Grad Minds Executive Meeting #6

Online via Discord

January 19th, 2023

Attendees: Curtis, Daisy, Felix, Serrina, Yunfan

Apologies: Aqsa, Ayushi, Brittany, Jessica, Hania, Lavanya, Lola, Riddhita, Talia,
Dana, Elizabeth, Sophia
______________________________________________________________________

Actionables for next meeting

1. Notetakers needed for March 2, 16, 30; Apr 13, 2023 . Please sign up below
2. Events
a. [Activity Night]: Yunfan and Hania will confirm venue and send details to Curtis
to publish in UTGSU digest by tomorrow (to be published this weekend) or next
week
b. [GM x SWE]: Events team will review and meet with student speakers next
week
c. [GM x SWE]: Events team will look into honourariums for student speakers
d. [GM x English Dept x Wellness through Indigenous Lens]: Confirm interest
from First Nations House, or look for other collaborators for Feb-March event
3. Policy/Advocacy
a. [Share Your Story]:
i. Curtis will send website login info
ii. Serrina, Jessica & Aqsa will figure out website formatting, confirm blurb
and send to UTGSU
iii. All GM committee members can submit stories as backup [10]
b. [LOAP] Felix will schedule meeting with Daisy
c. [Food insecurity]:
i. Felix will send emails follow-up on the landscape (food bank, student
groups, commissioner, UTSU food bank)
ii. Curtis will contact Dr. Tarasuk or her graduate students to understand
landscape
d. [MH coverage/services]
i. Felix will follow up for UTGSU AGM minutes
e. General
i. Felix will send when2meet to Policy group for regular policy meetings
4. Mental health training options
a. All GM Committee members review H&W training options and indicate interest
for either IAR+ or Mental health promotion training (see end of document)
 ______________________________________________________________________
Item
1. Meeting comes to order
a. Adoption of agenda
b. Minutes from last meeting
2. Winter Meetings @ 5:30pm &
notetakers needed
3. Project/event updates
a. Grad Minds X GECoS
(January 30th)
b. Activity Night (Feb 3rd)
c. Grad Minds X SWE (Late
Feb)
d. TBD (March)
e. Grad Minds X English
Department (Wellness
through Indigenous Lens?
TBD)
Notes
Time: 5:30pm
Winter note takers
January 19th: Felix
February 2nd: Yunfan
February 16th:Serrina
March 2nd:
March 16th:
March 30th:
April 13th:
[Action]: Notetakers needed for March 2, 16, 30; April 13
No meetings in the summer, but option to do projects if you
would like
a. Bell’s Lets Talk “Soul” movie screening (January 30)
○ Co-hosted by GM and GECoS (Graduate
Engineering council) at Innis Town Hall
○ Food will be provided before (e.g., pizza)
○ Cost: $600-700, GECoS will split the cost with
GM
○ Details will be sent to the UTGSU Digest and we
can advertise next week via social media
○ Open to all graduate students (not just
engineering). There may be undergraduate
students from the Cinema Studies Student union
b. Activity Night (Feb 3rd - Hania & Yunfan)
○ Name is general so that we can be flexible.
iOptions: HeadsUp, 2 truths and a lie, socializing,
board games
○ Food: Light snacks & refreshments
○ Venue: TBD, some requests have been sent.
○ Advertisement can be sent to UTGSU once
confirmed. If they can confirm by tomorrow (Jan
20), please send to Curtis to be included in this
week’s UTGSU digest. Otherwise next week.
○ [Action]: Yunfan and Hania will confirm and send
details to Curtis to publish in UTGSU digest
c. Grad Nights x SWE (Feb 21st - Yunfan)
○ Hybrid mode
○ Currently, 1 speaker (Dr. Andrea Levinson)
confirmed. Reviewing student speaker interest
 from google form
○ They will meet with the speakers next week.
○ Supports: Yunfan will reach out to Lavanya or
others if needed
○ Honourarium could be a potential option to thank
student speakers ($20 gift card)
d. March event - TBD
e. GM x English Department (February-March:
Wellness through Indigenous Lens & Land
Acknowledgment )
○ Collaboration with Walter (English Department)
○ Seeking other collaborators: Currently the
Indigenous UTM group does not have capacity,
awaiting interest from the First Nations House
○ If First Nations House cannot collaborate, we will
figure out a different workshop / others (e.g.,
UofT equity, diversity, inclusion, anti-racism
office)

4. Policy/advocacy a. Sharing Your Story (Aqsa, Jessica, Serrina)

a. Updates? ○ Goal is for students to share a challenge and how
they overcame their struggle to help normalize
setback and failure
○ Target: 10 stories
○ Template email from UWaterloo is being adapted
(e.g., other examples at Queens and McMaster)
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1j77Q5wLf2
gxXmzDmwdrCpo3drp58Z9qG/edit

○ Promotion: send blurb through UTGSU Digest.

