Why is this important?
The Healthy Campus Community Initiative is based on the World Health Organization (WHO) Healthy University Framework. It involves working collaboratively to create campuses that positively influence the health and well-being of students, staff and faculty. This approach has the potential to positively impact health and well-being to a greater extent than traditional health education initiatives that target individual behaviors.
What is a Healthy Campus Community?
A Healthy Campus Community is one where the people, processes and spaces contribute to well-being and success for all. It is the words people speak; decisions that are made; actions that are taken, and the culture and systems that are created.
Why is Creating a Healthy Campus Community important?
Post-secondary Institutions are increasingly expected to provide students with the experiences and skills they need to succeed in a complex and ever-changing world. This means fostering students who are not just educated, but are resilient, creative, collaborative and engaged citizens. Health and well-being are essential for student success, engagement and retention and as such, are integral to the core business of SFU. Our rationale for this initiative is based on a review of literature and student survey information regarding well-being in higher education settings across Canada.
For more information on student well-being statistics and the need for this work please see the Background and Rationale section below.
What Do We Mean by Health & Well-being?
Health is viewed as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease” (World Health Organization [WHO], 2011). Health and well-being are resources that enable individuals to thrive and reach their full potential.
Strategic Alignment
This innovative approach to Health Promotion supports SFU’s strategic vision as an Engaged University that connects students, research and community. A healthy campus community provides students with skills and experience that support them to succeed in an ever changing and challenging world including resilience, collaboration and civic engagement. This work is also strategically aligned with the Academic Plan, and is an integral component of SFU’s Mental Health Strategy.
This work is in line with other provincial and national initiatives to enhance well-being in post-secondary institutions. For information please see Healthy Minds Healthy Campuses initiative.
Background and Raitonale
The following document summarizes our background and rationale for the Healthy Campus Community Initiative.
For full rationale and literature review, please contact SFU Health Promotion.
History and Milestones
The following is a summary of the history of this initiative and the key milestones accomplished in the development of this work.
