The Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education has partnered up with CAMH’s One Brave Night campaign, MoveU and Hart House, to raise awareness for mental health on April 8.
The day’s events are set to kick off on the main lawn outside of Hart House with speakers sharing their mental health stories at 9:30 AM, followed by a 1km walk/5km run at 10:00 AM and a mental health expo at 10:45 AM. Participants will move to the Back Campus Field at 11:00 AM, to attempt a Guinness World Record of creating the longest chain of people making heart-shaped hand gestures, to symbolize their togetherness in raising mental health awareness. Registration is free and faculty, staff, students, friends and families are all welcome to join.
“This is a great initiative and way for us to partner and build relationships with student groups and other partners on campus around mental health and the intersections with physical activity,” says Kay Dawkins, manager of physical activity at the University of Toronto.
Fourth year PhD student in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Mackenzie McLaughlin is one of the many organizers who are collaborating on One Brave Run.
“As a graduate student in Exercise Sciences and president of Exercise is Medicine on Campus at U of T, it is exciting to see that this event has garnered so much support and has expanded from a walk/run to a day filled with speakers, a resource exhibition and Guinness World Records attempt in support of mental health awareness,” says McLaughlin.
McLaughlin got involved in the event in order to help remove the stigma surrounding mental illness and to promote exercise for the maintenance of mental health and wellness.
“It can be difficult to become vulnerable and open up to others during difficult times, but human interaction is a powerful tool. I have learned to talk with others in difficult times and I always receive uplifting feedback from the outsider perspective,” says McLaughlin. “Physical activity is also a profoundly effective therapy and a necessity for me to work through my own conflicts. I think human interaction and human movement are the two most natural and accessible measures to help manage and overcome periods when mental wellness is at risk.”
The speakers at the event will be Associate Professor in the Human Biology Program William (Bill) Ju and Canadian business woman Annette Verschuren, who sits on the boards of The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health Foundation. Other groups involved with the event include the non-profit organization Outrun the Stigma and the Institute of Medical Sciences Student Association, which spearheaded the Guinness World Record challenge.