Episode 3: Prevention, Outreach, and Wellness Education Resources (POWER) Interview with Fadyia Lowe
November 21, 2023 • 11 mins
In this episode, Callie and Sara interview Fadyia Lowe, who works with the POWER program at UK. POWER stands for Prevention, Outreach, and Wellness Education Resources.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Hello,
I'm Callie and I’m Sara
and this is Community Spotlight
with Callie and Sara.
We are students in the College and Career
Studies Program at UK.
This radio segment
will spotlight
different things
in the local community each week.
Thank you for listening.
(00:26):
For this community
Spotlight, Callie and Sara interviewed
Fadyia Lowe,
the associate
director of the POWER Program at UK.
I hope you enjoy it.
What does POWER mean?
(00:46):
Prevention, outreach,
wellness and education resources.
Where on UK’s campus are you located
and what are your hours?
So we have two locations.
We have the student center,
which is we're in the expansion.
The Gatton Student Center expansion
on the third floor.
And our hours are around 8:30 to 5:00.
(01:10):
And then we also have a second location
at the Boone Center,
which that's
where the learning bar is located.
And that is from,
our hours there from 8:30-5:00.
Can students just walk in
or do they need appointment
to meet with someone?
So it depends on what
service the student needs.
So if the student would like to
(01:31):
just come in and walk
in, our spaces are open for that drop in.
But if it's for,
say, a wellness coaching appointment
or if they're interested
in quitting nicotine or vape,
that would require an appointment
in the way you would go about doing
that is just by emailing myself
for quitting vape or nicotine.
(01:52):
Or you can also
email Lizzie Finley
who does that as well.
And then our wellness
coaches are Meghan Wolf and Thomas Ard,
and they do wellness coaching through
transformative learning,
which you can also schedule
through the SUMO,
they schedule through SUMO.
So that's a system
(02:13):
that students can access through my UK.
What type of activities do
you offer
that students can get involved in?
So we offer a lot.
We are a large,
we have our small team,
but we have a lot of services
that we offer.
(02:33):
So we have
we cover topics such as alcohol
and other drugs, sexual health,
wellness coaching, mindfulness, Koru.
We help students quit
using nicotine products
who are quitting
in the cessation programs.
We also offer
just general wellbeing services
where we talk about
(02:54):
how to have an overall healthy lifestyle.
And we do that through
presentations that we offer
to classes in different topics.
And we also do that
through our outreach events
that we have on campus.
One of those events could be like
we had last week,
which was Wellapalooza,
which encompasses all of wellbeing
(03:15):
and that we had representation
from all the other
student wellbeing units.
Mindfulness is mentioned
in some of the events.
Can you tell us
more about what mindfulness is and why
it is important for college students?
So mindfulness is kind of a buzzword
right now.
Though, we are trying to make sure
(03:37):
people understand
that you can be mindful and you know,
incorporate mindfulness
in your day to day.
You don't have to like attend
a certain class
or get a training or be certified.
Really, mindfulness is about
just taking time
to stop and slow down
and decompress from your everyday
struggles or frustrations
or crazy schedules
(03:59):
and we have a certified Koru instructor,
which is Thomas.
He though has kind of shifted
the way he does his career
demonstrations,
and we call them mindfulness
because at one point
we were called Koru,
but the organization has changed its name
because students didn't really understand
that Koru is basically meditation
(04:19):
and mindfulness.
So we offer meditation
sessions and 30 minute sessions,
which just teaches you
how to slow down and kind of be present.
And mindfulness is really useful
when it's practice on a daily basis.
So for example, going for a walk
after you've had a meeting
or after a class for 10 to 15 minutes
(04:42):
listening to like soft music
or listening to something
that's inspirational,
something that just takes you
out of the chaos
in the day to kind of slow you down.
One week we explored a Mocktail Monday
event at the Learning Bar.
That got us thinking about what it means
to have a party.
(05:02):
Often it involves socializing and having
drinks and snacks and listening to music.
This can happen with or without alcohol.
So part of the
education that we have
at the Learning
Bar is to equip students
with understanding
that drinking responsibly
(05:24):
is key to staying safe. Right?
So we have the Learning Bar
as an opportunity for students
to come and understand
what they're drinking,
what they're consuming,
like how much alcohol is in each beverage
and how it's different.
And the mocktails offer an opportunity to
have a beverage and relax without the
(05:44):
without the effects of alcohol.
