A day at the Be Well UTM Event: Resource and Activity Fair
The annual wellness event offers students interactive activities, wellness tips, and cool prizes.
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On September 24th, the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM) had its ninth annual Be Well UTM: Resource and Activity Fair. The event took place in Gym A & B and featured a range of resources, from wellness activities to educational games for students to participate in. The fair provided numerous opportunities for students to connect with a broad range of support services that promote positive mental health and well-being, with participation also earning students Co-Curricular Record (CCR) credit and goodies like a swag bag and food voucher.
Upon entering, students were handed a small slip—which they called a passport—to be filled with a sticker from each of the three sections of the fair: the Be Informed Zone, Be Inspired Zone, and Be Active Zone. The Be Informed Zone contained tables featuring multiple health resources, including an informative description of drug usage and their effects. The table also gave students naloxone kits which are often used to help reverse overdoses, particularly on opioids. The zone also had plenty of other health resources for students to learn about—over 35 in total.
Close by was the Be Active Zone, which featured various games to help motivate students towards increasing physical movements and, more generally, exercise. One booth informed students about gambling and how to do so responsibly, containing a giant Jenga game where each piece had a term related to the issue of sports gambling, with an attendant explaining the meaning of the terms. Students who participated in this also received a special cup that also doubled as a horn when the straw was plucked into the base of the cup and blown into.
Finally, the Be Inspired Zone had multiple tables that helped students to focus on their goals and well-being. One table showed off special medical wheel cards that students could make on their own and keep to motivate themselves. This was implemented using an Indigenous sorting method that divided cards into the Mind, Spirit, Emotion, and Body. Students took time writing and cutting out affirmation cards that personally suited them; a practice of using a mind card was done to motivate students to handwrite more frequently.
The fair was well attended by students, many of whom were delighted to participate in the activities offered. One student said that they visited the fair to simply improve their personal wellness and learn to become more conscious about their health-habits, while many others stated that they wanted the CCR credit that came with attending. Several students also noted the many different departments that featured in the fair—an opportunity to network and build professional relationships
Students and staff expressed their interest in talking with experts and other students interested in the health and wellness resources available. At the end of the fair, students were asked to present their “passport” to a staff member and were given a flower shaped paper to write down key takeaways from the event. The responses were hung from a tree-shaped trinket, the students’ affirmations, posing as leaves and as promises to themselves and the campus community to work towards our wellbeing.
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