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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!

Fall Thrive Events

Thrive Week will return Oct. 23 to 27, 2023! Check out our calendar of events 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.

Hone Your Habit Challenge – Prizes to be won!

Creating healthy wellness habits can help you improve and sustain good mental health! Laurier's Sun Life Centre for Healthy Communities is hosting an exciting challenge, to help you set, and stick to, a healthy habit that is tailored just for you! We will be using an app called MoveSpring, connected to your wearable device or smartphone, to track your activity. Sign up any time during Thrive Week, participate for at least 20 days, and you’ll be entered to win some awesome prizes!

How to participate:

  1. Download the MoveSpring app
  2. Sign up for Hone Your Habit Contest using Organization Code 2GP557K6QP (or use this join link) between October 23 and 27. The Challenge will run until November 19, 2023.
  3. In the app, click “confirm” that your organization is Sun Life Centre for Healthy Centres, and set up your profile.
  4. Pick a healthy habit and aim to work on it for at least 20 days during the Challenge. Some examples of a healthy habit could be: Walking 10,000 steps each day, committing to a 10 minute daily meditation practice, drinking 8 glasses of water a day, using a gratitude journal, or giving up an unhealthy vice.
  5. Record your progress each day in the MoveSpring app to be credited in the challenge. We’ll be sharing tips on how to keep up with your throughout the four weeks.
  6. Prizes will be awarded weekly, as well as at the end of the contest. Prizes include: wearable fitness trackers, headphones, gift cards, app subscriptions, workout gear, and more!

FAQ’s:

    1. What devices can I use to participate? MoveSpring connects to a variety of fitness tracking devices including Fitbit, Garmin, Withings, and Apple Watch. To view a full list of connectable devices click here.
    2. What habit should I choose?  It’s up to you! Choose a habit that works for your wellness goals. Note that if you download the app before October 23, the option to customize your goal in the app will only appear once the challenge opens on October 23.
    3. How can I get credited for workouts? The MoveSpring app will include an in-app activity convertor. You’ll be able to translate workouts like yoga, weight lifting, and more into steps. Click here for more guidance on how to use this feature.
    4. I have previously used MoveSpring for another challenge, can I keep that account? All participants must create a brand new MoveSpring user account. If you joined a previous step challenge, you will need to create a new account. 
    5. If I don’t sign up by October 27, can I still participate? Yes. The challenge will run until November 19, 2023. As your goal is to work on your habit for 20 days before then, the sooner you sign up, the better, but you can participate in the challenge anytime between October 23 and November 19.
    6. Do I have to complete the full challenge in order to be eligible to win prizes? No. Prizes will be awarded weekly for participation, as well as at the end of the challenge, so every day you record your habit progress on the app counts, and you will be eligible to win prizes!
    7. How will prize winners be notified? You will be notified on the MoveSpring app as well as be contacted by email from the Sun Life Centre for Healthy Communities team.
    8. Who do I contact with questions about the challenge? You can reach out to Nicole Vandermade, Manager of the Sun Life Centre for Healthy Communities at nvandermade@wlu.ca. 
    9. What do I do if I have issues on the app? Check out the MoveSpring Help Center, how-to videos, or contact their support team. To contact MoveSpring Support in the mobile app, tap the menu bars at the top left corner of the dashboard and then tap the green Message support button at the bottom of the utility panel. On web, click the blue chat icon at the bottom right of the screen. You can also reach the MoveSpring Support team at: help@movespring.com. MoveSpring Support is online Monday - Friday, 9am - 5pm Central US time. If reaching out outside those hours, support will respond during the next business day.

Instagram Contest

Be sure to follow us @LaurierWellness on Instagram and watch for our contest posted October 23! 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.

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
  • Mindful Campuses
  • Sun Life Centre for Healthy Communities
  • Money Management

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.

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.