Thrive Week events at Laurier support mental health awareness

Taking care of your mental health is a good thing. Talking about the importance of mental health care and helping to educate others is even better.

Supporting others with their mental health is the focus of Thrive Week, a series of free activities and events taking place Oct. 7 to 11 to promote mental health awareness and support at Wilfrid Laurier University’s campuses. Thrive Week is organized by Laurier’s Student Wellness Centres with support from campus and community partners. Laurier is one of 11 post-secondary institutions in Canada to participate in the Thrive Week program, which started at the University of British Columbia in 2009.

“This year’s Thrive Week is focused on building a model of community care, with new programming for students on how to help friends with their mental health while also maintaining their own,” says Nathan Reeve, wellness education coordinator at Laurier’s Waterloo campus. “Because students may initially speak about their mental health with a friend, we want to help students develop the skills they need to talk about mental health, to listen, to validate each other and learn how to seek further support.”

Thrive Week kicks off Oct. 7 with free pancake breakfasts for students, staff and faculty on both the Brantford and Waterloo campuses. Stop by One Market in Brantford or the Concourse in Waterloo for pancakes served up by Laurier’s senior administration and student leaders. The breakfasts start at 10 a.m. and will run as long as supplies last.

Events happening at Laurier’s Brantford campus during Thrive Week include a wellness carnival, a soap-making workshop, a group trip to the farmers’ market and free fitness classes at the Laurier Brantford YMCA. At Laurier’s Waterloo campus, Thrive Week events include yoga, group exercise classes, art therapy and thematic wellness workshops. Check out the complete schedule of Thrive Week events and activities happening at Laurier’s Brantford and Waterloo campuses. All activities and events are free and registration is not required.

Laurier’s Student Wellness Centre staff will also distribute 700 mental health tool kits to students across Laurier’s campuses during Thrive Week. The free kits, packaged in eco-friendly reusable water bottles, contain items that encourage self-soothing and mindfulness. Distribution times and locations are listed in the online event schedule.

A social media contest will also run during Thrive Week. Faculty, staff and students can post to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with the hashtag #IThriveAtLaurier to be entered into a prize draw.

For more information about Thrive Week events at Laurier, email lbwellness@wlu.ca or wellness@wlu.ca.