ANU: ANU thrives at ACT Mental Health Month Awards

The team has done amazing work to provide support and resources through health promotion campaigns to all ANU students and being the primary contact point for various health and wellbeing queries among students.

ANU Thrive, which aims to promote student wellbeing, social inclusion, and better mental health practices, has won the Mentally Healthy Community Award at this year’s ACT Mental Health Month Awards.

The program has been in operation since March 2019 and is a student-led initiative at ANU, providing a range of support options to students regarding physical, financial and mental health.

Dr James Brann, Director of University Experiences at ANU, says ANU Thrive has been instrumental for students.

“ANU Thrive thoroughly deserves this award. The team has done amazing work to provide support and resources through health promotion campaigns to all ANU students and being the primary contact point for various health and wellbeing queries among students,” he says.

James says ANU Thrive has run multiple successful campaigns and events during the past two years using a variety of online and face to face mediums to reach scale.

The program has reached more than 800 students with their in-person events and have had an online reach of 18,000 through their social media in the past year.

“Those students who have engaged in the program have shown to significantly improve their overall wellbeing through various initiatives,” James says.

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, ANU Thrive have been actively involved in engaging and providing means of social connection and virtual events to all ANU students, James says.

“The significant work of the ANU Thrive programs goes towards the wider strategic objectives of supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students.”