Helping Students Build the Social Health Habits That Support Well-Being and Success
GenWell Heads Up is a year-long initiative designed to educate, empower and catalyze students to build the habits, routines and rituals of human connection that support their academic, mental, physical and community wellbeing.
The year-long program brings social health into classrooms, schools, campuses and student communities across Canada to help young people understand why connection matters and how to build healthier real-world habits in school and on campus today and every day.
At its core, Heads Up is about prevention. By helping students build the healthy connections, relationships, supports and sense of belonging and inclusion that are essential to thriving, we can reduce the risk of social isolation, disconnection and loneliness that too many young people experience today and that drive the downstream issues institutions have been focused on for decades.
Why This Matters
Research shows that social health is a foundational determinant of success in school and in life. Strong relationships support better mental health, academic performance, resilience, persistence and civic engagement. Yet students today are entering secondary and post-secondary environments with less lived experience and fewer skills around building meaningful in-person relationships, especially after the pandemic.
GenWell Heads Up intervenes early to help students develop the understanding, confidence, tools and opportunities required to build healthy relationships, foster community and establish social supports that benefit them throughout their studies and into life beyond graduation.
A Year of Learning, Action and Shared Occasions
The Heads Up calendar combines education, shared experiences and simple opportunities for real-world connection throughout the academic year:
- GenWell Social Health Workshops in October and January
- Talk To A Stranger Week in November
- Face to Face February in February
- Digital Detox Days on the first day of every month
Additional Opportunities to Deepen Social Health On Campus:
- GenWell Campus Connection Club
- GenWell Moments of Connection Cards
- GenWell merchandise and printed materials
- GenWell Social Health Micro Grants
- Campus Student Talk Lab
Together these workshops, tools, campaigns and shared occasions help students shift behaviour from knowing to doing by reinforcing the small habits and permission that strengthen relationships, increase participation and create more opportunities for connection in classrooms, schools, residences and across campus life.
Heads Up is a positive, proactive, upstream and inclusive prevention strategy that welcomes students to learn about a fundamental pillar of health that has not previously been part of formal education. It ensures young people have the information, tools and opportunities to build the social health skills that make school and campus life healthier, more productive and more meaningful.
When students build the relationships that sustain them, they are better equipped to manage stress, navigate transitions, access resources, support their mental health and develop a sense of purpose and community. Connection is not a nice to have. It is a key protective factor for wellbeing, resilience and academic success.
Who It’s For
Heads Up is delivered in partnership with:
- educators
- student services
- school leadership
- residence life
- student unions
- clubs and peer leadership programs
It is relevant for students across secondary and post-secondary education and is designed to meet them where they are.
Outcomes We Influence
Through GenWell Heads Up, schools and campuses can shape:
- Stronger habits of participation and involvement
- Improved connection confidence and relationship skills
- Increased sense of belonging and inclusion
- Reduced experiences of social isolation, disconnection and loneliness
- Better academic and mental wellbeing outcomes
- More cohesive, supportive and collaborative learning communities
Building a More Connected Generation
GenWell Heads Up is part of GenWell’s broader effort to make social health a visible and actionable health priority in Canada. By educating and empowering young people early, we can help build a generation that knows how to build community, maintain relationships and contribute to healthier schools, campuses, workplaces and communities throughout their lives.
