Unity Through Community: Celebrating OT Week and World OT Day in October
October is always a favourite month of mine. The weather turns warmer, the days grow longer, Christmas is nearer, and the anticipation of year-end festivities builds. But that's not all; it's also the month when we come together to celebrate Occupational Therapy Week in Australia and World OT Day on October 27th.
This year the theme is 'Unity through Community,' which has come from the World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT) and embraced by OT Australia. As a profession, Occupational Therapists work with and in our communities, where we strive to promote, enable, and facilitate participation and engagement.
Communities are formed when common interests, values, or characteristics bring people together.
We are not only dedicated to our Explore and Soar community but also equally committed to serving those in the wider community, including our clients, their families, other providers, and organisations we work with.
One of our core values is Community at Heart. We are all a part of our Explore and Soar community.
We also like to support those wider communities not only through therapy sessions but also in other ways, such as
Shopping locally for our products and resources where we can.
We love finding a new café to sit at and complete our admin work while we are on the road!
Sponsorship for some of our local community sporting clubs.
Talks and Presentations to share our knowledge, such as our Kindergarten Transition to School Online Talk.
Volunteering our time as individuals outside of work hours
Developing and strengthening our relationships with local schools, other allied health professionals, and business owners.
I asked our team here at Explore and Soar what the theme of Unity through Community means to them:
Maddie -
Community is the feeling of safety and belonging. It is being a part of something bigger than yourself and having the ability to give and take in a constant back and forth. I value the sense of comfort and social connection my communities can give me; where I can show up and be my honest self without fear of judgement, where I feel empowered to act on my own values and morals.
Within our OT community, I value that we can learn from one another and grow together towards a shared goal; that we hold respect for each other’s rights of choice and our differences. We continuously foster a sense of community by being open and welcoming to all. Having vulnerability to be honest with members of our community, to show up for each other no matter how hard it may be, giving feedback, accountability and strength to tackle whatever it may be together and build one another up for success.
Lauren S -
I would define a community as a group of individuals who come together based on interests, values, or location. A community is about people coming together, no matter where they live, to create a sense of unity. As someone who doesn’t possess an OT degree but brings both professional and personal experience to the table, I can confidently express my admiration for the distinctive nature of the OT community. It embraces diversity, acknowledging the individuality of each person and their need for personalised care. Entering the OT community requires a unique kind of individual. Someone who is passionate about enhancing lives, even in the face of the unpredictability of working with children. It demands a dedication to inclusivity, an eagerness to seize growth opportunities, and a strong sense of unity and support among its peers and the greater community.
At Explore and Soar, I've been warmly welcomed into a community of individuals who are understanding, nurturing, and unwaveringly supportive of everyone.
Molly -
Community is a feeling of belonging and family. When we feel a sense of community, we feel a part of something, bigger than ourselves. It may be physically belonging to a town, neighbourhood or sporting community, or something intangible such as a feeling of unity amongst a friendship where you share similar beliefs and values. A community should be a place of trust, sharing and connectedness. We as humans define communities. I value communities that are open and are built on a sense of underlying trust and respectfulness.
It can be really hard to find where you fit in a community or even if that community is the right fit for you. For me, communities that value the uniqueness and dignity of each person are the ones I want to be a part of. Communities provide us with the ability to be guided by others, as well as, guide others. Individually, we can strengthen by being a part of a community where by our thoughts are challenged, questions are posed and we need to hold strong to our values.
It is here that unification can occur, and a real feeling of connectedness and understanding can arise. Being a part of a community allows us to find like-minded people, who push us to strive for success. It can be the driving force behind change.
At Explore and Soar, community at heart is one of our core values. It is a value I take into all my sessions and helps me to deliver a service that is grounded in helping the client succeed in what is most important to them.
Lauren W -
Community is when I feel a sense of belonging within groups of people, whether that be for sport, my workplace or my friendship groups. We are all bound together by something that we enjoy or are interested in and it becomes an integral part of our lives. I value the unique perspectives, traits and personalities within my communities. This fills me with more interest and knowledge and makes me feel like I can learn something from everyone.
I have learnt that each OT has a different approach and that there is so much to learn from everyone within our OT community. It fills me with pride that I am about to become a bigger part of this community when I graduate.
OT’s are passionate and are always seeing opportunities to provide support, which is what I value most about our OT community. To strengthen and unify our communities, we need to listen to every voice because everyone deserves to be heard.
As we approach OT Week, we will be reflecting on how, as a company, a team, and as individuals, our efforts play a vital role in nurturing our communities and can unify to support, strengthen and grow each aspect of our communities.
We'd be thrilled to hear from you about your community and how we can be a part of it. We're looking forward to having you join the conversation. Feel free to share your thoughts with us through email or by leaving your comments on our social media during OT Week.
Looking forward to hearing from you soon. Contact us on 0477 708 217 or admin@exploreandsoar.com.au
Until next time,
Lori