Pitch strategies and gather community feedback during first in-person Wellness Week since pandemic

Wellness at Penn and the Penn Wellness Student Coalition jointly hosted Wellness Week during the first week of April.

The week’s events were held at various locations on campus and hosted by leadership from organizations such as Penn Violence Prevention, Cogwell, the Disability Coalition, Weingarten Center, University of Pennsylvania Campus Recreation, and various College Houses. The series aimed to promote health in eight areas: physical, emotional, social, intellectual, environmental, economic, occupational, and spiritual health.

This year’s Wellness Week, which was the first in-person edition of the event series since the COVID-19 pandemic, made a statement about the importance of wellness in our community and promoted wellness in Pennsylvania. Particular focus was placed on demonstrating the practical nature of He is also a former staff member of the Daily Pennsylvanian, said Camelia Bui, a junior and PWSC co-president.

Events include a session on emotional management during exam season hosted by the Weingarten Center, a crochet workshop with Penn Jarnaholics, suturing training with Locust Health Connect and HOSA@Penn, and yoga at Rodan College House. , and baking with the Penn Baking Club.

Bui said the first Wellness Week was held in 2016, coinciding with the founding of PWSC.

It happened”[at a] It was a time when there were a lot of very serious suicide connections around campus, and I think there were larger scale suicides. [University attention] It’s about care and wellness,” Bui said. “Throughout the year, all students should be concerned about their health, but there should be a set time of the year…especially near finals, when we need to remind everyone of that.”

A wellness summit was held mid-week to allow for an open dialogue discussion to gather student and faculty feedback on the wellness resources offered by Penn State Student Health and Wellness Counseling for reflection in the coming year. .

“[Students shared] What do they think about health? How do they define health? How does health affect their lives? What makes it difficult for them to prioritize health? And I’ll tell you how I do it. [they are] Take care of yourself,” Batsilai Bubunzawabaya, director of integrated care initiatives at Penn State Wellness, told DP.

Bui said one of the issues raised during the Wellness Summit was that the Student Health and Counseling Offices (located at 3535 Market St. and 3624 Market St.) are not close to the center of campus.

While these offices are further away from campus, allowing students more privacy and confidentiality, some students prefer a more local physical location to express their well-being and provide on-campus resources. I expressed my desire for space.

“I think it was a great discussion with the students, asking them what they are thinking right now and what role we can play together in making sure we move forward with a lot of the work that we are already doing. “I was able to ask if it was true,” Bubunzawabaya said.

This feedback will also be incorporated into the Mental Health Strategic Plan, led by public health graduate student Steven John Knoupis, as part of the dual degree program’s capstone project. The strategic plan has now been finalized and is expected to be announced in August.

“The formal purpose of the project is to develop an actionable, equity-focused strategic plan to improve the effectiveness, connectivity, and sustainability of Penn’s Mental Wellness Support Network,” Kounoupis said. said in a letter to the Democratic Party.

Kounoupis said the program is a direct response to complaints about the failings of campus wellness spaces in recent years. This will be student-led, faculty-led, and will involve connections across the university, including Wellness at Penn, PWSC, and Faculty General Assembly.

Bui also said he hopes future iterations of Wellness Week will see the program better promoted and scaled up to impact more students.