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ABOUT US
The mental health field has made tremendous advancements over the last few decades. With the work of various advocacy organizations and movements, the stigma surrounding mental health is decreasing. However, many people are still unaware of how to care for one’s mental wellness. Or some may want to help those struggling with mental health, but are unsure where to start.
The Mental Unity Group (TMUG) was created in 2017 at the University of Toronto Scarborough Campus (UTSC) with this issue in mind. The goal of this campus group is to build a stronger UTSC community through educating and equipping students with the skills necessary to promote mental wellness, as well as support the lives of peers and loved ones struggling with mental well-being. Our aim is not to provide therapy or to turn students into therapists, but to help students become good support systems that are able to identify, understand, and respond when faced with the struggles of mental health.
CORE VALUES
TEACHING
We value educating and providing opportunities for students to learn how to respond to mental health challenges when they are present. Various mental health-related barriers can be addressed through restorative methods. We believe that teaching and learning is a key factor to preparedness.
TEAMWORK
We value community growth through collaboration. Our intent is to allow students to share their skills, experiences, and advice amongst one another in order to strengthen the sense of unity when confronting mental wellness.
INCLUSIVITY
We value the representation and involvement of all people. We treat each person with understanding, respect, and dignity. We strive to have all members feel included towards our efforts of mental health advocacy.
TMUG is not a therapy service — in times of crisis, you should seek professional emergency care.
MEET THE EXECUTIVE TEAM 2022-2023
Presidents
TMUG presidency team focuses on macro-management of the group. They schedule, prepare, and lead group meetings for the whole group or occasionally for individual teams within the group. Each of the teams within TMUG are assigned to (but not limited to) one of the Co-Presidents as the preferred contact for administrative approval (such as establishing event dates, confirming partnerships, and signing financial requests). Co-Presidents are expected to be knowledgeable in the teams assigned to them and able to perform activities of their designated teams if need be. They are also responsible for renewing annual contracts of recognition with Student Groups and ULife, in addition getting approval for CCR of each successful member. Co-Presidents are accountable for all actions towards the student body and, therefore, are the main representatives of the group.
Internal Operations
TMUG Internal Operation Coordinators and General Membership Directors focus more on the micromanagement of the group. They oversee communications of all teams and act as a liaison between the Executive Team and General Members by directing attention where needed. Internal Team conducts secretarial tasks such as sending reminders of important dates and deadlines, documenting meeting notes, and tracking teams' hours towards TMUG for their CCR approval. Internal Team is a vital support to Co-Presidency and efficiency of the group.
Marketing
TMUG's marketing consists of Promotions Team and Media Team.
Promotions Team is responsible for communicating with each team which requires an advertisement of any kind within TMUG and implementing promotional strategies on media platforms. They collect the necessary information from other teams to be reworded on TMUG captions and schedule posts. They also act as a liaison for the Media Content Team to ensure the required information is presented in the visuals made for the advertisement. The Promotions Team is essential to the outreach and spread of TMUG’s goal to spread mental health awareness.
Media Content Team creates the visuals for all TMUG media posts. They are responsible for implementing design strategies such as color contrast and understanding accessible readability of visual content. They also work closely with the Promotions Team to plan and peer edit posts. The Media Content Team is crucial to the attraction of like-minded, mental health proactive students to our group and our initiatives.
Student Engagement
TMUG's student engagement consists of Events and Share Circles.
Events Team is responsible for our philanthropy events. They propose, plan, and execute activities which provide students with opportunities, both professional and personal, related to mental health care. Professional skill-oriented events require the Events Team to build and maintain partnerships with other Student Groups or workers in the mental health field. Members of the Events Team are active contributors to TMUG’s core value of teaching skills to address mental health barriers.
Share Circle Facilitators are responsible for our student-led discussions (Share Circles). They propose topics, plan, and execute activities which provide students to connect with one another and destigmatize the challenges of mental health within the community. Share Circle Facilitators highlight personal skills to be gained by communicating with our peers and providing the sense of belonging regarding mental well-being. Share Circle Facilitators are active contributors to TMUG’s core value of inclusivity through fostering unity.
TMUG Talks Blog
TMUG’s Blog Writers are responsible for contributing articles to our blog website, TMUG Talks. They create structured writing pieces contributing to mental health discussions at varying levels of formalities. Articles can range from academically researched to personal opinion pieces, but they all make an effort to have a positive stance towards mental health or raise awareness of the barriers to mindful well-being. TMUG’s Blog Writers broaden the approach of TMUG’s goal towards education and awareness of mindfulness.
