Wellness and Recreation

Build resiliency both mentally and physically through workshops and programs that are focused on personal health, offered by the Athletics and Recreation, the Wellness Centre and other campus supports.

Certificates/Workshop Series that appear on the Laurier Experience Record help you gain skills and expand your knowledge on a wide range of topics. Register and complete the certificate/workshop series directly with the host department. Completed programs will automatically appear on your Laurier Experience Record by April.

Growing Your Strengths: Resiliency Toolkit

The Growing Your Strengths: Resiliency Toolkit Program aims to help you move from surviving to thriving at university by helping you build resiliency. Resiliency can help you live with the stressors of university life by allowing you to develop coping skills to overcome common challenges you may face, while becoming stronger from them.

The Growing Your Strengths: Resiliency Toolkit Program is now offered online and in-person in the fall and winter semesters. Workshops are open to all Laurier students.

The program consists of five modules, completed in one term:

Perseverance, Grit and Creating Habits
Strengths, Balance and Confidence
Optimism, Perspective and Self-Compassion
Gratitude, Battling Burnout and Forgiveness
Flow, Thriving and Curiosity

Each individual session can be used toward the workshop participation requirement for BF290 (if enrolled in the course at the time of participation). If you attend all 5 sessions, you will earn a Resiliency Certificate on the Laurier Experience Record.

Bonus: Students will also receive a specially curated item to add to their resiliency toolkit for every module they attend. Items include a gratitude journal, habit tracker, productivity timer, tea, seedlings & pot, and stationary & pens. Light refreshments in the in-person workshop sections will also be provided.

For more information, contact Andrea Dalimonte at adalimonte@wlu.ca.

Available in Brantford and Waterloo.

Group Exercise Mentorship

For the Group Exercise Certificate, instructors teach small sections of classes. Their performance is reviewed throughout the semester, and they attend a variety of trainings.

Available in Waterloo.

More Feet on the Ground Certificate

The More Feet on the Ground Certificate is run through the Health and Wellness Centre. It is an educational website that demonstrates how to recognize, respond and refer students experiencing mental health issues on campus. After reviewing the resources, you can create an account to complete the three quizzes to complete the certificate.

Available in Brantford and Waterloo.

Sexual Violence Response Certificate

The Office of Human Rights and Conflict Management is offering a series of virtual workshops that focus on responding to disclosure and building solidarity for survivors. This program will run in the Winter term and consists of nine workshops. Anyone is welcome to attend any workshop, but students who attend 6 of the 9 workshops will receive the certificate.

Available in Brantford.

Skills to Thrive Certificate

As a participant in this, five-session series of interactive workshops led by Peer Wellness Educators, you will set out to define what wellness means as we explore topics such as: managing stress, nourishing your body, creating healthy habits and routines, building a supportive community, and practicing intentional self-care. These sessions are full of activities, how-to's, and opportunities to connect with other students as you learn to care for your whole self. You will walk away with a Laurier Experience Record credit and a personalized plan for wellness that will help you thrive at Laurier and beyond.

The Skills to Thrive Certificate consists of five modules, completed in one term:

Understanding Your Own Wellness
Foundations of Physical Health: Sleep and Nutrition
Beyond the Basics of Physical Health: Stress and Self-Care
Building a Supportive Community
Creating a Plan for Wellness

Completion of all five workshops, in order, all completed in one academic term. Registration is required in advance and will be available on the website.

Available in Brantford and Waterloo.

Wellness Education Certificate

By completing this certificate, you are demonstrating a commitment to health and well-being as well as an enhanced knowledge and understanding of wellness and the ways it affects your overall experience.

The Wellness Education Certificate consists of five one-hour workshops, designed to be completed in one term. Register for this certificate once you have completed all five workshops.

There are four required workshops and one elective to complete the Wellness Education Certificate. All required workshops can be completed online and are open to Laurier students on all campuses. The elective workshop can be completed online or in-person on either the Waterloo or Brantford campus. Zoom workshops require advance registration and in-person workshops are drop-in.

Wellness Education Certificate Workshops:

Taking Charge of Your Wellness
Eating for Wellbeing
Finding Your Bliss
Getting More Sleep
plus any one mental health workshop, such as Power of Connections or Coping with Stress.

You are also asked to complete a short reflection to demonstrate your learning. After completing all five workshops, apply for the certificate using the Wellness Education Certificate Application Form. Your certificate will be emailed to you.

Available in Brantford and Waterloo.