Supporting the wellness of staff, and by extension, the wellness of our students and community is a priority in any typical school year. With the added layer of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this focus is more important than ever before. 

As part of the ever-evolving efforts to support staff wellness, the Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) introduced a new employee and family assistance plan (EFAP) in September 2021. LifeWorks provides confidential short-term support for staff and their families 24/7, 365 days a year for when they need urgent assistance. LifeWorks also provides a library of articles, podcasts, tools and resources for when staff are looking to learn more about how to support their wellness. 

The Communications, Employee Wellness and Indigenous, Equity and Human Rights Departments continue to publish editions of Supporting Ourselves, Supporting One Another – a publication shared with all WRDSB staff that contains a selection of resources on a variety of topics including mental health and well-being.

Supporting Ourselves, Supporting One Another also includes a section that provides resources to support staff learning on a number of topics, including Indigenous, equity and human rights focuses. This includes a selection of written, video and digital resources available to all staff to assist them in expanding their equity consciousness and understanding of their role in combating racism in our system and community. 

Through a year where the ability to meet in-person has been limited, this offered a way to continue supporting staff learning and development with relevant, and current resources. 

For staff who are looking to build on their knowledge at a self-directed pace, the LifeSpeak video library offers over 300 videos on a range of topics to help improve both physical and mental health. Accessible from anywhere, and at any time, these videos feature leading subject-matter experts to help guide WRDSB staff in supporting their wellness.

Together, these resources are part of the WRDSB’s ongoing efforts to support every member of our team in their wellness as they support our students in theirs.