The Be You initiative to celebrate students. Using an intersectional approach to mental health and well-being, Be You ensures Campus Wellness programs and services and the way we talk about mental health centre the needs of our student community while celebrating students' individuality.
Be You at À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Key Messages:
Take pride in your progress
- Celebrate the wins and accept that challenges and setbacks are opportunities for learning and growth.Â
- Set realistic goals that are achievable.Â
- Recognize that mental health is striving for progress, not perfection.Â
Be kind to yourself and others
- Acknowledge that it is okay to struggle and take time for yourself.Â
- We are stronger together; lean on our community and ask for help navigating supports and resources.Â
- Everyone’s lived experience is different; systemic barriers, power and privilege create additional mental health hurdles for some.Â
- Building success is a lifelong journey.ÌýÌý
- Make space for mental and emotional well-being.Â
Embrace your authentic selfÂ
- Celebrate your individuality and differences.Â
- Understand you don’t need to conform to others’ expectations.Â
- Your unique social location and lived experiences can impact how comfortable you feel being your authentic self.Â
- Explore your self-awareness and emotional intelligence.Â
- Connect with communities where you feel safe and celebrated.Â
Visual Identity
Visuals are flexible to evolve with the programming. Below are the primary visuals. The background gradient is available in all faculty colours and can be customized for specific activations.
Get involved with the Be You Mental Health Campaign
Here’s how you can engage with the campaign to support our student community:
- Leverage the ³§³ó²¹°ù±ð±Ê´Ç¾±²Ô³ÙÌý to promote Campus Wellness programs and support resources for students. In this toolkit you’ll find:
- Digital screens and social media assets to be shared across your student-facing channels.
- A blurb about Be You and support resources you can add to your syllabus or Learn page to demonstrate a caring classroom.Â
- Slides with supportive messaging and on-campus and virtual mental health resources you can insert into your course content at the beginning of term and at other high-stress times of term.Â
- Partner with the Campus Wellness, Health Promotion team on student mental health initiatives. This could look like expanding on an existing event with a Be You activation or developing a program from scratch, bringing Be You to the core of your event plans. Connect with Grace Wong Chong, student mental health coordinator, to get started.
- Understand how to support students with their mental health with resources available on campus and continue to learn  and well-being in a way that values students' intersectional identities and the diversity of our UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ community.ÌýÌý
Upcoming Campus Activations
Campus Wellness is working hard to integrate Be You messaging into our Counselling Services group offerings and via the upstream, prevention work supported by the Health Promotion team. Understanding the systemic barriers to mental health is foundational to all our work in Campus Wellness and the Be You initiative is no exception.ÌýÌýÂ
Mark your calendars and continue to check back for updates:
| Date | Time | Activity |
|---|---|---|
| September 15 | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | Pharmacy Kitchener Campus |
| September 17 | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | WUSA's Campus Life Fair in the SLC Great Hall |
| September 24Â | 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. | GBDA Stratford Campus |
Get a Be You tee
A symbol of embracing who you are while showing pride and solidarity with the campus community. A portion of proceeds from the tees will go towards the , which supports student mental health and well-being at the university by funding impactful programs and initiatives.
🎉 T-shirts are now on sale! Purchase yours today at W Store or and let’s create a campus where everyone feels safe, seen, and supported - one tee at a time!
At Campus Wellness, we believe that prioritizing student mental health is key to both academic success and personal well-being. In collaboration with students, we've developed the Be You initiative to be student-centred, meeting individuals where they are on their mental health journey. This approach helps create a supportive, empowering space that encourages growth, fosters well-being, and cultivates a strong sense of belonging. We are dedicated to ensuring every student feels valued and connected at Campus Wellness, because at UÀ¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, being you truly matters to us!