Healthy Campus Community of Practice: Student Mental Health and Wellbeing
Posted: 28/07/2026
Forty-seven university representatives from across Australia and New Zealand came together online on Tuesday 28 July for the latest UniSport Healthy Campus Community of Practice, which explored practical ways to advance mental health and wellbeing through the FISU Healthy Campus program.
The session focused on FISU Healthy Campus Criteria 82–89, with presenters sharing practical implementation strategies, whole-of-university approaches and initiatives designed to support the wellbeing of students and staff.
The session opened with a keynote presentation from Rohenna Young, Director of the thrive* program. Young shared examples of events that brought joy to the university community and presented the Quarter Two 2026 results. The outcomes showed strong growth in student engagement through co-designed, student-led initiatives and flexible, barrier-free access, allowing students and staff to showcase their hidden talents, interests and hobbies.
Attendees then heard from CQUniversity’s Mindwaves 2.0 program, presented by Anna Farmer. Farmer demonstrated how a geographically dispersed university can make a positive impact across its community and highlighted CQUniversity’s transition from a reactive model to a proactive, whole-of-university approach, contributing to its FISU Healthy Campus certification.
The Community of Practice concluded with a Healthy Campus Hack implementation session led by Ashleigh Apps from Curtin University. Apps outlined Curtin University’s roadmap from intent to execution, sharing how the university turned broad criteria into clear accountabilities by mapping ownership, securing executive governance, prioritising quick wins, tracking evidence and positioning Healthy Campus as a coordinated approach to existing university initiatives rather than a new standalone program.
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