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Thrive

Thrive is a weeklong series of free events to build positive mental health on campus!

The Student Wellness Centre works with partners across the university to bring students a week of workshops, social events, giveaways and more, all dedicated to supporting your mental health! Thrive runs every October and March on both the Waterloo and Brantford campuses. Laurier Human Resources also coordinates Thrive activities for faculty and staff. 

The goals of Thrive are to:

  • Improve mental health literacy: the understanding of how to obtain and maintain positive mental health with healthy habits and self-care skills.
  • Foster a caring, supportive community.
  • Promote the resources to help you Thrive as student.
  • Encourage a proactive, preventative approach to your wellness.

Why Participate in Thrive?

Your mental health matters! Mental health IS health. You cannot excel if you are not well. No matter where you are in your journey, whether you are thriving or surviving, we are here to support you and your wellness. We want to help you explore your path to mental wellbeing, so you can Thrive at Laurier!

Winter Thrive Events

Thrive Week will return March 6 to 10, 2023! Check out our full event calendar below!

The Six Pillars of Mental Health

Our wellness is impacted by many different factors, and is personal to ourselves; everyone has different ways of boosting their mental health. Wellness and mental health are also holistic, which means that many different parts of who we are and the different dimensions of wellness impact our wellbeing. We encourage taking a proactive and holistic approach to promote and protect your mental health. There are multiple approaches you can use to build and sustain good mental health, and we recommend exploring them all!

We have organized our Thrive events into six pillars. Each pillar contributes to our mental health in different ways. You can participate in Thrive events that touch on all six pillars of mental health.

Learn: We can learn new skills, habits, and strategies to impact our mental health - from academic success to information about mental health.

Connect: Social connections encourage us to be part of a caring, supportive community.

Relax: Sleep, rest and relaxation are crucial for reducing stress and functioning at our best.

Nourish: Nutrition fuels our mind as well as our bodies.

Create: Being playful and creative can increase positive emotions and confidence, while reducing our stress.

Move: Movement has proven benefits for our mental health, from reducing feelings of anxiety to increasing resilience.

The History of Thrive

Thrive began at the University of British Columbia in 2009. Laurier adopted the program in 2017 and now runs Thrive every Fall and Winter term. Thrive is overseen by Laurier's Mental Health Advisory Committee, and incorporates student input and feedback when planning the week.

Thrive Partners

Thrive events are brought to you by the following partners:

  • Student Wellness Centre
  • Athletics and Recreation
  • Student Success
  • Writing Services
  • The Sustainability Office
  • Residence
  • Career Development Centre
  • LSPIRG
  • Centre for Student Equity Diversity and Inclusion
  • Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management
  • Your Students' Union
  • Accessible Learning Centre
  • The Dean of Students Office
  • Martin Luther University College
  • WLU Brantford Apiary

If you are a campus partner interested in collaborating with Thrive Week, contact Sarina Wheeler on the Waterloo campus, and contact Claire Howarth on the Brantford campus.

Asynchronous Content

Enjoy these YouTube videos at your leisure:

Careers in Mental Health Panel 
Learn about different careers related to mental health by watching this previously recorded event with four alumni representing diverse wellness/helping roles.
Hosted by: The Career Development Centre

From Dogs to Bunnies, Meet the Pet Friends of Accessible Learning 
Fosters on Deck 
A Day in the Life of a Laurier Student's Dog
Animals are wonderful support companions for our mental wellbeing. Brantford SPCA and Kitchener Waterloo Humane Society has partnered with Laurier for their Foster Program. Learn how you can be a Foster Parent and help provide a loving temporary home for an animal in need!
Hosted by: Accessible Learning.

Instagram Contest

Be sure to follow us @LaurierWellness on Instagram and watch for our contest posted March 1st! You could win a $150 gift card to well.ca! Check out our Instagram page for the details.

Feedback

Share your feedback about Thrive:

Once you've attended a Thrive event, use our Thrive Feedback Form  - with prizes to be won for sharing your thoughts! We appreciate your feedback so we can continue to improve Thrive!

Winners can select their prize from the following:

  • a weighted blanket
  • an airfryer
  • a slow cooker
You can submit a form for every Thrive event you attend; every submission is an entry to win a prize!

Share your feedback about Mental Health at Laurier:

Have feedback regarding other mental health programming throughout the year? Whether it is a new event or workshop you would like to see, or certain topics you would like to be covered, please let us know. Submit your ideas using our mental health suggestion box. 

Follow Us

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram, for mental health and wellness information, prizes, trivia and more!

Contact Us

For questions about Thrive, please reach out to the Wellness Education team at wellnessed@wlu.ca.