MME Engineering has its own superhero in the war against mental health challenges. While you may not be able to pronounce his multi-syllabic last name, everyone knows who he is, Sam Vandencer Vandekench Vanderwho, Vandekerckhove, Student Wellness Coordinator.
As part of the recommendations of the 2017 PAC-SMH Report, MME intended the role of Student Wellness Coordinator, “to create conditions that enhance the health of the student and program communities in Engineering, and by extension, the wellbeing of the individuals.”
The assistance that a wellness coordinator can provide varies depending on the needs of the individual, and has a limit to the scope of practice. Sam says, “I consider this role as a gap-filler for more robust support services - like Counselling Services, for example. I’m not a therapist, counsellor, or clinician. I meet with a variety of students, staff and faculty, who are and aren’t under the care of a medical professional, to help them find the services and resources they need to take care of their mental health.”
Some of Sam’s recent activities include:
- 35 staff, students and faculty went to Sam to discuss their feelings about the tragedy of the Ukrainian Flight.
- 60 staff, students and faculty went to Sam to speak about the passing of a recent graduate, plus counsellors on site, and a full session.
- 10. The number of students, staff, and faculty Sam sees in a typical week.
- Pancake Day was a great success! Great to see the MME team cooking and serving pancakes to students, staff, and faculty.
- The February version of Engineering Wellness Faculty/Staff Newsletter
Bell Let’s Talk is a campaign dedicated to moving mental health forward in Canada. The strategy is build on four pillars: anti-stigma, improving access to care, supporting world-class research, and leading by example in workplace mental health. This year’s Let’s Talk campaign moved one step beyond removing stigma and advocated for people to share the actions, no matter how small, that they do to benefit their own or someone else’s mental health.
On January 29th, UWaterloo hosted several events to support mental health on our campus. MME supported this initiative by setting up a wellness wall in the E7 3rd floor lobby where community members could post their actions and positive messages, along with supporting a ‘Let’s Talk Mental Health’ event with EngSoc that evening.
156. The number of ideas on the MME wellness wall. Some great ideas that were shared were:
- “I get up early most mornings and start my day with an hour that is all about me feeling good – exercise, meditation, and learning something new”
- “I talk with my friends and family, especially when I’m feeling down”
- “I spend any spare time on hobbies and activities that I love, even if I suck at them!”
- “Dance some salsa”
- “Listen to meditative music”
- “I like to make a new dish and share it with my friends”
- “Do crossword puzzles”
- “I use the freeze-frame method to deal with stress. Look it up on Google – it really helps!”
- “I play volley-ball” – this bubble was higher than 9 feet on the wall!
We’ve received very positive feedback from our community for this initiative (faculty, staff, undergrad and grad students). Individuals were quick to volunteer their time and ideas to add to the wall and have meaningful discussions about the importance of mental health in post-secondary and on our campus.
Upcoming Events Include:
March 13th – Apple Day –Apples and apple chips available throughout the department!
March 30th– Therapy Dogs! –Animals provide great calming and therapeutic benefit. Join us (location TBD) to reap the anxiety-lowering benefits of hanging out with our furry friends.
How to find Sam:
Sam Vandekerckhove
Student Wellness Coordinator
519-888-4567- ext. 35304
ENGwellness@uwaterloo.ca
srvandek@uwaterloo.ca
uwaterloo.ca/eng-wellness