in more awareness to the common public. Pediatrician and our Mentor, Dr. S. Shahana Parvin, MBBS, DNB (Pediatrics and Neonatology) spoke in detail about Type 1 diabetes – the causes, the treatment, the diet that should be carried out and so on. She also guided us on how the insulin shots are needed to be taken. She also spoke of the mental and physical trauma the children and the family go through and she brought to light the social stigma that lies prominently behind this diabetes and the severe negative impact it poses to the lives of the children. The interview was aired on our social media accounts on the 14th of November. The main aim of the video was that knowledge and awareness about this diabetes should reach the common public, hence the video is primarily in Tamil, our regional language. The video was also translated and presented in Hindi by our mentor Kusum Gul, and this was published on our channels on 30th of November. It is also being translated into other local languages.

JC organized an interactive session with Jenny Linden, our mentor from Germany, on the topic Values & Success as part of its ongoing series Success 4.0. Jenny was born to a German mother and an American father. She is a foreign language and culture trainer who has traveled and lived in several countries over the years. She spoke extensively on how the different values taught to her by her godmother contributed to her personal growth. She also spoke about the differences in cultural values across the countries she has lived in. At the end of the session, Jenny took questions from the participants watching live. She advised us to always ask questions wherever we go and in whatever we do - that is the only way we can keep learning and growing.

JC along with WICCI Tamilnadu Social Service Council conducted a dance fitness workshop on 21st December for the associates of the Holiday Inn Hotel, Taramani. The participants were a bunch of active and lively group of people who held their positive energy and vibe throughout the session. Dance choreographer, Mr. Natraj mentored the session and kept the dance energy flowing. He is an experienced dance instructor with profound knowledge in varied rhythms. He was patient and attentive in helping each and everyone there. He was accompanied by Ms. Anita, a fitness, Zumba and water aerobics instructor with experience teaching seniors in the US. She will be handling dance fitness sessions in the future as well