UFlourish is an annual University of Calgary event that encourages everyone on campus to care for their well-being and connect with one another.
Photo Credit: Kai Ern Lee
Through workshops, events, hands-on activities and more, UFlourish encourages the campus community to take time for their mental health.
The initiative is hosted by the Office of Institutional Commitments in collaboration with Student Wellness Services and Staff Wellness.
As part of this year's UFlourish activities which ran from Oct. 29 to Nov. 14, local artist Dean Stanton visited UCalgary and was tasked with creating a collaborative mural that celebrated the five factors of flourishing: play, interact, connect, learn and help.
The five factors represent key elements that contribute to wellness and having a balanced life.
Students, staff and faculty were able to engage with all five elements while painting the mural: Play through the creativity of making art; Learn by experiencing something new; Connect by chatting with each other and the artist; Interact by being present and engaged; and, Help by contributing to a collaborative project.
Through the hands of everyone who participated, the mural became a community-driven art piece that everyone can feel they're a part of.
"Looking at this artwork, (I want people to) take away a sense of positivity and accomplishment," says Stanton.
"Everyone that participated in this mural can see exactly what they did.
"It's in bright technicolour and it's got a very positive message, and I just think people can take away the fact that they contributed to something really important."
For Stanton, flourishing comes from doing what he loves and sharing that experience with others.
"I personally flourish in all my projects, just being able to do what I love, working with colour, working with strangers, working with kids all of that is a lot of fun," he says.
"But especially projects like these that have a positive effect, makes me really happy."
The completed mural will be installed in the Office of Institutional Commitments in MacKimmie Tower (MT116) as a colourful reminder of how art, creativity and collaboration can help us flourish together.
UFlourish is an annual two-week-long, campus-wide initiative that supports the mental health and well-being of students, staff and faculty. It connects the community through events, workshops, interactive activities, and promoting support services and resources.
It is hosted by the Office of Institutional Commitments in collaboration with Student Wellness Services and Staff Wellness.
