Learning Environments Webinar - Register and Share the Invitation

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We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!

Upcoming Webinar

Creating Conditions for Well-being in Learning Environments

Wednesday, Oct 29th, 2014
10:00-11:00am Pacific / 1:00-2:00pm Eastern
Register Today (Space is Limited)

Click HERE to register for this free webinar offered in collaboration with the Ontario Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health

Overview

Learning environments are core to the student experience and have a powerful ability to impact student well-being. Student well-being leads to a positive classroom dynamic with more engaged and successful students. Yet, well-being is rarely addressed within this setting. Given concerning Canadian stats regarding student isolation, stress, anxiety, and feelings of overwhelm (ACHA, 2013), and the relationship between these and student success and learning, well-being should be of strategic importance to post-secondary institutions.

Simon Fraser University (SFU)â€™s Health Promotion team has taken a forward thinking approach to enhance student well-being within learning environments. Through bridging the divide between service and academic units, including partnering with the Teaching and Learning Centre and engaging SFU faculty members, they have researched and developed the Well-being in Learning Environments initiative. The initiative identifies 10 evidence-based key conditions within learning environments that can impact well-being, and offers practical tools and strategies that instructors can incorporate into their own teaching practice.

This webinar will share SFUâ€™s experience and learnings with respect to addressing learning environments as settings for health promotion action. The Well-being in Learning Environments initiative will be presented, including the process used to engage with academic units. Select ideas for pedagogically cultivating well-being in the classroom with be shared.

Forward

In this Issue:

Celebrating World Mental Health Day >>

- Light up Purple!

- Do you like models that synthesize evidence? Check out one of our favourite models that highlights the protective factors and determinants of mental health and well-being

- New: You can now download an image file of the conceptual framework for post-secondary student mental health from our website

Wrapping up Mental Illness Awareness Week >>

- Links to helpful resources

Happy Thanksgiving >>

- Practicing gratitude and spending time with family and friends is good for your mental health!

Webinar Audience

This webinar is intended for those who are working to enhance student mental health, well-being and success from within or outside the classroom: Deans and program directors, faculty members, instructors, teaching and learning experts, teaching assistants, administrators, health promotion specialists, health educators, student leaders and other stakeholders.

Counsellors, health care and dis/ability service professionals may be particularly interested in this webinar from the perspective of bringing people together to work cross-campus towards systemic change to better support mental health and create learning environments that enable students to thrive.

Tip

Consider booking a room with a projector and speakers and inviting other campus members to join the webinar together!

Learning Objectives

Learn how healthy learning environments can enhance student success and wellâ€being
Gain practical tips and strategies for creating wellâ€being in learning environments
Increase your understanding of ways to engage faculty members and partners in academic departments

Guest Speakers

Tara Black, Associate Director, Health Promotion and Alisa Stanton, Health Promotion Specialist at Simon Fraser University

Celebrating World Mental Health Day

The Amanda Todd Legacy, with support from the World Federation of Mental Health, invites you to Light Up Purple for World Mental Health Day. Check out the press release here.

In support of World Mental Health Day, we wanted to share with you one of our favourite models that highlights the protective factors and determinants of mental health and well-being. This model can be found on page 16 of the Mental Well-being Impact Assessment Toolkit.

What Influences Mental Health

Image File Now Available

Conceptual Framework from "Post-Secondary Student Mental Health:
Guide to a Systemic Approach"

You can now download an image file of the conceptual framework from our website to use in reports and presentations.
Click here

Wrapping up Mental Illness Awareness Week

If you are looking for additional resources, check out the 20 new evidence-based and easy-to-read brochures on a range of mental health and mental illness topics on the CMHA National website. For example, see the brochure on Myths About Mental Illness here. The HeretoHelp website is also a great source of resources, including screening self-tests and tools.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Practicing gratitude and spending time with family and friends is good for mental health.

For a bit of inspiration on an ongoing basis, check out the Five Ways to Well-being: a set of evidence-based actions which promote peopleâ€™s wellbeing.

Source: New Economics Foundation - NEF is the UK's leading think tank promoting social, economic and environmental justice. Their purpose is to bring about a Great Transition â€“ to transform the economy so that it works for people and the planet. http://www.neweconomics.org/