In recognition of the unique circumstance of the past 18 months, we sought and received support from the UBC Healthy Workplace Initiative Fund to host a special edition of our annual Wellness Afternoon. Taking place from 12:30-4:00 pm on Monday, November 8, this Wellness Afternoon will have a focus on mental health and wellbeing.

The afternoon will be split into three sessions (12:30-2:00 pm, 2:00-3:00 pm and 3:00-4:00 pm) Each session will have a unique format and participant group:

  • Session 1:  All ES staff from ES Vancouver and Okanagan (facilitated via Zoom)
  • Session 2:  Unit/team organized and led (in-person/online/hybrid facilitation to be decided by each unit)
  • Session 3:  Individual choice (facilitated via zoom)

    Session 1 (12:30-1:50 pm) – All ES Session

Our keynote speaker is Crystal Hutchinson, Workplace Wellbeing Strategist, from Health, Wellbeing & Benefits, at UBC HR. Crystal will speak to us on the topic of Supporting Social Wellbeing Amidst Remote Work, plus she will give us an overview of mental health supports available through UBC and externally. Crystal will join us remotely via Zoom.

Session 2 (2:00-2:50 pm) – Team Session

Session 2 will be hosted and facilitated by your unit, or smaller functional team. You’ll receive further information about the format, location and topic of this session from your team, but you can expect that it will contain components of both learning and discussion (i.e. not solely lecture, reading or video content) in order to support dual goals of mental health and wellbeing education and team building.

Session 3 (3:00- 4:00 pm) – Individual Choice

Like our summer Wellness Afternoons, you will have the opportunity to register for the session that most interests you.

Session 3 topics:

  • Thinking Traps,  (pending confirmation) from Lifeworks, UBC EFAP
  • Strategies for Better Sleep, (pending confirmation) from Lifeworks, UBC EFAP
  • Self and Community Care: Building Skills to Manage Stress with Truelove Twumasi, Workplace Wellbeing Specialist, Health, Wellbeing & Benefits, UBC HR
  • Strengthening Resilience with Crystal Hutchinson, Workplace Wellbeing Strategist, Health, Wellbeing & Benefits, UBC HR
  • Intermediate Level Mindfulness Education and Practice with Wendy Quan of the Calm Monkey

Watch for an email next week with a link to a Qualtrics survey where we’ll share a summary of each session and ask you to tell us which session you’d like to attend, and if you will be joining from home or on campus.

All sessions will be facilitated through Zoom. We’ll follow up with a Zoom links for sessions 1 and 3, and room options for staff working on the Vancouver campus who wish to gather together.