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Imagine a future where everyone achieves optimal health and well-being

What if studying and working at Waterloo made you healthier?

Who we are

Led by the Faculty of Health, we are a network of students, faculty, staff, and community partners forging a new path in campus well-being. Rooted in our institutional values and inspired by Waterloo’s strengths in research, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking, the Healthy Waterloo Initiative is a community-wide collective impact campaign to transform health and well-being on campus and beyond.

Our vision

Imagine a future where health doesn't start at the doctor’s door; instead, health starts in our classrooms, laboratories, residences, facilities, local parks, and across our campus eco-system.

Everyone at Waterloo feels seen, supported and healthy.
Well-being is part of daily life – in learning, work and belonging.
Local health innovations take root here and scale to support healthier communities everywhere.
Evidence-based solutions are co-created and tested in real-time in a campus living lab.

How we work together

Our process is rooted in deep listening, collective action, and systems innovation.

1. Co-create a Healthy Waterloo Community Plan

Facilitated by author and social innovator Paul Born and grounded in community engagement, we will host the “Healthy Waterloo 100” Partners Workshop – gathering 100 partners from across campus and the community to align around common goals, priorities, and strategies.

2. Build a Campus Living Lab

We will launch a Healthy Waterloo Living Lab to support campus-driven problem solving through:

Co-op students embedded in research and implementation.
Capstone teams solving real campus health challenges.
Catalyst grants to test new programs and services.
Innovation pitch competitions hosted with the Problem Lab and Velocity.

3. Develop tools for lasting impact

With collaborators across Institutional Analysis and Planning, Campus Wellness, and others, we will build an integrated health and well-being surveillance dashboard and a governance framework to track, scale, and sustain successful solutions.

4. Act locally, scale globally

We’re starting on campus, but our vision extends beyond: Canada’s Healthiest Campus becomes Canada’s Healthiest Region, then it moves outward from there. The Healthy Waterloo Initiative will serve as a model for universities and communities across Canada and beyond.