OSVPER, kihêw waciston, CSGD, WPS and SAMU
HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS WEEK
Healthy Relationships Week is all about cultivating thriving connections and preventing relationship violence.
Events typically run in February to help people deepen their understanding and gain new skills for building healthy, caring relationships and communities.
What we did in 2024
The Art Buffet is the Mitchell Art Gallery’s own “art hive,” a concept developed over two decades of research by Dr. Janis Timm-Bottos rooted in ideas of art therapy and inclusivity. This session was an opportunity to explore creativity in a welcoming space for all that encouraged mental wellness.
The Art Buffet was free, materials provided and no prior art experience was necessary. Participants shared in dialogue, art-making, and skill-sharing between people of different backgrounds, ages, cultures and abilities.
All were welcome to attend this free student lunch, acknowledging food as an important component of our relationships with ourselves, and as a great way to come together with others to foster healthy relationships.
Assistant Professor Brittany Johnson led this workshop to bead vulva magnets and talk about sexual and reproductive justice. This session was open to all genders and sexualities, and people experienced beading as a healing space to celebrate and decolonize the body.
SAMU’s Breakfast Club provided sustenance to start the day, offering a free, healthy breakfast to students.
Attendees learned how to be active bystanders in this interactive session hosted by the Office of Sexual Violence Prevention, Education and Response. It was catered towards students who live in residence, but open to all. The goal was to acquire skills to intervene in potential violence, with a specific focus on sexual violence prevention.
Similar to the Bringing in the Bystander® in Residence Workshop, attendees of this session also learned how to be active bystanders. The session was peer-facilitated and taught people how to intervene in potential violence, with a specific focus on sexual violence prevention.
This virtual panel event aimed to encourage students to embrace the questions, narratives, and resources needed to support their sexual health. Queer sex educator, Eva Bloom, and student panelists created an open dialogue and shone a spotlight on the valuable resources accessible to students.
A booth was made available to make a Valentine’s Day Card, learn about healthy relationships, and pick up swag and resources. Coordinated by the Peer Health Education Team (PHET), Centre for Sexual and Gender Diversity volunteers, and the MacEwan Anti-Violence Education Network (MAVEN).
The MAVEN Peer Education Team hosted a booth about red and green flags in relationships. People spun the trivia wheel to spot red and green flags in relationships!
The Skill Fair was an exhibit that explored a diverse range of relationship-building skills at booths hosted by community organizations and university groups. Each booth offered a quick five-minute session on topics such as active listening, using affirming language, how to practice self-care with a pet (featuring PAWSS pets!), and more.
This session was an opportunity to learn about how the brain’s processes keep us going back to those ‘situationships’ that don’t necessarily serve us in the long run. Tricks for reclaiming a sense of self were discussed to ultimately help find healthy love!
Presented by: Julia Russel, Registered Psychologist and Counsellor with Wellness and Psychological Services