Five days of Thrive at Waterloo Pharmacy
Yellow Thrive t-shirts. Fresh fruit courtesy of Marten’s Apples. Conversations and events about mental health and wellness. Thrive Week is a new staple of the University of Waterloo, a week long event in the fall term that seeks to raise awareness about mental health.
Events like Thrive Week are important because they provide us with an opportunity for open conversations about mental health and reducing stigma. The mental health of our students, staff, and faculty is a priority for us that continues beyond Thrive Week.
At the School of Pharmacy, staff partnered with student groups RxPRN and the Waterloo Pharmacy Graduate Association to develop deliver a week of events and activities. From wellness prompts and a wellness tree decorated with mental health tips to puzzles and colouring sheets, activities ran all week and encouraged conversations about mental health. To address stigma, fifty elephant cards were hidden throughout the School. People could find them, talk about what they stood for – that mental health is often the elephant in the room – and submit them for prizes.
The feature event of Thrive Week was a talk from Michael Landsberg, a TSN sportscaster and mental health advocate. Michael is the founder of #SickNotWeak, a charity that aims to reduce stigma, and lives with depression and anxiety himself. He shared candid messages with the audience about what it’s like to experience depression and how people in caregiver positions can be respectful and supportive. Michael’s talk was sponsored by Whole Health Pharmacy Partners, an innovative pharmacy banner who have implemented unique mental health initiatives in their pharmacies.
