The second annual 91亚色 U Let鈥檚 Talk Mental Health Day, not only saw a strong turnout, it also generated good ideas for the University鈥檚 Mental Health and Wellness Strategy going forward.
Staff, faculty and students engage in roundtable discussion about the Mental Health strategies
The 91亚色 U Let鈥檚 Talk Mental Health Day Jan. 28 was just the beginning of the conversation. February is Mental Health Awareness month and there will be a series of events coming up on everything from stress management and workplace wellness to opportunities to join the conversation.
Suzanne Killick and Lesley Beagrie lead the Community Cafe
At the Community Caf茅 on the Let鈥檚 Talk Mental Health day, the room was packed with students, staff and faculty participating in roundtable discussions about the University鈥檚 strategy. Each table came together to provide stories, insight and ideas on how to push the strategy further.
鈥91亚色 is committed to taking a leadership role in the creation of a healthy campus,鈥 said Lesley Beagrie, co-chair of the Mental Health Steering Group. 鈥淭his Community Caf茅 is an opportunity for us to hear from you to help inform what a mentally healthy campus would look like鈥hat would make a difference. What would help ensure that those with whom we work, learn, study, counsel and teach have a community that supports mental health and wellness.鈥
Gary Brewer at the Community Cafe
Suzanne Killick, co-chair of the Mental Health Steering Group, highlighted the two major accomplishments from last year 鈥 the mental health symposium and the training of 500 students in recognizing and supporting those with mental health issues. She then took the group through the five strategic priorities, which were then discussed at each table.
Some of the ideas highlighted included a one-stop shop for life and mental health issues, more visibility of resources, accessing first-year students in the classroom, training for faculty and staff to support students and having the tools readily available to start the conversation.
鈥淚t鈥檚 encouraging to me to see faculty, staff and students all come together today to discuss this issue,鈥 said Gary Brewer, vice-president finance & administration.
Good2Talk Session
The reason 91亚色 embarked on a strategy for a mentally healthy campus, said Killick, was that 鈥淲e understand wellness is a really important precondition to good learning within our academic environment and for our staff it is a precondition for a happy workplace.鈥
In addition, two sessions were held to inform the community about the Ministry of Training, Colleges & Universities recently launched , (www.Good2Talk.ca, 1-866-925-5454 or connect through 2-1-1) a new bilingual, confidential and anonymous helpline. Through Good2Talk, Ontario鈥檚 postsecondary students can receive professional counselling, mental health information and referrals to resources on and off campus, 24/7/365.
There was also a Community Wellness and Safety Fair in Vari Hall organized by 91亚色鈥檚 Mental Health & Wellness Working Group and the Community Safety Council.
Lesley Beagrie listens in to roundtable discussion
But as Killick said, 鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 end here today. We have some really interesting things going on throughout the month of February.鈥
The first event will be a Stressbusters Carnival on Feb. 6, from 10am to 4pm, in the Lower Bear Pitt Central Square, Keele campus. For staff, there will be Fit For Life events happening during the month of February. Check the website for details.
There will also be a contest! Submit a creative piece of art 鈥 poetry, images, video, etc. 鈥 that captures what mental health and wellness looks like to you for a chance to win one of 10 prizes. Visit the web page for all the details. The contest deadline is Feb. 24. Prizes will be awarded in March. The winning entries will be posted on 91亚色鈥檚 Mental Health & Wellness website.
Visit 91亚色鈥檚聽 website for more information.