The 2025 HCA Wellness Summit took place in person over 2 days, June 17th & 18th at the University of Calgary.
The theme of this year’s Summit was Reimagining Campus Culture, calling for a collective effort to reshape campus environments across Alberta by cultivating wellness, belonging, and inclusion. 24 post-secondary institutions from Alberta and 7 community organizations came together over two inspiring days to share insights, initiatives, and resources. Together, the community of practice collaborated to envision the future of mental health and well-being at their respective campuses.
For more details on the event, sessions, and participant feedback, please read the Community Report.
This year’s Summit opened and closed in a good way with ceremony and heartfelt sharing from Elder Betty Crazy Boy from the Piikani Nation. Over the two days, a total of four concurrent sessions containing 14 unique presentations were offered covering the following themes: Cultivating a Sense of Belonging, Strengthening Partnerships Across Campuses and Communities, and Integrating Wellness in Learning Environments.
The Summit brought community members together for in-person collaboration with a presentation and roundtable discussion session offered by the University of Calgary, introducing attendees to the Post-Secondary Mental Health and Well-Being Research and Knowledge Hub (The Hub), a collaboration between UCalgary’s Community Mental Health and Well-being Strategy and the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education. The event also featured a poignant keynote presentation from Dr. Michael Ungar, the founder and Director of the Resilience Research Centre at Dalhousie University. A Zen Den was also available all Summit long, offering a quiet space hosted by SAIT, modeled after their Student Zen Den Pilot Project, an initiative designed to support student mental health and well-being.
Additional resources: