The McMaster Okanagan Office of Health & Well-being and Student Wellness Centre invited the community to explore new ways to support mental well-being
Thrive Week at McMaster has been celebrated annually since 2018. Each year, McMaster Okanagan Office of Health & Well-being and Student Wellness Centre dedicates a week to raising awareness and fostering conversations about mental health. This year's initiative took place from Jan. 27 to 31, 2025. Students, faculty, staff and alumni came together to participate in a variety of events focused on supporting mental well-being.
Thrive Week was organized in partnership with other campus organizations. For example, on Monday, Jan. 27, the libraries hosted an event called Library Pets at the Connection Centre in Mills Library.
Participants had the chance to interact with therapy dogs, offering a moment of relaxation and connection through animal companionship. This event was designed to provide a break from academics and an opportunity to de-stress, as studies have shown that spending time with animals can reduce stress.
On Tuesday, Jan. 28, another pet therapy event was held: Pet Therapy Visit with Biscuit. Students were invited to visit the dog Biscuit in the Health Sciences Library for some downtime and to experience the mental health benefits of interacting with therapy animals. To see more of Biscuit in the 2025 Winter term you can visit the PGCLL room 201 in the wellness lounge at these specific dates.
Another notable event on Jan. 28 was the Queer Study Buddies: Create Your Own Bookmark session. This event, a part of the ongoing Queer Study Buddies initiative, was held in a safe and supportive space in Mills Memorial Library for students from the 2SLGBTQ+ community to take a break from stress. Attendees could make personalized bookmarks while relaxing and all supplies were provided.
Wednesday, Jan. 29, featured an event titled How Can We Support the Mental Wellbeing of Ourselves and Others, hosted by Women & Gender Equity Network. This session offered practical strategies for supporting both personal and collective mental health. The event emphasized the importance of creating a supportive environment and included a discussion on the concept of collective care, a practice focused on communal support for mental well-being.
The event emphasized the importance of creating a supportive environment and included a discussion on the concept of collective care, a practice focused on communal support for mental well-being
Later that day, the McMaster Museum of Art hosted a Collage Button Making Workshop. Participants were given a tour of the Ascending Horizons exhibition before taking part in the button-making activity. This hands-on workshop allowed attendees to engage creatively while providing an opportunity for social interaction and stress relief.
On Thursday, Jan. 30, the Student Wellness Centre Health Promotion team organized a Sunset & Hot Cocoa Walk from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m., beginning at the Peter George Centre for Living and Learning. Participants were encouraged to bring their own mugs to reduce plastic waste as they walked and enjoyed hot cocoa while watching the sunset. This outdoor event promoted relaxation, physical activity and environmental consciousness.
Thrive Week concluded on Friday, Jan. 31, with the McMaster Social Science Society Wellness Fair in the McMaster University Student Centre Atrium. This wellness fair featured a range of activities and wellness resources, allowing students to explore different ways to support their mental health. Participants could engage in activities such as gratitude crafts and bracelet making and visit booths set up by various campus wellness organizations.
Throughout the week, the events provided a diverse mix of opportunities aimed at promoting mental well-being for students to engage in. Whether through creative outlets, social interactions, or therapeutic experiences, Thrive Week highlighted the importance of taking time to care for one’s mental health.
Thrive Week highlighted the importance of taking time to care for one’s mental health.
To learn more about Thrive Week, McMaster Okanagan Office of Health & Well-being, the Student Wellness Centre and their resources to support students' mental well-being, you can visit their websites.
If you browsed through social media on Jan. 30, chances are you saw #BellLetsTalk circulating around. Political leaders, celebrities, corporations and even McMaster University shared the hashtag in support of “ending the stigma” around mental illness.
Success and meaning can be found along many paths, but the paths can be rough and winding. | @McMasterSWC #BrighterWorld #BellLetsTalk https://t.co/fzBIjSte6G
— McMaster University (@McMasterU) January 30, 2019
But like #BellLetsTalk, McMaster’s mental health initiatives seem more performative than anything else. While offering “self-care” tips and hour-long therapy dog sessions can help students de-stress and perhaps initiate conversations about mental health, it alone is not sufficient.
This sentiment is shared amongst many other students and has been brought up time after time. It is truly disheartening then that the university seems to do little to meaningfully address students’ concerns.
https://twitter.com/calvinprocyon/status/1090777829510397952
Instead of investing in more counsellors at the Student Wellness Centre or restructuring their support systems on campus, starting Feb.4, McMaster is running Thrive Week. Thrive Week is a week-long initiative aimed to “explore [students’] path to mental health”. The week boasts events including yoga, Zumba and meditation circles.
