Partner With Thrive

Become a Thrive Ambassador

We are seeking volunteers from a variety of disciplines and work backgrounds across campus to be Thrive Ambassadors.

 Are you a student, staff, CUPE, faculty member or post doc who—

  • Is passionate about health and wellness?
  • Is a positive health role model?
  • Believes wellness initiatives can bring about positive changes?
  • Believes in a sense of community?
  • Supports friends, classmates, colleagues by practicing active listening, being kind, empathetic and compassionate?

If you answered yes to one or all of the questions above, you can become a Thrive Ambassador by submitting the Become a Thrive Ambassador webform.

What do Thrive Ambassadors do?  

  • Act as liaisons between the Thrive Planning Committee and your unit*
  • Spread awareness about Thrive initiatives, the brand and available mental health resources at UW

Thrive Ambassadors may choose to take up leadership roles in planning Thrive events in their units* during the spring and winter Thrive Days and the fall Thrive Week.

Communication

Ambassadors will receive e-mails on a monthly basis (or as needed) that would include information about Thrive initiatives or mental health resources on campus. They would disseminate this information in their individual units. During Thrive events, these informative e-mails may increase in frequency. For further questions, contact Karen Parkinson or Kalpita Gaitonde.

*Unit: Affiliated institution/ faculty/ department/ research institution/ service unit etc.

Become a Communications Partner

By promoting Thrive, you’re helping build positive mental health for everyone at University of Waterloo. In this toolkit you’ll find templates, social cards, suggested social posts, and web images to get everyone thriving at University of Waterloo.

Learn more about the goals and key messages of Thrive to help craft your Thrive messages.

Communications suggestions

By promoting Thrive, you’re helping to build positive mental health for all at University of Waterloo. In this toolkit you’ll find visual assets and communications suggestions to get everyone thriving at University of Waterloo.

Suggested post types and timings

The following are examples of things you can do to help promote Thrive to your audiences:

  • Any time
    • Post messages related to positive mental health on Twitter, Instagram, and/or Facebook.
    • Post messages about available resources and supports at the University of Waterloo.
  • One month to one week before Thrive:
    • Talk to your audience(s) about Thrive. Invite them to attend events, join the #UWThrive movement, and/or thrive in ways that feel good to them.
    • Take photos of things, places, or people that help you thrive, and share them on Instagram, Twitter, and/or Facebook. Add a description and tag them with #UWThrive .
    • Print, hang, and distribute posters.
    • Follow Campus Wellness on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the latest Thrive updates.
    • Encourage your department to wear their Thrive t-shirts.
  • During Thrive:
    • Join the #UWThrive conversation by commenting on or uploading Thriving photos.
    • Invite your friends or colleagues to join you for a break or a meeting in a peaceful or quiet or peaceful space. You may want to share photos of these spaces on social media.
    • Encourage your friends and colleagues to share their Thrive experiences on social media.
    • Follow Campus Wellness on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram to like, share, and comment on thriving posts!
    • Showcase a course or assignment that has a focus on positive mental health.
    • Invite students to take 5-minute stretch breaks during class, or lead a stretch break yourself.
    • Share a reminder about Thrive and the importance of taking care of your mental health.

Social media assets

Spring 2019 event poster

Powerpoint slides

These Powerpoint slides can be used to advertise Thrive events on digital displays or to introduce the concept of mental health and Thrive week at the beginning of a lecture or lab that happens during Thrive week.

Become an Event Partner

Note: Partner Event applications are closed at this time and will re-open in spring term for our Fall Thrive event. 

If you’d like to host a partner event, please register on our web form to have your events included in our promotions.

Positive mental health is an important aspect of overall well-being. When planning your Thrive event, consider the questions below as guidelines to help your group and community thrive:

  • How could your event provide opportunities for individual and/or community actions that support positive mental health and resilience? You can do this through:
    • An educational event (e.g. Workshop or presentation)
    • Fostering connections among your target audience/group
    • Skill building opportunities (e.g. Develop a new skill, try something new)
    • Advocacy or an environmental scan of what already exists within your unit, department, group, club
  • How can your event increase awareness of the connection between overall wellbeing and mental health?
    • Consider whether your event makes a connection between different aspects of overall well-being and mental health
    • Determine which aspects of well-being are reflected in your event or will be focused on as part of your event
  • How can your event be inclusive of diverse perspectives and populations on campus?
    • Review the Planning Accessible Events document
    • Review your event idea with a group of stakeholders
    • Connect with a Thrive committee member
  • How can your event increase awareness of University of Waterloo’s mental health resources?
    • Create awareness of existing campus resources
    • Encourage the utilization of available tools (self-help, online, academic, professional)

Support for Thrive partner events

The Thrive planning committee wants to help make your event a success. We can support your event or initiative by:

  • Providing activity ideas and planning resources
  • Working with you to build the theme of positive mental health into your event
  • Promoting your event to the campus in the weeks leading up to Thrive, and sharing poster templates and communications tools for you to use to support your own event promotion
  • Sending a Thrive package to your event including resource materials and swag items

Potential event ideas

Below you’ll find some ideas for wellness events you could host in your areas.

  • An arts and crafts activity: colouring pages, bracelets, origami, succulent planting
  • An event promoting physical activity: yoga classes, Zumba etc
  • An event featuring live music
  • Host a workshop on mental health and wellbeing
  • Share a meal or host a cooking class
  • Create a gratitude wall that people can add sticky notes to

Thrive T-Shirts

Thrive t-shirts will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.