No images? Click here How Appy are you? The MyWellness app can be your compass - conquering stress, enhancing your fitness, and leveling up your overall health. My Wellness is packed with interactive quizzes, enlightening videos, and hands-on activities, it's the ultimate guide for living your happiest and healthiest life. Even in the middle of the deep blue with spotty Wi-Fi, you can download modules and continue your quest offline. The app syncs your progress as soon as you're back online, ensuring you never miss a beat. Shipping giants A.M. Nomikos and Seaspan are already encouraging their own seafarers to download the app so you’ll be in top company from the moment you start! THREE DOWN ONE TO GO Our cadet conferences are breaking records and preparing you for your best life at sea. Almost 4,000 of you have taken advantage of our Wellness at Sea virtual conferences so far. Last week it was Africa’s cadets that got to enjoy the full conference experience and then, on November 9, UK cadets get their first chance to take part in this packed half-day of leading industry speakers, panel discussions and interactive polls. If you missed out, you can still sign up - go to sailors-society.org/msc23 And don’t forget to tell your friends to register! A big shout out to all of you who answered our survey questions. Thanks to you we will be producing our second Cadet Report early next year. This is when the maritime industry gets the chance to hear from you about what you want and need from them. Helping us all shape a better future. PEER-TO-PEER SUPPORT GROUPS Diversity has been a key theme of this year's cadet conferences - and if you're facing a tough time at sea, we are here to help. Capt Ann Pletschke explains why she joined one of our Peer-to-Peer Support Groups and why reaching out isn’t a sign of weakness. You joined a female Peer-to-Peer Support Group after receiving negative remarks. Would you be willing to tell us a bit more about this and why it prompted you to join? I’d just been told by several colleagues how women shouldn’t be in the industry and how having women employed was a bad thing. I posted in the group partly out of my own frustration about what had just happened, but also in the hope other women in the group could see that these things happen – it’s not just them – and that it is ok to reach out. Us seafarers can often be hesitant to reach out for ‘help’ or ‘support’ and I wanted also to show not only that it is ok, but that ‘support’ can just look like a rant about a current situation and certainly not a sign of weakness. How did you find out about the groups? I had seen the groups advertised on my social media feed and I thought they sounded like a great idea. Connectivity is really changing the landscape of seafaring and can remove the isolation that so often goes hand-in-hand with seafaring. Can you tell us about the support you got from the Female-Only Group? I was really pleasantly surprised – I posted on the group on a Sunday evening and had a reply an hour later. It helped just to know my shout of frustration had been heard and the validation of my feelings was welcome. What do you see as the best things about being in the groups you are in? I remember especially in the early 2000s, when I was deep-sea, feeling very isolated when dealing with difficulties onboard and Peer-to-Peer Support Groups can be such a great part of a toolkit, alongside other maritime charitable resources that have developed over the years. Support is now just a WhatsApp away rather than a two-monthly letter away! What would you say to others who might be thinking about joining a group? I’d say go for it! You have nothing to lose, it’s free and if you don’t like it, you can always leave! It’s also good to have an outlet if you ever need it and you may well just be able to encourage other seafarers. Whether it’s a crisis, money worries, or you are just feeling like you need to talk to someone. WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. You never need to be alone and to make sure you know that we’ve created a digital contact list for you – one that can be downloaded to sit in your phone, ready and waiting for when you need us. About Sailors’ Society For more than 200 years, international maritime charity Sailors’ Society has been transforming the lives of seafarers and their families. Today, we provide 24/7 practical, emotional and spiritual welfare support to the world’s 1.9 m seafarers and their families across the world. We support seafarer wellbeing across every area of their lives and careers, giving them the best opportunity to enjoy a fulfilling - and productive - career at sea. |