About the program
As a medical company, in speaking with our patients, we have noticed that because of so much uncertainty in the present environment, there is an ever increasing trend towards disempowerment. This is almost a separate pandemic of its own. The pandemic of learned helplessness and hopelessness.
It’s time to reclaim space.
Unless we actively acknowledge and take measures to address disempowerment, we all stand to lose precious time. What started as weeks, becomes months and possibly years of focusing on things, too often, totally outside our control.
We do not want this to happen to us nor any members of the Atticus community, ideally not to anyone at all.
Enter – the e15 COVID RIP (Robben Island Program). e15 COVID RIP hopes to let COVID rest in peace as far as its ability to disempower your life.
The nitty gritty…
Origin of the name: Robben Island
Robben Island is where Nelson Mandela was unjustly locked up for 18 years. It’s an island off the coast, north of Cape Town in South Africa. Previously, it operated as a prison, nowadays it remains as a museum. In total, Nelson Mandela spent 27 years wrongfully locked down, in prison, under the apartheid regimen. We use the name of this program to remind ourselves that despite the present times, including lockdowns in Australia, we still live in a truly free country where we enjoy certain liberties that others could only dream of, including a democratically elected government. Whether you were born here or immigrated, it remains all our good luck to still call Australia home. We will emerge from our present restrictions and once again be free. A baby born today in some places of the world, will likely never emerge. Nelson Mandela was lucky to emerge after 27 years in total of being imprisoned. Despite tough times behind us and ahead, let’s remain grateful. It can be easier to be grateful when you can relatively compare your life to that of someone else. Let Robben Island be that for you.
Who is the program for?
Anyone who wants support to regain a sense of self determination and empowerment in their life and is willing to follow these six rules:
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Get fully vaccinated against COVID-19 within 15 weeks. YES
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Join e15 HEC on Strava and complete a minimum 50km per 4 weeks
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Restrict reading the news/following social media to 30 mins a day
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Set your own mission. A stretch target/event to complete after 15 weeks
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Read one book/audiobook per fortnight. Set by the COVID RIP organisers. A voluntary fortnightly book club zoom meet will be available
If you haven’t already done so, see your GP at least once, at the start of the program to have a health check up. If you have your own GP, that’s great, see them. If you don’t, let us know and we’ll connect you with one of ours.
The program is for all various fitness levels. You may use it to get fit – physically and mentally. Alternatively, if you are fit and doing ok, then think of joining the program to help and encourage those who may be struggling, within the group. Share your positive disposition and state of mind, because it’s needed, now more than ever.
When
- Monday, 31st August – registrations open
- Monday, 6 September 2021 – COVID RIP starts
- 7am Saturday, 18 December 2021 (AEST) – COVID RIP ends with our (your) event. We run/walk whatever – together.
Regarding the event on Saturday 18 December, we encourage you to push yourself in setting your own personal target. It is yours to conquer and ours together to celebrate, as a group.
The cost
- You can choose your entry fee and donate whatever you can spare to our e15 COVID RIP gofundme campaign. We’ll send you the link once you’re registered
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Atticus Health pledges to match all donations/entry fees
All proceeds will go to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) Australia.
A message
If you have lost your job or business entirely because of COVID, please don’t take this program to be condescending. Rather than that, we hope that it can help focus your emotions to move forward with life. Indeed, as an organisation and community, Atticus Health hopes to rally around anyone who’s really struggling, to give them moral and practical support as much as we can. By joining the program, may you be spurred on to make it through 2021 and beyond, stronger.
How to register
To register for the program, email bthiedeman@atticushealth.com.au. All you need to include is your full name. We’ll email back to you all the instructions about what to do next.
Dr Floyd Gomes, Brett Thiedeman and the COVID RIP team.
