Fleming College

Peterborough, ON (Oct. 23, 2015) — Fleming College wrapped up its Mental Illness Awareness Week (Oct. 5-9) by supporting local secondary students’ ‘Give Stigma the Finger’ campaign.

Students and employees around the college taped their fingers and posed for photos to help raise awareness and improve treatment for those with mental illnesses.

Mental Illness Awareness Week was hosted in collaboration with the College Student Alliance’s Yellow Umbrella Project, and kicked off with guest speaker Dave Pogue, the founder of Team 55, who gave a profound and moving talk about the importance of mental illness awareness and support. Fleming College President Tony Tilly also read a declaration in support of mental health.

The declaration commits Fleming College to establishing a mental health friendly environment for students and employees. This will be done through supporting activities and services that reduce stigma, increase awareness and education, and promote self-care activities. As well, Fleming will respond to those living with mental illness in a way that is supportive, transparent, collaborative, and effective.

Events throughout the week included activities to help raise awareness around mental health issues. Students and staff were offered free massages, free yoga, free healthy snacks, and access to community services that promote positive mental health through a support fair.

Also, students were entertained by contemporary dancers from Premiere Dance studio and Rosetta Strings Duet from Hamilton. The week of events wrapped up with an opportunity for staff and students to exercise their stress away on stationary bikes while engaging in a healthy competition to see who could clock the most time for mental illness awareness. Students rose to the challenge and won by a landslide by biking for 2,000 minutes.

Overall the event was a huge success that saw more than 400 students and faculty take part in the events and offerings throughout the week.

The organizing committee would like to offer its thanks to all who donated, helped, supported, or attended events throughout the week. Special thanks to Chapters, Metro, Euphoria Wellness Spa, Rosetta Strings, Premiere Dance studio and Laura Nugent from Hot Yoga – the event could not have been as successful without your generous donations!

About Fleming College
Located in the heart of Central Ontario, Fleming College has campus locations in Peterborough, Lindsay, Cobourg and Haliburton. Named for famous Canadian inventor and engineer Sir Sandford Fleming, the college features more than 100 full-time programs in Arts and Heritage, Business, Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, General Arts and Science, Health and Wellness, Justice and Community Development, Skilled Trades and Technology, and Continuing Education. Fleming College has more than 5,800 full-time and 10,000 part-time students, and 68,000 alumni.

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Media, for more information please contact:
Laura Copeland
Communications Officer
laura.copeland@flemingcollege.ca
705.749.5530 x 1370