Nourish + Flourish

A space to be, explore and evolve in community

The Office of Student Life offers you a different take on what student leadership can look and feel like through the Nourish + Flourish program!

Nourish + Flourish offers a space for students to come together, experience authentic connections with one another, pause, reflect, and discuss topics that connect us. An important part of building community is breaking bread together, so the discussion happens while enjoying a locally prepared meal.

You have a lot to offer! All you will need to participate is openness, your existing knowledge, wisdom, and lived experiences.

Through this program, we hope to de-centre the individual in leadership and instead focus on cultivating leadership through the values of care, curiosity, and respect that bring us together as a strong interdependent community.

Each event has a unique theme centred around the self in relationship to the world around us to foster connection, ideas, and empowerment.

Our values:

Accessibility
Authenticity
Collaboration
Collectivity
Community impact
Connection
Decolonisation
Diverse population

Empathy
Honouring lived experience
Inspiration-driven
Making space for all voices
Power with
Process-driven
Relationality

Five student attendees at the Nourish+Flourish event, sitting at the table about to eat.

A view of a table setting before a Nourish+Flourish event. Printed programs, utensils, markers and eucalyptus in a mason jar.

Five students sitting at a table talking at a Nourish+Flourish event

Students sitting at different tables and talking to eachother at a Nourish+Flourish event

Four students sitting around a table at a Nourish+Flourish event

A closeup of a place setting and printed program at a Nourish+Flourish event

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Upcoming events

Events are free and open to all students. You don't have to bring anything but yourself and a willingness to be open and connect with others. All lived experiences are welcome.

These events are conversation-based, requiring a level of connection and vulnerability that we hope to cultivate from the beginning of each evening. To ensure that you and your table have the best experience, we ask you to let us know if you cannot attend the event in its entirety. We will prioritize attendance for people who can participate fully.

Term 1 dates include: October 7 (Relationship to LEADERSHIP), October 21 (Relationship to OCCUPATION), November 4 (Relationship to SELF-COMPASSION), and November 25, 2024 (End of term celebration).

Registration for our first event is now open:

Relationship to LEADERSHIP

Monday, October 7, 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Topics discussed: role models, personal values, relationship building, leadership approaches
Catered by:

Relationship to OCCUPATION

Monday, October 21, 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Topics discussed: career uncertainty, success, values and goals, influences, societal expectations
Catered by:

Relationship to SELF-COMPASSION

Monday, November 4, 4:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Registration for Relationship to SELF-COMPASSION will open on October 14 at 8:00 a.m.

Previous events

Relationship to SELF
- Topics discussed: Influences, self-expression, belonging, feeling seen, self-compassion, collective compassion
- Catered by
Relationship to LAND, WATER, AND AIR
- Topics discussed: The natural world, co-existence, appreciation, ancestral rituals and practices, environmental impacts, settler colonialism
- Catered by
Relationship to TECHNOLOGY
- Topics discussed: Impact on self, community, culture, and environment, artificial intelligence
- Catered by
Relationship to SELF (Redux)
- Topics discussed: Belonging, imposter syndrome, gifts, personal stories
- Catered by
Relationship to COMMUNITY
- Topics discussed: Accountability, community building, safer spaces, learning from others
- Catered by
Relationship to PRODUCTIVITY AND REST
- Topics discussed: Shame, capitalism, student life, recovery, stress, expectations
- Catered by
Relationship to LIFE TRANSITIONS
- Topics discussed: Adulthood, responsibilities, identity exploration, instability, possibility, expectations
- Catered by:
Relationship to ACADEMIA
- Topics discussed: Pursuit of research and education, exploration, inclusion, institutions, ethics, learning outside the classroom
- Catered by:
Relationship to CREATIVITY AND ART
- Topics discussed: Expression, historical context, power and authority, beauty standards, making meaning
- Catered by:
Relationship to OTHERS
- Topics discussed: Healthy relationships, break-ups, hook-up culture, familial and romantic relationships, friendships, supervisors/professor relationships
- Catered by:
Relationship to FOOD and CULTURE
- Topics discussed: Family recipes, traditional food, social experiences, food security
- Catered by: Degrees Catering
Relationship to EMBODIMENT
- Topics discussed: Senses, sensory experiences, mind-body connection, awareness
- Catered by: Degrees Catering

Contact

Sign up to get emailed about Nourish + Flourish program updates or other student leadership opportunities at the Office of Student Life.

For registration questions, please email the team at nourishflourish@uvic.ca. For any other questions or further information, please email our Student Leadership Coordinator at oslengage@uvic.ca.