There is no doubt that engaging in wellness and mindfulness activities, including activities like yoga and Zumba, can help alleviate some of the stresses of university and can positively benefit your mental health.
However, it is in itself not enough to actually help students overcome mental health issues. McMaster acknowledges that most students seem to experience, at least during some point in their undergraduate career, mental health issues. This is telling of a systemic issue. Mental health issues are largely attributable to socioeconomic factors. Financial strain, food insecurity and lack of a responsive administration can all factor into developing mental health issues as a student.
The best way to help students is to address the root of the problem, which often lies within the very structures of the university. Until McMaster addresses these systemic issues, yoga classes and wellness panels will do little to remedy students’ concerns.
Beyond addressing systemic issues, students struggling with mental health issues can’t colour their issues away; they require professional help. It is true that the university offers trained peer-support volunteers at services like the Student Health Education Centre and the Women Gender and Equity Network, but again, this is not enough. The responsibility of students’ mental health should not fall on the shoulders of other students.
If the university truly cared about their students’ mental health, they would invest in more counsellors and actively work towards ensuring that waiting times at SWC aren’t months on end. They would make systems for receiving academic accommodations more accessible, as they currently require students to provide documentation of diagnosed mental health issues.
Talk is cheap. So are free Zumba classes. While raising awareness and reducing the stigma around mental is important, what students need is real change to ensure there are actual support systems on campus. The university has a responsibility to make that change happen.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
By: Natalie Clark
The definition of “Thrive” is most simply put as “to progress toward or realize a goal despite or because of circumstances.” This definition embodies the true meaning of McMaster’s first ever Thrive Week, beginning Feb. 4.
Thrive Week is a week-long series of events focusing on improving and maintaining good mental health of students, staff and faculty on campus.
Events include yoga, Zumba, meditation circles, stress management workshops and various panels for students to get information on a variety of topics such as career planning and suicide awareness.
Although Thrive Week is new to McMaster, the wellness event has been a part of many schools around Canada for the past 10 years.
“Thrive began at [University of British Columbia] in 2009 and since then, a number of Canadian colleges and universities have adopted the spirit of Thrive,” mentioned McMaster wellness educator, WilPrakash Fujarczuk.
“The wellness education team decided to join these schools for a number of reasons… one reason is to connect students to pre-existing services on campus… we know that there are a number of departments that promote mental wellness in ways that may not be so obvious,” said Fujarczuk.
Fujarczuk mentions “Sketching Thursdays” at the McMaster Museum of Art, which is a weekly event that allows students to distance themselves from their devices and work on mindfulness and creative expression.
Thrive Week is intended to promote events similar to “Sketching Thursdays” on campus and add additional resources and events throughout Thrive Week for students to participate in to further their mental health journey.
“Thrive is also an opportunity to bring in community partners to showcase the valuable expertise that Hamilton community resources have to offer,” mentioned Fujarczuk.
Some of the community partners that are taking part in Thrive Week at McMaster include Healing Together Yoga, The AIDS Network and Asian Community AIDS Services.
Body Brave, another Hamilton-based organization, will also be taking part in the event to introduce students and staff to their off campus support system. Body Brave’s main purpose is to address the major gaps in resources for eating disorders, raise awareness and reduce the stigma around eating disorders, particularly with those who are over the age of 18.
Kelsea McCready, a McMaster student who holds the position of secretary on the board of directors at Body Brave, mentions the barriers that individuals may face when struggling with an eating disorder and are looking for help.
“Programs within Ontario as a whole have a limited capacity which means that many individuals who are struggling are left on long waitlists without any kind of specialized support,” mentioned McCready.
McCready notes that although Body Brave is not a direct replacement for professional specialized support for eating disorders, the organization offers a variety of affordable treatment programs such as workshops, individual treatment and support groups.
“It is a priority for Body Brave to engage more with the McMaster community as an off-campus support in addition to on-campus services,” said McCready.
Body Brave’s involvement in Thrive Week is important for those who may be suffering from an eating disorder and are wary to seek out support. Thrive Week introduces programs and organizations to the McMaster campus that are similar to Body Brave in order to make these services more accessible to students.
“Given that it’s our first year running Thrive, we are hoping to use it as an opportunity to evaluate programs and build on for future years,” said Fujarczuk.
While Thrive events will only be taking place for a week, the path towards bettering the mental health of the McMaster community needs to be addressed and explored on a consistent basis. Thrive Week is the first step towards shedding light on the services available on-campus and in the community.
Thrive Week will be running on campus from Feb. 4 to Feb. 9. More information about the event can be found on the Student Wellness Centre’s website, which includes the Thrive Week schedule and other mental health resources found year-round on campus.
[thesil_related_posts_sc]Related Posts[/thesil_related_posts_sc]