So the mocktails are really to show
that you can have a nice beverage
and be in the company
of other people and socialize
and enjoy yourself and not,
you know,
again, be under the influence
of any kind of alcohol.
Can you talk a little more
about the learning bar
and what you all do there?
So what we're focused on
(06:05):
with the Education
for the Learning Bar in our efforts
with alcohol education
is to really focus on
decreasing the risk.
So risk reduction.
So we want to make sure
that students know that
if you're going to consume alcohol,
that you know what is,
how much alcohol is in each beverage
because everything's different,
whether it's a beer,
(06:26):
whether it's a mixed drink,
whether it's a shot,
your alcohol content
is going to vary, right?
So we just want to make sure
that the first step is the students
understand what they're
putting into the parties
and then everybody's different.
So everybody's body
composition is different.
How they
how their body chemistry absorbs,
alcohol is different.
So that's why
we spend this time in Learning Bar
(06:48):
and we go through the effects
of different types
of alcoholic beverages.
So there's always a way to
reduce your risk when you're drinking.
And we obviously don't
have the philosophy to not drink
because that's not really ideal
for a college campus.
So that philosophy is really embedded
in all the education that we do.
It's about just reducing the risk
(07:09):
of alcohol poisoning
and being under the influence
and to which you might make
a decision that later you would regret.
Another thing that POWER talks about
is healthy relationships.
Why is this important for
college students
and how can people learn more
(07:29):
about healthy relationships?
Yes, So healthy
relationships are very important.
We have a sexual health educator that
educates on
being in a
relationship,
whether you're sexually active or not.
We focused mainly on
intimate relationships.
So we do talk about healthy relationships
(07:50):
and the signs
of an unhealthy relationship.
But mainly these relationships.
Typically in college, we'll see
a couple may choose to be intimate.
So we want to talk about risk reduction.
Again, everything's about risk reduction.
We have sexual health presentations
that we offer.
We also have
a group called the Sexperts,
and they go into res-halls and classrooms
(08:11):
and they talk about
how to be sexually safe
in a relationship,
how to have a conversation
about previous partners,
how to, you know, go and get tested
if you need to get tested,
because we offer chlamydia
and HIV screenings for free to students.
And then we also have
sexual health supplies,
whether that's condoms,
internal condoms, dental dams, lubricant,
(08:33):
all things that can keep
you sexually safe and responsible
in an intimate relationship.
Some of the
things listed on the POWER website
seem like they might be personal
and hard for some people to talk about.
If a student does not feel comfortable
talking with a group
or going to an event.
But they want to learn more
about a personal topic, what can they do?
(08:55):
That's a great question
and this is a type of question
where we would want somebody
to reach out to like say,
Lizzie Findley,
who's our sexual health educator.
We get a lot of questions about that.
And sometimes,
yes, it's not something you feel like
you could stand up in
class and say, “Hey,
I have a question
about getting tested for an STI
(09:15):
or I would like to get some condoms.”
So we put the information out there
and then we say
we're available for office hours.
This during this time
frame this week
for like sexual health resources
so students can come up,
get their sexual health resources,
and then they can talk
to Lizzie or a sexpert
and ask her questions.
But also, any time
a student isn't comfortable
(09:35):
talking about any of the topics
that we offer,
this is when it is appropriate
to just email us directly
and then we can set up an appointment
to chat.
Is there anything
else you
would like to tell us about POWER
which we have not yet talked about?
Just that,
where we're located,
we're kind of hidden and people
(09:57):
don't really know where we are
and it's kind of hard
to get in this side of the building
if you're not familiar
with the student center.
So really just emphasizing that
we are located in the expansion area.
It's not connected
to the other third floor
and that you have to
turn by the ballrooms
to come up and see us.
But we, we are here.
We're a little tucked away and hidden,
(10:17):
but we hope that the students
will be able to eventually find us.
And we've been putting
more information out there
so students understand
where we're located.
And also I would
strongly encourage students to follow
us on Instagram @poweruky,
that's where we post
all of our information.
We even do
some like time lapse videos
to figure out where we're located.
I think that's it.
Thank you very much for talking with us.
(10:39):
Thank you for having me.
This has been an interview
with Fadyia Lowe,
associate director of the POWER program
at UK.
More information
can be found on UK's
website under Student Success.
