INDIGENOUS ORIGIN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Information on Sharing Circles adapted from RavenSpeaks.ca
Sharing circles are an essential part of the oral tradition of indigenous communities. The Traditional Native Feather Wand or Talking Stick is used in these circles when meetings take place and when decisions have to be made. They learn information about their culture through their Elders, families, friends, and other community members who share stories about what their lives were like, why we do things certain ways and to seek the wisdom of their experiences.
A Talking Stick is a very special tool that gives us the courage to speak the truth and the power to speak from the heart. It is a symbol of respect for the thought, stories, and individual histories of each member participating in a circle. When a person is holding the item in a sharing circle, they speak from the heart without interruption. Other people in the circle respectfully listen to the speaker and take in their message. Everyone in the circle gets a chance to hold the Talking Stick and share their thoughts and feelings. If the receiver chooses not to speak, he or she respectfully hands it to the next person until the item has been passed to everyone participating.
TMUG SERVICES
2022/2023 Academic Year
SHARE CIRCLES
Peer-Discussion Learning
Students take part in a discussion on a particular mental health topic or skill organized by designated TMUG Executive Members (Share Circle Facilitators). The purpose of these sessions is for students to learn from each other’s experiences and to collectively brainstorm strategies where applicable. These sessions are for students who are interested in furthering their skills personally, as opposed to professionally. The discussions also provide the opportunity to strengthen community solidarity as skills are gained collaboratively.
GENERAL EVENTS
Social Development
TMUG values the work of other organizations and will occasionally collaborate or highlight these organizations through events. We highlight the knowledge and values of other organizations which help us to better ourselves and as a community. The purpose of these events are to create a fun learning space shifting away from the standard lecture-style learning. These sessions are for students interested in expanding their ideology of what mental health is and how it impacts ourselves.
CERTIFIED MENTAL HEALTH TRAININGS
Professional Career Enhancement
Provided by LivingWorks, a certified educational company, TMUG provides students the opportunity to earn various certified trainings in relation to mental health. These trainings are for students who wish to gain the skills to enhance their career, or help students expand their professional knowledge of mental health. Some of the trainings available are for navigating mental health discussions, suicide prevention, and suicide intervention.
DESTRESSORS
Self Care During Exam Periods
As a student organization, we understand the pressure students feel as exam season approaches. As a result, TMUG hosts socials near the end of the semester to help students ease the tension before the exam period starts. These destressors are filled with movies, video games, board games, calming activities and overall good times.
GENERAL MEMBERSHIP
Just a $5 fee for the entire year!
Share Circles and General Events are open to all students, but only those who are registered as General Members will be rewarded for their continuous participation.
Students who are not Executive Members of TMUG are still given the opportunity to be awarded a certificate for the University of Toronto's Co-Curricular Record (CCR). Due to the educational nature of our core values, we believe that attending various events hosted by TMUG provides a considerable amount of learning and applicational opportunities towards mental health advocacy. As a result, students that sign up as a general member and attend a minimum of 6 events in the 2022-2023 academic year will receive a certification of mental health advocacy.