Continuing on from last year’s focus to encourage staff and faculty to ‘Be Myself at Work’ and engage in conversations about mental health and wellbeing as part of Thrive, 15 departments and units across the Vancouver campus took part in “Not Myself Today” Oct.31-Nov. 4, 2016.
The Not Myself Today campaign focuses on connecting people to the topic of mental health in the workplace. It does so through a variety of activities that are easy to do and that help us better understand our own mental health, reduce stigma and to foster a safe, open and supportive work environment.
Sharing their experiences and conversations as a participating department in Thrive 2015’s “Not Myself Today” campaign throughout Thrive week was the Professional Development and Community Engagement Unit at the Faculty of Education. Read on to find out all about their experience.
Putting the ‘Thrive’ into Professional Development
Submitted by Claire Ford, Administrative Coordinator Professional Development & Community Engagement (PDCE). PDCE delivers off-campus and online professional development programs, both domestic and international, for UBC’s Faculty of Education.
Positivity at Work
We had a great time taking part in the week-long Thrive activities here at the Professional Development and Community Engagement Unit at the Faculty of Education.
Our Associate Dean, Mark Edwards, and managers, Shaheen Jivraj-Sangara, Heather McGregor and Natasha Boskic led activities throughout the week which included:
- Monday: Positivity at Work (see photo)
- Tuesday: Online Mental-Health Quiz
- Wednesday Mood Buttons
- Thursday; Myth Busters
- Friday: Nitobe Gardens Walk
The week gave us the opportunity to get to know each other a bit better while discussing issues around mental health and illness. The highlight for me was being able to involve my 14 year old son in the group discussions during “Bring Your Child to Work Day” on Wednesday. Everyone in our unit all thought this was a fantastic and well-organised campaign for raising awareness about mental health.
A big shout out to UBC for putting this very important issue into the spotlight at our workplace!
What You Can Do
Thrive week is not the only time to focus on and talk about mental health and wellbeing. Let’s keep talking! Faculty and staff mental health & wellbeing resources are available on the HR website. If you’re interested in starting conversations in your workplace using the activities outlined below, visit the Not Myself Today website to learn more.
Please feel free to share how you’re encouraging conversations about mental health and wellbeing in your workplace at UBC by posting a comment below.