Events, initiatives and training

It can be difficult to squeeze in time for our health and well-being with the holidays approaching, and limited daylight in our evenings.  The Winter Solstice occurs on December 21^st and is the day of the year when we have the least amount of daylight. 

To help you infuse wellness into your days, we encourage you to participate in the 12 Days of Self-Care ‘til the Winter Solstice.  Choose from activities that will help you connect with colleagues, get into the holiday spirit, and take time to be well. 

Celebrate the holiday & winter season with Ontario Tech’s Door Decorating Contest!

How it works:

• December 18-20 view photos of contest submissions below and vote for your favourite! 
• Please remove your decorations no later than Monday, December 23.
• Winners will be announced in the January 8 issue of the Weekly Report and prizes distributed (yes, there are prizes!).

2024 Doors!

Career Centre:

Communications and Marketing:

Co-op Education, Experiential Learning, and Career Development Office:

Faculty of Business and Information Technology:

Faculty of Education and Social Science and Humanities (Dean's Suite):

Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science (Dean's Suite):

Faculty of Science, Applied Bioscience:

Faculty of Science, Computer Science Program:

Health Sciences 1:

Health Sciences 2:

Human Resources:

International Recruitment Team:

Office of the Registrar:

Office of Risk Management 1:

Office of Risk Management 2:

Office of the Provost:

Student Awards and Financial Aid:

Teaching and Learing Centre:

Vice President, Administration 1:

Vice President, Administration 2:

The Active Living Challenge (ALC), presented by the FLEX Fitness Centre, is a campus-wide recreation, fitness and wellness event aimed at promoting health and wellness into the new year. Participants can track their workouts, participation in recreational sports, and activities that demonstrate overall physical activity to complete their activity card for a chance to win weekly prizes, including the Challenge grand prize. The ALC is open to all students, staff and faculty members. Stay connected through Campus Recreation Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for updates in December-February each year.

Registration

To participate in the Active Living Challenge, visit the Flex Fitness Centre at the Campus Recreation & Wellness Centre (CRWC).  Activity cards are now digital and will be accessible through the ALC web page and linked to the DC-OT Campus Recreation social media accounts starting January 6, 2025.

Please note there will be a new link weekly, with the link remaining active from Monday to Sunday. If you require accommodations for the Challenge, please contact Brianna Christopher, Fitness Coordinator. Activity can be tracked daily and weekly throughout the duration of the Challenge.

Please visit the ALC web page for full challenge details including prize details!!

The 2024 flu shot clinic is open to Ontario Tech and Durham College staff, faculty and students.  The next clinic occurs:

• Thursday, January 16 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Campus Health and Wellness Centre (G1030) 

What to Expect:

• Expert Care: Our qualified healthcare professionals will be available to administer vaccinations and answer any questions you may have.
• Community Health: By getting vaccinated, you help protect yourself and those around you from the flu.
• Timeframe: Quick and easy, pre-book your appointment to ensure your spot, appointments are around 15- 20  minutes with safety and symptom monitoring while you enjoy a light snack and refreshments. You may also drop-in without registering ahead of time, though space may be limited.
• Preparing for your visit: Please arrive 10 minutes before your appointment time, register upon arrival and wear clothing that is loose enough for sleeves to roll up easily - the injection site will be in your upper arm.  

Complete the booking form to secure your spot and stay flu-free!

On Wednesday, January 22, we will join millions across the country in Let's Talk Day as we engage the university community and take action to create positive change in mental health.

Visit our Let's Talk Day Booths to receive mental health resources and giveaways such as Calm Strips, Stress Paws, and swag from Bell Canada's Let's Talk program including blue and white headbands and sports rally towels (while supplies last).

Date: Wednesday, January 22, 2025
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Target Audience: All faculty and staff
Locations:

• Charles Hall Lobby Atrium
• Shawenjigewining Atrium

Let's continue the conversation, related to January 22's Let's Talk Day, focusing on supporting your mental health by finding time to recharge.  It may seem like a good work strategy to just do one more thing or push through. But, in fact, our focus and productivity go down when our energy is depleted. This means that we have to work harder and longer to get the same results that we would have had if we took the time to recharge. Attend this session to explore techniques to energize, calm your mind or relax your body and discover what you most need to recharge.

Give-away and Draw: Participants will receive a Break Kit to support recharging after this workshop (while quantities last) and everyone will be entered into a random draw to receive a 1-year subscription to Calm.

