Showing Students VIU Cares

Students living in residence and in homestay placements throughout Nanaimo are away from their families and may have limited connections to them right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To show these students they are not alone during this period of physical distancing, VIU’s Student Wellness Promoters, in partnership with various departments on campus, have put together care packages that will help people stay well, stay busy, engage in mindfulness, and practice self-care.

The idea for the project originated with VIU Residences and VIU Students’ Union staff, who reached out to the Student Wellness Promoters and the University’s Mental Health Strategist, Sara LaMarre. The Campus Store, Print Services and the Faculty of International Education also helped.

Care packages include stress balls, granola bars, popcorn, tea, Sudoku game sheets, colouring sheets, a healthy recipe to try, a list of resources and a message of support from one of the Student Wellness Promoters inviting recipients to connect with them and the other peer leaders on campus through online events and conversations. The organizers delivered 160 packages for students in residence last week and 65 are being delivered this week for students in the Homestay program.

“These care packages support positive mental health and well-being not only through the items included in the package, which focus on mindfulness and self-care, but also by creating a sense of community and belonging for the recipients by letting them know that their peers and VIU staff care about them,” says LaMarre. “Connection is vital to good mental health, and these care packages seek to promote connection among students while we are all physically distancing.”