POWER stands for Prevention, Outreach
and Wellness Education Resources.
(11:04):
This has been
a community spotlight
with Callie and Sara.
Thank you for listening.
Hello,
I'm Callie and I’m Sara
and this is Community Spotlight
with Callie and Sara.
We are students in the College and Career
Studies Program at UK.
This radio segment
will spotlight
different things
in the local community each week.
Thank you for listening.
(00:26):
For this community
Spotlight, Callie and Sara interviewed
Fadyia Lowe,
the associate
director of the POWER Program at UK.
I hope you enjoy it.
What does POWER mean?
(00:46):
Prevention, outreach,
wellness and education resources.
Where on UK’s campus are you located
and what are your hours?
So we have two locations.
We have the student center,
which is we're in the expansion.
The Gatton Student Center expansion
on the third floor.
And our hours are around 8:30 to 5:00.
(01:10):
And then we also have a second location
at the Boone Center,
which that's
where the learning bar is located.
And that is from,
our hours there from 8:30-5:00.
Can students just walk in
or do they need appointment
to meet with someone?
So it depends on what
service the student needs.
So if the student would like to
(01:31):
just come in and walk
in, our spaces are open for that drop in.
But if it's for,
say, a wellness coaching appointment
or if they're interested
in quitting nicotine or vape,
that would require an appointment
in the way you would go about doing
that is just by emailing myself
for quitting vape or nicotine.
(01:52):
Or you can also
email Lizzie Finley
who does that as well.
And then our wellness
coaches are Meghan Wolf and Thomas Ard,
and they do wellness coaching through
transformative learning,
which you can also schedule
through the SUMO,
they schedule through SUMO.
So that's a system
(02:13):
that students can access through my UK.
What type of activities do
you offer
that students can get involved in?
So we offer a lot.
We are a large,
we have our small team,
but we have a lot of services
that we offer.
(02:33):
So we have
we cover topics such as alcohol
and other drugs, sexual health,
wellness coaching, mindfulness, Koru.
We help students quit
using nicotine products
who are quitting
in the cessation programs.
We also offer
just general wellbeing services
where we talk about
(02:54):
how to have an overall healthy lifestyle.
And we do that through
presentations that we offer
to classes in different topics.
And we also do that
through our outreach events
that we have on campus.
One of those events could be like
we had last week,
which was Wellapalooza,
which encompasses all of wellbeing
(03:15):
and that we had representation
from all the other
student wellbeing units.
Mindfulness is mentioned
in some of the events.
Can you tell us
more about what mindfulness is and why
it is important for college students?
So mindfulness is kind of a buzzword
right now.
Though, we are trying to make sure
(03:37):
people understand
that you can be mindful and you know,
incorporate mindfulness
in your day to day.
You don't have to like attend
a certain class
or get a training or be certified.
Really, mindfulness is about
just taking time
to stop and slow down
and decompress from your everyday
struggles or frustrations
or crazy schedules
(03:59):
and we have a certified Koru instructor,
which is Thomas.
He though has kind of shifted
the way he does his career
demonstrations,
and we call them mindfulness
because at one point
we were called Koru,
but the organization has changed its name
because students didn't really understand
that Koru is basically meditation
(04:19):
and mindfulness.
So we offer meditation
sessions and 30 minute sessions,
which just teaches you
how to slow down and kind of be present.
And mindfulness is really useful
when it's practice on a daily basis.
So for example, going for a walk
after you've had a meeting
or after a class for 10 to 15 minutes
(04:42):
listening to like soft music
or listening to something
that's inspirational,
something that just takes you
out of the chaos
in the day to kind of slow you down.
One week we explored a Mocktail Monday
event at the Learning Bar.
That got us thinking about what it means
to have a party.
(05:02):
Often it involves socializing and having
drinks and snacks and listening to music.
This can happen with or without alcohol.
So part of the
education that we have
at the Learning
Bar is to equip students
with understanding
that drinking responsibly
(05:24):
is key to staying safe. Right?
So we have the Learning Bar
as an opportunity for students
to come and understand
what they're drinking,
what they're consuming,
like how much alcohol is in each beverage
and how it's different.
And the mocktails offer an opportunity to
have a beverage and relax without the
(05:44):
without the effects of alcohol.
So the mocktails are really to show
that you can have a nice beverage
and be in the company
of other people and socialize
and enjoy yourself and not,
you know,
again, be under the influence
of any kind of alcohol.
