The Wellness Peer Advisory Council (WellPAC) is a student-led health & wellness organization that promotes healthy choices among FLC students. WellPAC reaches out to the campus through a humanistic approach, meeting students where they are at with their physical, social, and emotional health. Through educational programs, small groups, outreach efforts and peer consultations using Motivational Interviewing techniques, WellPAC supports students in being happy, healthy, and successful at FLC. Your gift today will directly support students who are supporting their peers.
WellPAC students make a positive impact on the Fort Lewis College and Durango communities while gaining experience organizing:
- Mental Health awareness campaigns & resources including suicide prevention
- Alcohol Screenings & Education
- Sexual Health Education & Resources
- Tobacco Education & Cessation Groups
- Safe Spring Break Preparation
- Sexual Assault Prevention
- Healthy Eating Education & Resources
- And many other wellness initiatives!
Many lives in the Four Corners region have been touched by suicide. Thankfully, community-wide initiatives are helping more individuals find hope. Your support will directly help the following suicide prevention efforts on-campus.
WellPAC Suicide Prevention Efforts (www.fortlewis.edu/suicideprevention)
Suicide Prevention in September- September is National Suicide Prevention Month. It is always FLC’s first month of school, so often hard for us to do comprehensive programming, but we are committed. We recognize that the first several weeks of college can be a time when students develop habits – healthy or unhealthy – and that it can be a risky time as students are going through a big transition to college life. Some examples of programming we offer during this month include a “You are Enough” walk/event with community partners, yellow ribbon campaign w/ memorial for those lost to suicide or struggling with suicidal thoughts, suicide prevention training, etc.
Fresh Check Day in October- Fresh Check Day, a program of the Jordan Porco Foundation, is an uplifting mental health promotion and suicide prevention event that includes interactive expo booths, peer-to-peer messaging, support of multiple campus departments and groups, free food, entertainment, and exciting prizes and giveaways. Fresh Check Day aims to create an approachable and hopeful atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about mental health and helps to build a bridge between students and the mental health resources available on campus, in the community, and nationally. WellPAC supports this event every October.
Suicide Intervention Training Modification for Students - QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) is a brief gatekeeper training that teaches individuals how to support people who are experiencing suicidal thoughts while also seeking professional services. QPR is an evidence-based training that teaches participants how to recognize possible signs of suicidal ideation (serious thoughts about taking one's own life), suicide plans and suicide attempts, how to talk with someone who is contemplating suicide, and how to connect with resources for the individual. We have several QPR instructors available to facilitate trainings on campus and in the community, but WellPAC is currently working on ensuring that we can extend this training specifically to students.
Mental Health Promotion – Besides our explicit suicide prevention programming, WellPAC consistently promotes self-care, self-esteem and mental health in general. We are proactive and take a strength-based approach, focusing on encouraging peers to find ways to take care of themselves that work for them. We promote holistic health and wellness, recognizing that all prevention efforts are connected, including suicide prevention. Connecting socially, increasing self-management techniques, and knowing how and where to reach out for support are all important preventative factors that we promote whether through passing out “You Matter” cards, tabling in the Union to bring awareness, incorporating ideas and resources into our monthly Toilet Talk, presenting workshops on resilience and other topics, having De-Stress Fest on campus and more.
