Arvind Ltd announces roll out of Family Friendly Policies in their company
UNICEF – YuWaah organises ‘Gujarat Vaccine Varta 2.0 with Young Digital Volunteers’ to celebrate Parenting Month with a focus on positive and responsible parenting during the pandemic
Gandhinagar, Friday: UNICEF – YuWaah organised the ‘Gujarat Vaccine Varta 2.0 with Young Digital Volunteers’ in collaboration with Centre for Communication of Child Rights, Pandit Deendayal Energy University , Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Gujarat Youth Forum and Elixir Foundation to celebrate Parenting Month.
After the success of the first Gujarat Vaccine Varta to increase awareness about the ongoing covid vaccination campaign, the second edition had eminent experts interact with Young Digital Volunteers Vidhi Wadhwani and Naman Khamar and answered crowd sourced questions focusing on positive and responsible parenting during the pandemic.
These experts included Dr. Laxmi Bhawani, Chief of UNICEF Gujarat; Dr. Naveen Thacker, President Elect, International Paediatric Association; Dr. Deepti Bhatt, Psychiatrist, Mental Health Hospital, Ahmedabad; Mrs. Hetal Vyas, Project Officer, Bal Darshan DMVB, Bhavnagar; and Mr. Niraj Lal, Head-CSR Arvind Ltd. and Convenor CII-Gujarat CSR Core Group.
Dr. Laxmi Bhawani, in her opening remarks said, “ We had three objectives when planning this event. To raise awareness on the importance of parent and caregiver mental health and well-being so that children have the loving, playful, nurturing, safe and supportive relationships and environment they need to survive, thrive and transform, especially in early childhood. To provide practical tips and expert advice on nurturing care framework including how to give children the best start in life even during the COVID-19 pandemic. And to advocate with business houses for greater support for all parents and caregivers, through scaling up parenting programmes and family-friendly policies so that parents have the time, resources, services and enabling environment that they need and deserve.”
Dr. Naveen Thacker said, “Clinical trails and studies on vaccination of children vaccinating has already begun. However, the best way to protect children right now is by vaccinating adults and maintaining COVID appropriate behaviours. The rate of transmission amongst children is very low.” He also advised parents to avoid panic incase their children are diagnosed with COVID-19.
Mr. Niraj Lal said, “We are pleased to share that Arvind Mills will roll out Family Friendly Policies in our company. We are committed to working with UNICEF to ensure these policies are also implemented in all companies that are part of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) in Gujarat.”
Dr. Deepti Bhatt stressed on the importance of family time. She urged families to have at least one meal together during the day. At the same time, she advised parents to devote time to their children. Children grasp and absorb things faster than adults. Parents should ensure that their children are heard and given enough time.
Talking about working from home, she said, “Young people should ensure that they spend enough time with their families and friends. They should decrease their screen time and talk to their siblings, friends and parents. Personal interactions will provide mental relaxation in times when we are busy mostly on social media.”
She also said that holidays are equally important. This will ensure a healthy state of mind and body. People should maintain a proper sleep cycle, practice yoga and eat healthy.”
Hetal Vyas talked about the importance of gender based education in the early stages of development. She said that parents must ensure equal participation of their children in household activities, irrespective of gender. This will make children responsible in the nascent stages.
A large number of people across all age groups attended the virtual event.
The event was supported by Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of Gujarat; National Health Mission, and the National Service Scheme (NSS).
This is a UNICEF – YuWaah advocacy and knowledge initiative and planned as a series of interactions between stakeholders and young people in Gujarat on a range of issues. The first in the series focused on phase 3 of the Covid Vaccination Campaign where vaccination has opened up for 18+ population.
This interaction was organized virtually on Gujarat Gujarat Youth Forum’s YouTube channel on 11th June, 6 pm to 7 pm.
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ez_oaLCf1lg