Can you talk a little more
about the learning bar
and what you all do there?
So what we're focused on
(06:05):
with the Education
for the Learning Bar in our efforts
with alcohol education
is to really focus on
decreasing the risk.
So risk reduction.
So we want to make sure
that students know that
if you're going to consume alcohol,
that you know what is,
how much alcohol is in each beverage
because everything's different,
whether it's a beer,
(06:26):
whether it's a mixed drink,
whether it's a shot,
your alcohol content
is going to vary, right?
So we just want to make sure
that the first step is the students
understand what they're
putting into the parties
and then everybody's different.
So everybody's body
composition is different.
How they
how their body chemistry absorbs,
alcohol is different.
So that's why
we spend this time in Learning Bar
(06:48):
and we go through the effects
of different types
of alcoholic beverages.
So there's always a way to
reduce your risk when you're drinking.
And we obviously don't
have the philosophy to not drink
because that's not really ideal
for a college campus.
So that philosophy is really embedded
in all the education that we do.
It's about just reducing the risk
(07:09):
of alcohol poisoning
and being under the influence
and to which you might make
a decision that later you would regret.
Another thing that POWER talks about
is healthy relationships.
Why is this important for
college students
and how can people learn more
(07:29):
about healthy relationships?
Yes, So healthy
relationships are very important.
We have a sexual health educator that
educates on
being in a
relationship,
whether you're sexually active or not.
We focused mainly on
intimate relationships.
So we do talk about healthy relationships
(07:50):
and the signs
of an unhealthy relationship.
But mainly these relationships.
Typically in college, we'll see
a couple may choose to be intimate.
So we want to talk about risk reduction.
Again, everything's about risk reduction.
We have sexual health presentations
that we offer.
We also have
a group called the Sexperts,
and they go into res-halls and classrooms
(08:11):
and they talk about
how to be sexually safe
in a relationship,
how to have a conversation
about previous partners,
how to, you know, go and get tested
if you need to get tested,
because we offer chlamydia
and HIV screenings for free to students.
And then we also have
sexual health supplies,
whether that's condoms,
internal condoms, dental dams, lubricant,
(08:33):
all things that can keep
you sexually safe and responsible
in an intimate relationship.
Some of the
things listed on the POWER website
seem like they might be personal
and hard for some people to talk about.
If a student does not feel comfortable
talking with a group
or going to an event.
But they want to learn more
about a personal topic, what can they do?
(08:55):
That's a great question
and this is a type of question
where we would want somebody
to reach out to like say,
Lizzie Findley,
who's our sexual health educator.
We get a lot of questions about that.
And sometimes,
yes, it's not something you feel like
you could stand up in
class and say, “Hey,
I have a question
about getting tested for an STI
(09:15):
or I would like to get some condoms.”
So we put the information out there
and then we say
we're available for office hours.
This during this time
frame this week
for like sexual health resources
so students can come up,
get their sexual health resources,
and then they can talk
to Lizzie or a sexpert
and ask her questions.
But also, any time
a student isn't comfortable
(09:35):
talking about any of the topics
that we offer,
this is when it is appropriate
to just email us directly
and then we can set up an appointment
to chat.
Is there anything
else you
would like to tell us about POWER
which we have not yet talked about?
Just that,
where we're located,
we're kind of hidden and people
(09:57):
don't really know where we are
and it's kind of hard
to get in this side of the building
if you're not familiar
with the student center.
So really just emphasizing that
we are located in the expansion area.
It's not connected
to the other third floor
and that you have to
turn by the ballrooms
to come up and see us.
But we, we are here.
We're a little tucked away and hidden,
(10:17):
but we hope that the students
will be able to eventually find us.
And we've been putting
more information out there
so students understand
where we're located.
And also I would
strongly encourage students to follow
us on Instagram @poweruky,
that's where we post
all of our information.
We even do
some like time lapse videos
to figure out where we're located.
I think that's it.
Thank you very much for talking with us.
(10:39):
Thank you for having me.
This has been an interview
with Fadyia Lowe,
associate director of the POWER program
at UK.
More information
can be found on UK's
website under Student Success.
POWER stands for Prevention, Outreach
and Wellness Education Resources.
(11:04):
This has been
a community spotlight
with Callie and Sara.
Thank you for listening.
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