Wednesday, October 26, 2016

It's Mental Health Wellness Day today

A message from Health Services.

Today is Mental Health Wellness Day at the University of Waterloo. Mental Health Wellness Day is an awareness campaign to remind students, staff and faculty that many people will be affected by mental illness and that the University is a caring community and a safe place to ask for help.

An overwhelming number of students, staff and faculty responded to the request to be in the 2016 Mental Health Wellness video. The video showcases support, acceptance and unity for each other with the key messages “you are not alone” and “we’re together”. Enjoy!

Mental health matters and is a priority on our campus. This unified awareness campaign highlights the mental health support that happens on our campus 365 days a year and aims to reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health support.

There are many on- and off-campus resources and helplines available to students, staff and faculty.

• We have services to help students, staff and faculty: Health, Counselling, AccessAbility, Police and Occupational Health.
• There are 24-hour helplines: Good2Talk, Here24Seven Crisis Services and the Employee Family Assistance Plan.
• We have resources, workshops and peer-to-peer support: Coping Skills, Study Skills, Life Skills, MATES, PASS kit.
• We have avenues for students to connect with others both academically and socially through faculty student societies, FEDS campus life, peer mentorship, drop-in tutoring, and Athletics and Recreation programs. 
• We have people to help: nurses, physicians, counsellors, psychologists and psychiatrists, academic advisors, success coaches, residence life staff, chaplain advisors, peer mentors and student leaders.

Reach out for support and talk to someone if you are feeling mentally unwell. We want you to be well and do well at University of Waterloo.

Bringing comfort to campus one quilt at a time

by Whitney Albright

Here is a small way you can make a personal and important contribution to Mental Health Wellness Day. Take a quick look at the Caring Quilts Project.

Caring Quilts are traditional, handmade Mennonite quilts that are distributed through Counselling Services to struggling students to remind them that they are not alone. The quilt has special significance as a symbol of warmth and protection. A "UW Cares" label sewn into each quilt offers a comforting message to its recipient, who can keep the quilt as a memento from the Waterloo family.

Waterloo professors Greta Kroeker and Sally Gunz are leading fundraising efforts to expand the Caring Quilts campaign. To ensure that these beautiful quilts can be offered to even more students, charitable gifts in support of the project are very much appreciated. If you have spare fabric suitable for quilting, please contact Greta gkroeker@uwaterloo.ca or Sally sgunz@uwaterloo.ca.

Photograph by Ramona Leitao/Imprint.

Employed! P4E Career Fair 2016 was a success

Over 2,200 students and alumni attended the annual Partnerships for Employment (P4E) Career Fair on Wednesday September 28. Attendees had the opportunity to network with more than 200 Canadian and international employers in hopes of finding their perfect career match. With hundreds of booths to visit, Career Fair is the largest event of its kind in the country.

P4E Career Fair is jointly organized by the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Guelph, and Conestoga College. The Fair features organizations from various sectors including financial, healthcare, IT, manufacturing, telecommunications, government, food and hospitality, oil and gas and many more. Sought-after employers included, but were not limited to, General Motors, Bell, 3M, Toyota and the Royal Bank of Canada.

Dressed to impress, over 46 percent of attendees downloaded and used the P4E app to learn more about the organizations that piqued their interests. The app also helped students navigate their way to booths throughout the venue. Daniel Kerney, an Arts and Business co-op student from Waterloo, expressed his enthusiasm for the networking possibilities at Career Fair. “Talking with some of these companies gave me the confidence to keep trying to broaden my horizons and to always keep expanding on current skills,” said Kerney. “This fair was a dose of motivation to keep moving forward.”

Employers were also able to connect with highly-skilled students that could become assets to their companies. “Career Fair is a great opportunity for employers because they can meet potential job candidates all while reducing time, effort and recruitment costs,” said Michelle Radman, a University of Waterloo representative on the P4E committee.

P4E’s next event is Job Fair which will be taking place on February 1, 2017. Students often wonder about the difference between Career Fair and Job Fair. In short, the upcoming Job Fair is suitable for current students who are looking for temporary jobs – either co-op or summer employment. Career Fair, on the other hand, seeks graduating students and alumni for full-time positions.

Students and alumni can download the P4E app for Android devices or iPhone.

Velocity Garage grand opening on Friday

Velocity is inviting members of the University community to join them in celebrating the official grand opening of the Velocity Garage, the largest free startup incubator in the world. The ribbon-cutting event takes place on Friday, October 28.

Guests will have the opportunity to visit the renovated 37,000 sq. ft. space in downtown Kitchener, complete with a new science lab, workshop, assembly space, and workspace for up to 120 software, hardware, science, and social entrepreneurship startups.

Refreshments and guided tours of the space will be available.

Speaking at the event will be President Feridun Hamdullahpur, Director Jay Shah, Daiene Vernile, MPP for Kitchener Centre, and Berry Vrbanovic, Mayor of Kitchener.

The Velocity Garage grand opening will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Friday, October 28. RSVP if you plan to attend. Parking information is available online.

Wednesday's notes

The University of Waterloo Staff Association (UWSA) Annual General Meeting takes place tomorrow from 9:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. in Needles Hall 3001.

Coffee and treats are available beginning at 8:45 a.m.

Employers on campus next week hosting employer information sessions include Wish, Imagine Communications, Natural Resources Canada, TJX Canada, Conexsys Communications Limited, and Cognizant Technology Solutions. Visit the employer information sessions calendar for more details.