The Healthy Campus Alberta team would like to offer a huge thank you to all the 2026 HCA Wellness Summit attendees, presenters, volunteers and community partners who contributed to the most well attended summit in the history of HCA! We are already excited to be planning the next Summit, returning to Calgary in May of 2027, and we hope to see you there!
At the summit closing, we asked HCA attendees what they wanted to celebrate. Here are just some examples of what they shared:
“Great collaborators, colleagues who really care about the work and the students”
“My first HCA conference!”
“The power of compassion, connection, and community in creating healthier campuses where every student and staff member feels supported, valued and empowered to thrive” – Mount Royal University
“Presentations that break the idea of what academia ‘should’ be”
“Connecting with others from the province and putting faces to names from our meetings” – Red Deer Polytechnic
“People! We are all going through something, but we are all trying our best”
“All the students & staff doing amazing work to make campuses safe & caring” – University of Alberta
“The student union initiatives that address food insecurity on campus” – University of Calgary
“New connections, collaborative ideas” – Northwestern Polytechnic
“Students! And following their wisdom and lead”
“How we as a community are decolonizing post-secondary institutions and academia” – Southern Alberta Institute of Technology
“New ideas, inspiration” – Northern Lakes College
“Students that make this system possible. Celebrating learners and learning” – Mount Royal University
“Work being done to support neurodivergent folks” – University of Alberta
“The entire HCA CoP! You are all amazing!”
“Self love” – MacEwan University
“The amazing HCA team for hosting a beautiful event with such awesome people” – Concordia University of Edmonton
“Medicine Hat College Mental Health Services Team! Improving mental health one day at a time” – Medicine Hat College
Participants also shared some general feedback about the summit in the follow up survey:
“First time attending was a great experience, very informative.”
“It was refreshing and educational. I really enjoyed the topics that were available, which made it so difficult to choose from for the concurrent sessions. It was great to have new faces from different schools and roles attend, which made the experience practical and engaging.”
“Student athlete presentations were amazing, great turn out this year and I hope we can expand for even more attendees next year!”
“Absolutely amazing, I came in with questions and all of them were answered.”
“It was a great opportunity to connect with other people from the same industry and to create relationships outside of the university I work in.”
“The conference was exceptionally well-organized. Thank you to the HCA team for being such incredible hosts! The sessions were diverse and informative. I appreciated the breaks and the various opportunities to network. I heard lots of positive feedback and appreciation from people when standing in line for meals. Well done!”
“Loved the sessions. It helps me feel grounded and encouraged to keep doing my work on campus. Favourite concurrent sessions was the one about social connection and conflict revolution.”
“It was really great and engaging! I really enjoyed my time this year. The setting was very nice because it offered light and nature, making the long day easier to digest.”
“It was great – I always love the opportunity to connect with others and share ideas and resources!”
“The experience was great, amazing conferences, a great organization, good food, and good people.”
“Thank you for being inclusive to Indigenous people and the presenters. I can’t help but feel that we need to really educate people on facts that surround us First Nations people.”
“Many networking opportunities were provided, and the topics of discussion were very interesting and educational.”
“Great job and timely topics for the sessions – my team and I will be back!… I appreciate the opportunity to participate in the Summit each year – thank you!”
“I am a student leader and when I first read about the sessions that would be at this year’s summit, I got very excited. I was able to attend various sessions that related to student engagement, loneliness, and digital detox, all of which are so extremely relevant to practically everyone. I gained so much knowledge that I am so excited to bring back to my campus, and I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend.”
“Being a mental health advocate in post-secondary can seem quite isolating at times and this conference really reminds me of why I do this type of work! I feel refreshed, energized, and incredibly grateful!”
“The summit offered a welcoming and supportive environment.”
“Very enjoyable. Good way to network and discuss issues at the post-secondary level. Opportunity for new ideas and refresh old ones.”
“It was amazing to connect with other individuals with similar goals. The student panel had very insightful information, much appreciated! The sessions were well rounded that covers most of the wellbeing topics.”
“My favourite part of these summits are the connections and the breakouts. There was a lot of creative and interactive options and they were super engaging!!”
“Had a great time! Met people who I think I can do some great work with and learned that I’m on similar tracks as other members or this community.”
View the 2026 HCA Wellness Summit: Summary and Community Report here.
We’re excited to meet you at upcoming 2026-2027 events!