Date: Thursday, January 23, 2025
Time: Noon - 12:45pm
Location: In-person, SHA-018
Target Audience: All faculty and staff

REGISTER

When it comes to the health of relationships, teams, and organizations, one thing affects everything: communication. Backed by 30 years of social science, Crucial Conversation skills represent the standard in effective communication. Improve your skills and get better outcomes by attending a training course.

The communication skills taught in this training focus on a specific kind of interaction: those when stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong. This is not a course on winning friends or winning people to your way of thinking; it’s about strengthening relationships and securing results in the moments that matter most.

This course teaches nine powerful skills for working through disagreement to achieve better resources: Get unstuck, Master my stories, Start with heart, State my path, Make it safe, Learn to look, Seek mutual purpose, Explore others’ paths, and Move to action.

• Date: Monday, January 27 to Friday, January 31, 2025 (2.5 hours x 5 days)
• Time: 9:30 a.m. to noon
• Location: Virtual
• Target Audience: Managers
  Note: Participants must attend all dates to receive their certificate.

REGISTER for January 27-31, 2025 Manager Session.

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is the help provided to a person developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. Just as physical first aid is administered to an injured person before medical treatment can be obtained, MHFA is given until appropriate treatment is found or until the crisis is resolved.

The MHFA Canada program aims to improve mental health literacy, and provide the skills and knowledge to help people better manage potential or developing mental health problems in themselves, a family member, a friend or a colleague.

Training is delivered by Dr. Jennifer Laffier.  Dr. Laffier is an Assistant Professor, and a Licensed Psychotherapist and Creative Arts Therapist with over 25 years of experience in the fields of developmental psychology, mental health and education. She conducts research in the area of human development and well-being in the digital age and is currently the Director of the Mental Health in the Digital Age Lab.

Date: Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Time: 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Target Audience: All faculty and staff

Note: Participants are required to complete a ~2-Hour online self-directed learning module prior to attending this virtual training day. 

REGISTER

safeTALK is training that equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help. Using a simple yet effective model, safeTALK empowers everyone to make a difference. With over 120,000 people attending each year, it’s the world’s fastest-growing suicide prevention skills training course.

Date: Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Time: 9 a.m. - Noon (12 p.m.)
Location: In-person, SHA-018
Target Audience: All Faculty and Staff

REGISTER

ASIST is a two-day* in-person workshop featuring powerful audio-visuals, discussions, and simulations. You'll learn how to recognize when someone might be thinking about suicide, and how to provide a skilled intervention and develop a safety plan with the person to connect them to further support. This workshop will increase your willingness, confidence, and capacity to provide suicide first aid. Training is facilitated by the Canadian Mental Health Association.

When it comes to the health of relationships, teams, and organizations, one thing affects everything: communication. Backed by 30 years of social science, Crucial Conversation skills represent the standard in effective communication. Improve your skills and get better outcomes by attending a training course.

The communication skills taught in this training focus on a specific kind of interaction: those when stakes are high, opinions vary, and emotions run strong. This is not a course on winning friends or winning people to your way of thinking; it’s about strengthening relationships and securing results in the moments that matter most.

This course teaches nine powerful skills for working through disagreement to achieve better resources: Get unstuck, Master my stories, Start with heart, State my path, Make it safe, Learn to look, Seek mutual purpose, Explore others’ paths, and Move to action.

• Date: Monday, March 17 to Friday, March 21, 2025 (2.5 hours x 5 days)
• Time: 9:30 a.m. to noon
• Location: Virtual
• Target Audience: Front line contributors
  Note: Participants must attend all dates to receive their certificate.

REGISTER FOR MARCH 17-21, 2025 FRONT-LINE CONTRIBTORS SESSION.

Free fitness classes offered by Campus Recreation and Wellness Centre for Staff and Faculty.

Visit the Group Fitness web page to book your spot.

Whether you are new to Ontario Tech or wanting to refresh your knowledge of the supports and services available through TELUS Health, our Employee Assistance Program, please select the orientation format that works best for you.

1. 1-Minute Mini Orientation for Employees - Video Recording
2. 25-Minute Full Orientation for Employees - Video Recording
3. Virtual Orientations: Employee and Manager* sessions held live. Select the date within the Orientation Flyer that you would like to attend to register.

*Orientation for Manager video recordings are available on the Leader Supports webpage.