WeBelong Wellness Initiative

In time for International Women’s Day, a motivated student leader from the School of Engineering in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences (CEPS) is leading a wellness program to enhance the sense of community and inclusivity for engineering students on campus.

Mya Simpson is a second-year biomedical engineering (co-op) major, Vice President of EDI for Guelph Engineering Society (EngSoc), and undergraduate student representative on the IEDI committee for CEPS. As an established student leader on campus, she often receives feedback from students about what would make their lives easier. A common request? Free and easily available menstrual products. 

“I’ve gotten feedback that other Universities had something like this and even other U of G buildings on campus through CSA, so I wanted to ensure Thorn gave students the same opportunity,” says Simpson.

However, she wanted to expand the concept to also provide students with comfort items, beyond just biological needs. With the support of EngSoc and Women in Engineering through the Doody Family Gift, on February 28, Simpson filled up drawers for two bathrooms in the Albert A. Thornbrough Building at U of G with a wide variety of products: pads, tampons, liners, mints, tissues, hair elastics, consent action week and calm tactile stickers, and resource cards from Sexual and Gender-based Violence Support and Education at U of G.

“Cultivating a connected, supportive community is a critical mission of Women in Engineering at U of G,” says Dr. Jana Levison, the inaugural Doody Family Chair for Women in Engineering. “Initiatives such as WeBelong Wellness – supporting women and people who menstruate to feel welcomed on campus – will help student retention and overall satisfaction.”

The initiative’s success is proven through demand: Simpson restocks both the universal and women’s bathrooms adjacent to the Adams Atrium every morning and sometimes makes another round in the afternoon. There are posters in the building’s other washrooms directing students to the stocked bathrooms.

Simpson has also noticed this has become an opportunity for students who utilize these products to bond.

“People are already talking about how much they love the products. I saw these two students chatting about how exciting it was and looking through the drawers together. It’s a really cool thing to see,” she says.

Simpson knows first-hand how engineering students spend long hours on campus, specifically in Thornbrough during peak assessment times. Her main goal of this initiative was to make it feel like a welcoming space for everybody.

“I know so many people who spend 12 plus hours here a day and then are sometimes interrupted by their cycle or other needs. We’re really trying to empower students on campus.”

As for the future of the initiative, Simpson, EngSoc and Women in Engineering are considering opportunities to expand to other CEPS buildings and have sought sponsorship from Proctor & Gamble. Simpson also hopes other student clubs will be interested in doing timed “takeovers” of the products, adding their own unique items and decorating the containers.