The Be U Wellbeing Coaching Group kicked off the new semester with a series of events. On Thursday, Feb. 13, the coaches demonstrated a scenario and got involved with students who are interested in the program. Friday, Feb. 14 featured an energetic flash mob dance that caught everyone’s attention during chapel break in the Evelyn Young Dining Room. The flash mob was succeeded by a short introduction to the program by two of the student coaches, Michaela Rice and Joe Thayer. The new Director of Wellbeing Meghan Krause made a short speech afterwards.
Krause specified how she and the Wellbeing Center plan to make efforts to promote wellness in the Gustavus community.
“The Wellbeing Center will provide students, faculty, staff, and alumni with multidisciplinary learning opportunities to advance health and wellbeing. These opportunities will be offered at the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and environmental levels,” Krause said.
“I am currently having conversations with faculty, staff, and students to inform our priorities. We have not yet determined our strategy, but, once we do, it will help us decide where and how we focus our efforts to meet needs and produce better outcomes. In the meantime, the Peer Assistants and Be U peer coaching groups are the two exciting programs of the Wellbeing Center–check them out!” Krause said.
The Be U Wellbeing Coaching program, as part of Gustavus’ groundbreaking Wellbeing initiative, is a peer-based group-coaching program. In total, 24 groups, containing about100 students, will be involved in the program during spring semester. Each group will feature two student coaches who were trained in January that will act as facilitators, as well as four other students, participants, who recently signed up for the program. Each group will meet on a weekly basis for one hour to talk about things that matter to students.
“The central purpose is for students to care for themselves and care for others,” Coordinator of Wellbeing Initiative Stephen Bennett said.
Bennett believes that the Be U Wellbeing program is unique to Gustavus.
“It is a bold and innovative program. Gustavus is the only college in the country that is doing coaching in a group setting. It’s a potential national model for other colleges and industries,” Bennet said.
Thayer also explained what group coaching means to him and how the program is different than counseling.
“We are not necessarily coaching on how to live your life. I don’t think anyone has all the answers. But we are growing each time when we have group discussions. We make you think more about yourself, about things that you may not have thought of, or have no time to think about with your busy schedule. It’s with peers. Some of them may have the same stories so you can connect to them. It is a little bit more relatable than with someone older,” Thayer said.
The student coaches received training which primarily focused on the enhancement of question-asking skills and deep listening skills in January. Rice, who is dedicated to the training program, has gained a lot from this experience.
“It is supportive and meaningful. It made me realize how you, as just a normal person, can make a positive impact on other people’s life by just listening to them,” Rice said.
Bennett enjoys working with the student coaches and speaks highly of them.
“It is a real mix of students from freshman to seniors, who embrace the whole idea of wellbeing and want to be active. They have a lot of energy and positivity,” Bennett said.
Bennett expects to see more students participate in the Be U Wellbeing program in the future. He is excited to envision the changes that the program may bring to Gusties. “It will be a catalyst for Gusties to be healthy and well so that they can get most of their education here,” Bennett said.
Moreover, he hopes it will expand toward an even larger trajectory.
“We want Gustavus students to be effective leaders in the world beyond Gustavus. We want it to be a competitive advantage to make their life count,” Bennett said.