Thrive Week kicks off at Waterloo

After running the annual Mental Health Wellness Day for nine years, the University of Waterloo is encouraging everyone to join in for Thrive Week, an initiative raising awareness about mental health and mental health resources on campus. 

“Thrive is a week-long series of events focused on building positive mental health for University of Waterloo students, faculty, and staff,” said Director of Campus Wellness Walter Mittelstaedt. “Thrive is also a mindset that encourages you to flourish—people are flourishing when they feel positive emotions and they experience positive psychological and social functioning most of the time. We can each strengthen our mental health by learning about it, thinking about it, talking about it, and discovering new skills and resources to help us thrive all year long.” 

With origins beginning at the University of British Columbia, the Thrive movement has swept the nation and is  in more than 11 universities and colleges in Canada.  Alongside spreading mental health awareness, Thrive also hopes to help Waterloo students, staff and faculty: 

• Increase mental health literacy and promote resources 

• Build healthy habits and self-care skills 

• Foster a supportive and inclusive community 

“The University of Waterloo is a community that cares passionately about one another and Thrive Week is not only about raising awareness for mental health and wellness, but also about coming together as a campus to support those who need to know they are not alone,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor. “We can make a difference and Thrive Week is part of that positive movement forward.” 

Main events will be hosted from October 22 to 26 and will feature various initiatives including: A speaker series with Canadian Sports Journalist and mental health advocate Michael Landsberg; yoga sessions with Athletics and Recreation; a student mental health forum; a walk for mental health around Ring Road; and mental health training opportunities. There are also more than 25 partner events being held in various departments and schools around campus. See the event listing for more information. 

Waterloo members are also encouraged to attend the Student Mental Health Forum taking place in the Humanities Theatre on Wednesday, Oct. 24 at 2 p.m.  Here, attendees will learn how the Committee on Student Mental Health (CoSMH) is implementing the recommendations of the President’s Advisory Committee on Student Mental Health (PAC-SMH).  An open-house style session will follow the forum, where participants can find out more about current mental health initiatives on campus.  

Register today. 

You can also show your support for building positive mental health by participating in events and wearing gold or University of Waterloo/Warrior gear on Thursday, Oct. 25, and/or joining the conversation online by using the hashtag #UWThrive.

Should you like to learn more about the resources on campus, visit the “Get help” section of the Campus Wellness website.