There’s a move among some universities to take a more active role in improving the health and wellbeing of their students and faculty.
Last month, six Canadian universities, including the University of British Columbia, became the first to formally adopt the Okanagan Charter, which challenges post-secondary institutions to build healthier, more sustainable campuses and communities.
The charter was developed at the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges by representatives from 45 countries.
UBC has pledged an additional $1 million to support wellbeing on its Vancouver and Okanagan campuses as part of its commitment to the charter.
“From the moment it was created, we’ve been using it at UBC in our planning and thinking about how can we translate this into action,” said Matt Dolf, director for strategic support with Wellbeing at UBC.
Dolf said there are five major areas in which UBC can improve the wellbeing of students: mental health and resilience, physical activity, food and nutrition, inclusion and connection, and natural environments.
He said certain faculties at the university are trying new techniques to improve student wellbeing, though it’s early to say how effective they’ll be. For instance, professors of first-year students in the science faculty did an orientation workshop on health and wellbeing for the first time this year, so they could be better equipped to help students.
“We shouldn’t only be helping students when they get to the point of distress,” Dolf said.
Improving student wellbeing could also have an impact off-campus, Dolf explained. He said universities, for instance, could play a role in encouraging communities to promote public and active transportation.
“Universities have a role to play in the wellbeing of our communities around us,” Dolf said.
There’s a clear link between improving health and enhancing sustainability, through measures that promote active lifestyles or urban agriculture, for example.
But a 2015 report prepared by UBC PhD candidate Alison Cassidy found that health and sustainability initiatives at post-secondary institutions don’t always work in tandem.
“There is minimal integration of sustainability and health promotion activities at the senior strategic level, as often these bodies are located within different departments,” Cassidy wrote.
The Okanagan Charter could change that, by clearly showing that health and sustainability are linked.
And UBC isn’t alone in adopting the charter. Simon Fraser University will implement the charter through its Healthy Campus Community initiative, which was launched in 2010.
Memorial University in Newfoundland plans to create a new student wellness and counselling centre, an online peer support program and a Friendship Bench meant to encourage conversations about mental health.
And the University of Calgary has made a $3-million commitment to implement a campus mental health strategy.
Maura Forrest, 10 November 2016