A series of short courses will be offered for free by the University of Tasmania.
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Vice-chancellor Rufus Black said the set of short courses was designed to help people navigate the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and covered topics such as financial planning, mental health, sustainable living and creativity.
"COVID-19 has changed Tasmanian lives dramatically - our family, social and working lives are profoundly different to just a few short weeks ago," Professor Black said.
Coronavirus: All the latest updates on COVID-19 for Tasmania
"People are facing economic challenges, stress and uncertainty, and long stretches of time at home - with family or alone - juggling new and changing responsibilities.
The short courses, labelled the "wellbeing toolkit", is available for people to study online, at their own pace and for free.
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Some of the courses available are:
- Stress, self-care and mindfulness - students will learn about their psychological health and wellbeing and how to tailor common stress management approaches to their individual needs.
- Financial planning and budgeting - students will learn elementary skills and knowledge to manage money effectively including budgeting, saving, borrowing and investing.
- The art of healthy eating - understand how and why you make food choices, how these choices impact your health and how to overcome common barriers to healthy eating.
- Science of gardening - in these times many people are spending even more time in their gardens. Learn about the science that underpins gardening and the skills to put it into practice.
- Human behaviour in extreme environments - learn how individuals and groups manage distress and enhance resilience in extreme environments such as Antarctica, outer space, military operations, disaster sites, pandemics and cults.
- History of public health: epidemics and social change - learn how disease shaped the evolution of public health and see the thread of resilience and the role medicine plays in our society.
Professor Black said the university was committed to doing everything it could to assist Tasmanians through this uncertain time.
"The most powerful tool we can use to help Tasmanians is education," he said.
"Through education, we can help build a more confident and resilient community, providing people with practical skills and knowledge to help navigate this period."
As part of a national program of short courses in key fields of education, UTAS is also developing a range of six-month online certificates in fields such as nursing, allied health, small business, information technology, agriculture, construction, project management, teaching, engineering and dementia.
- People can register for the Wellbeing Toolkit now, with study to commence in early May. Visit www.utas.edu.au/wellbeing-toolkit for more information.