You can reach out to Dana
○ Sharing Platforms: Social media, IG, website
○ Website: Curtis can give policy team login access
to the website and we can create the webpage
however we like. We already have a saved share
your story tab that you can reference and reuse
formatting if it works. In the past, we had a built-in
google doc on the website and people would just
collect and share them. Formatting wasn’t the
nicest. We could also have a submit your story
tab
○ Once reviewed and finalized, post it in the
○ [Action]: Curtis send login info
○ [Action]: Serrina and team will
○ [Action]: GM team members can submit their
stories
b. LOAP (Daisy and Felix)
○ [Action]: Daisy & Felix will schedule a meeting
c. Food insecurity
○ UofT campus bank reached out; policy team will
 follow up
○ Lots of interest from graduate students
○ [Action]: Felix will send emails follow-up on the
landscape (food bank, student groups,
commissioner, UTSU food bank)
○ [Action]: Curtis will contact Dr. Tarasuk or her
graduate students)
d. MH coverage: (TBD)
e. MH services renewal (2019 task force)
○ If needed, touch base with Dr. Andrea Levinson
○ Could take a second look at the Task Force
report to find out recommendations for other
potential gaps

Information: New Executive Director at UTGSU

[Action]: Follow up for UTGSU AGM minutes

[Action]: Felix will schedule meeting with Daisy
[Action]: Felix will send when2meet to Policy story

5. Marketing/communication No updates for listserv

a. Listserv If you have anything, please send to Dana
b. Social media

6. Treasury updates No updates. If you need anything reimbursed, please keep (1)
the receipt/invoice and (2) your bank statement to send to
Elizabeth for reimbursement

7. Any other business - Context:

a. Mental health training - Last year, GM did IAR+ (identify, assist, respond)
options (see below) - Faculty of Arts & Sci: no capacity to provide
training.
- H&W is offering training options (see below)

[Action]: Everyone look at training options and indicate interest

for either IAR+ or Mental health promotion training

Adjournment Time: 6:28PM

Internal Mental Health Training Options @UofT through H&W (no cost)
Outside of clinician led workshop offerings provided on a regular basis, as seen on
https://studentlife.utoronto.ca/department/health-wellness/, the Health Promotion Programs team also
has a couple of offerings that may be of interest and relevance to their needs:

● IAR+: A 1.5 hour workshop facilitated by the Health Promotion Programs team
 ○ IAR+ is a companion workshop to the Identify, Assist, Refer (IAR) online training that
supports a deepening of learning of the IAR course. Participants practice supporting
individuals with mental health challenges through tailored case studies, boundary
activities and role-play.

● Mental Health Promotion Training: facilitated by Vhil Castillejos (Health Promotion &
Community Liaison)
○ The workshop is designed for UofT student leaders and would require 2 hours (probably
a bit less) to complete.
○ Learning outcomes:
○ A baseline understanding of mental health (MH), specific to University of Toronto
○ Increased awareness of determinants of health
○ Knowledge of theories of health behaviour
○ Skills in identifying appropriate MH promotion approaches based on health
behaviours theories

*If you are interested in either of these options, please reach out to us and we would be happy to
coordinate plans to set up a training.

Other External Mental Health Training related Resources (at little or no cost)
● Canadian Red Cross – Psychological First Aid – Self-Care ($20 online course)
https://learn.redcross.ca/p/psychological-first-aid-self-care

● CMHA online mental health courses:

https://cmha.ca/find-info/mental-health/online-mental-health-courses/
○ I know at least some of these online courses are free, though I haven’t looked at all of
them individually to be able to confirm they all are. Worth checking out.

● Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute: On Demand Mental Health workshops and webinars
○ Not free, but relatively inexpensive compared to other options
○ https://ctrinstitute.com/on-demand-training/