How Bow Valley College uses CampusWell to support students who need quick wellness tips

A college’s health and wellness offerings are a contributing factor to recruiting and retaining students. However, not all schools have the ability to offer their students a full suite of in-person services or activities. CampusWell supplements school offerings by providing engaging, science-backed articles, videos, and other resources that are easy for administrators, staff, and students to access.

CampusWell’s printable handouts are a hit with Bow Valley College’s workshop leaders and students

Bow Valley College (BVC) uses CampusWell’s digital resources to support their students’ health and wellness in a number of ways. For example, BVC’s main campus doesn’t have a gym, but its Student Services department recognizes the many health benefits of students staying as physically active as possible. That’s one reason why Hanaa El Moghrabi, BVC’s mental health outreach liaison, brings CampusWell’s printable “deck of cards workout” handouts to many of the student workshops she hosts.

When it comes to building a culture of wellness at BVC, El Moghrabi also uses CampusWell’s resources to supplement her harm reduction outreach. For example, during Addiction Awareness Week, she brought printouts of CampusWell’s mocktail recipes to promote refreshing non-alcoholic drinks among the student body. The printouts helped take some of the pressure off of students who felt they were “supposed to” drink alcohol during their college years. Students, staff, and faculty commented on how impressed they were that the school was promoting a healthier way of living—and they loved the recipes.

CampusWell helps BVC students access wellness resources quickly and easily

When BVC students present wellness concerns to staff, they are sometimes directed to in-person counseling services—however, not all students need this level of support. Students who might benefit instead from instant access to “five minute advice” are provided a handout or link to BVC’s customized CampusWell website. In these situations, El Moghrabi tells students, “CampusWell has a solution for you.”

CampusWell acts as an effective “one-stop shop” when it comes to student-centered resources on any of the eight dimensions of wellness. Students often solicit advice from administrators, counselors, and other professionals when it comes to topics like how to eat well, handle stress, and the best ways to study for tests. That’s where the easy-to-use printables and weekly published articles and videos come in handy. Administrators and staff can simply look at the CampusWell materials and instantly provide their students with helpful resources. “I think CampusWell is worth its weight in gold because it’s like a treasure trove of different promotional materials, but also a lot of fantastic written content,” says El Moghrabi.

“A lot of times schools get caught up in the idea that they have to streamline resources,” she says—e.g., publishing a single page with two or three resources, and nothing else. But students often benefit when provided with a plethora of options. A subscription to CampusWell allows colleges to provide students with a number of vetted resources to peruse, along with articles and videos “that are thoughtful and well done.” In addition to CampusWell’s weekly student-centered wellness content, the customizable online platform can host student-written articles and school announcements.

“CampusWell offers a more holistic toolkit for students [during] their first semester, first year, or basically their entire ride,” says El Moghrabi. “[They] make it so easy.”