The UMN’s Mental Health, Well-Being, & Resilience Learning Community

The Learning Community meeting scheduled for Tuesday, May 28th, 9:30-11:30 am is CANCELLED. Based on participation and participant feedback, the UMN site for monthly Learning Community meetings is being dissolved. If you are still interested in being a part of the statewide Learning Community, you can find another host site here or contact Anna Lynn.

Here is what we learned from the experience and our partnerships with you during this past school year, while piloting the MDH Learning Community model at the UMN:

What worked

Coming together around mental health and well-being, networking, information and resource sharing, and learning from one another about the work that is already being done on campus. These conversations also added to the ‘well-being’ narrative and encouraged innovative thinking. Action that came from this group included: participation in the Mental Health Advocate Initiative, a Mental Health and Well-Being Resource Fair, the development of an ACES presentation, and an upcoming Mental Health First Aid Training.

What didn’t work

The webinar model and topics do not always fit the population needs of a university setting. Attendance and engagement have fluctuated throughout the school year, which at times was exacerbated by inclement weather and the meeting location. We recognize that your time is limited and are questioning if this is the best use of our campus resources.

Identified Needs

Over the course of the year, we recognized that there is a desire to address the ‘silo’ effect, increase awareness of existing campus resources, and create a comprehensive resource list (for easier access and partnership). There are also capacity issues – space limitations and long wait lists – due to the increase in reported mental health disorders within the student, staff, and faculty populations. According to the DRC, mental health is now the #1 cause of disability on campus.

Moving Forward

At this time, we propose to move away from the Learning Community model here at the UMN. Instead we are tentatively planning to focus on the creation of a research-based ecological model (which you can learn more about here!) that is specific to mental health and well-being. Another goal will be to continue hosting the Mental Health and Well-Being Resource Fair as a way to promote social connection and learning. We would appreciate your ongoing partnership in these endeavors and will be in touch next year.

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About the Learning Community

What We are Doing on Campus

The UMN Twin Cities Learning Community is made up of faculty, staff, and students who are interested in mental health, well-being, and resilience.

GOAL 1: To bring together and develop partnerships with faculty and staff serving both employees and students interested in mental health

GOAL 2: To support cross-community sharing and learning from each other

GOAL 3: To work and think together about how to address challenges, brainstorm ideas, plan collective action steps, etc.

GOAL 4: To develop an ecological model for use by the Learning Community

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How to Get Involved

See the Center’s events calendar for additional partnership opportunities.

For more information on using Google calendars, visit https://it.umn.edu/technology/google-calendar.

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