WINNIPEG, MB – The University of Winnipeg community has enjoyed the many wellness activities available on campus during its inaugural Thrive week — everything from free massages to yoga and a stress-relieving visit from rescue dogs. The five days of events culminate with the First Annual Mental Health Summit: Fostering Mental Health and Wellness on Campus, to be held tomorrow morning (Friday, March 28).
“What’s unique about Thrive at The University of Winnipeg is that we’re focusing on wellness for the whole campus community — students, staff and faculty,” says Jan Byrd, Executive Director of Wellness and Student Life. Byrd says Thrive is a holistic approach — it looks at dimensions such as mental, emotional, physical, spiritual, financial, environmental and intellectual wellness. “If you imagine a wheel with many spokes, it’s important to attend to all of the spokes on the wheel if you want to remain balanced. When it comes to wellness, we need to care for the whole self; if one dimension of wellness is out of balance, we’re not able to thrive.”
At tomorrow’s summit, participants will explore the concept of “healthy campuses” which enhance health and well-being in order to enable students, staff and faculty to achieve their full potential. Jonny Morris, Director, Public Policy, Research and Provincial Programs at the Canadian Mental Health Association, BC, will offer a keynote address outlining how mental health is being addressed in post-secondary provincially and nationally. The keynote will be followed by panel discussions, with opportunity for input from all participants.
Thrive is both a full week of activities focused on holistic wellness and a year-round commitment to helping the UWinnipeg community thrive, based on the knowledge that a foundation of wellness is vital to helping people reach their full potential. The First Annual Mental Health Summit: Fostering Mental Health and Wellness takes place Friday, March 28 from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm.
MEDIA CONTACT
Megan Benedictson, Communications Officer, The University of Winnipeg
P: 204.988.7129, E: me.benedictson@uwinnipeg.ca
