Written by third year student, Heidi Willis
During the first week of August, Emmanuel college took part in a ‘Wellness Week’. The philosophy behind Wellness Week is to put the spotlight on the different aspects of living that contribute to overall ‘wellness’ – equipping students with tools to measure their own wellbeing, as well as developing new skills they can use to support their overall health. Each morning the Wing Community Leaders made fresh smoothies and played music in the dining hall, encouraging the broader community to star their day in a healthy way and with a smile on their face. Throughout the week, the community learnt about different aspects of wellness – with each weekday targeting a different aspect of being well. Using both internal student and staff support, as well as external providers, the college learnt about sexual, financial, physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing.
Highlights of the week included a ‘bungee rope’ inflatable course, where students challenged each other to see who could outrun the inflatable bungee course and stretch themselves – and the bungees – to their physical limits. During our day on physical health, students not only enjoyed the entertainment, but were educated on quick workouts they can do in their rooms or around campus, without the need to access equipment or set aside large chunks of time. Another hit was the sexual wellbeing panel, organised by the college’s gender and sexual diversity representatives, where students could discuss relationships in an open and non-judgemental environment. Student leaders and external providers sat on the panel and provided frank and funny advice about their own experiences, contributing to a positive discussion about sexual wellbeing.
The week was successful and enjoyed by all. The different activities served to remind students about the matrix of overall health that contributes to wellbeing, as well as equipping them with different tools they can utilise throughout the semester and beyond. The Wellness Week program is supplemented by the weekly Wellness Wednesday activities, that focus on and extend the tools and information supplied to students during Wellness Week.
