Throughout the 2023/2024 academic year, students at KPU were introduced to the Mindful Campus Initiative - a partnership with the Centre for Mindfulness Studies (@mindfulnessstudies), Canada’s leading organization for mindfulness programs for depression, anxiety and stress. The program was fully funded by a Public Health Agency of Canada grant and led by OCAD University. Student tuition did not pay for this program and all parts of Mindful Campus were free for all students.

This new program, developed by the Centre for Mindfulness Studies in Toronto, was created specifically for art and design students – however students in other KPU programs were welcome to join! Students had the opportunity to join online ‘Mindfulness for Resilience’ training sessions with the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, attend weekly hybrid ‘Mindful Gathering Sessions’, participate in on-campus pop-up events and activities, and access self-paced videos to support their mindfulness practice at home.

We are committed to supporting student wellness, and are currently in the process of determining what the Mindful Campus program will look like next year. Stay tuned here for further updates as soon as they are available!

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is paying attention to whatever is happening in the present moment. Practicing mindfulness can help you manage stress and anxiety and build resilience. When we are feeling stressed or overwhelmed, we can spend a lot of time worrying about what might happen in the future, regretting the past, or judging ourselves in the present for how we feel. This takes time away from what matters in life - friends, family, fun, work and creativity. A mindfulness practice helps us to slow down and notice how our thoughts and emotions affect our behaviours.

ABOUT THE CENTRE FOR MINDFULESS STUDIES

The Centre is a mental health charity founded in 2011, in Toronto. It is Canada’s leading professional development and service delivery organization for mindfulness-based programs for depression, anxiety and stress. Since 2011, the Centre has delivered programs to more than 20,000 people.