Students attending post-secondary institutions in Canada are facing elevated levels of stress and increased mental health challenges as compared to their counterparts from only a decade ago. At Wilfrid Laurier University (Laurier), Administrators and Student Services Staff see this trend as deeply worrying and it became the impetus behind a comprehensive multi-campus review of student wellness.

The review sought to explore the experience of students related to wellbeing broadly rather than focusing on a particular service area or office. Beyond surfacing insights that would form the foundation of a new approach to wellness at Laurier, it was critical that the review engaged a diversity of stakeholders—despite the challenging context of the pandemic.

Unless led campus consultations in the form of in-depth interviews and online pulse-check surveys. A data wall consisting of 184 themes was constructed on campus and through a series of interactive data walks, campus stakeholders helped enrich the data set—providing nuance, context, and additional perspectives. In the end, ten intersecting insight stories shone a light on the opportunities Laurier has to reimagine wellness on campus and foster a culture that aligns with evolving student needs.

With these insights in hand, Laurier will articulate a vision and framework for campus wellness, begin tackling systemic challenges and barriers, and empower student-led teams to co-design wellness services and solutions.