SIMPSON BAY:--- Employees of the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) have completed two days of interactive workshops to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Hosted by Positive Foundation, the workshops first provided information on how to conduct self-examination of the breasts. After the eight-minute DVD, PJIAE employees then applied the techniques learned to silicone breast models.
President of Positive Foundation Shelly Alphonso, said that the sessions were held in the airport's training room on October 18 and 19, from 3:30 pm to 5 pm, and consisted of the foundation showing the participants how to do breast self-examination. SXM male employees also attended the workshop.
"Men also need to know about breast cancer. Just Sunday, there was a tug-o-war fundraising event outside Holland House and the participants were all men from the construction industry," Alphonso stated.
She said overall, the airport seems to be advocating breast cancer awareness. There were Breast Cancer Awareness signs and decorations, especially in the room where the workshops were held.
The workshop participants wore specially designed T-shirts. The Elektralyets Foundation provided the T-shirts – worn every Friday in October by airport employees for the Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
SXM took the initiative to invite Positive Foundation to conduct the workshops as part of sensitizing airport workers about breast cancer, said Alphonso.
The purpose of the Positive Foundation is to focus primarily on awareness, and as such, there are year-round campaigns, which include conducting workshops for businesses, such as Princess Juliana International Airport, said Alphonso.
During the final workshop at SXM, Jacqueline Olaria of the airport's Security department won a T-Shirt, which served as her ticket to the popular Elektra Movie Night on October 24. The movie night at the Caribbean Cinemas was also a Breast Cancer Awareness event organized by both the Positive and Elektralyets foundations.