The Kircher Network’s Well-Being Group held its second virtual meeting as part of the first phase of institutional presentations. Armanda Gonçalves, Director of the Mental Health Faculty at the Faculty of Social Sciences of the Catholic University of Portugal, and François Xavier Fiévez, Vice President for Student Affairs at the University of Namur, shared their institutions’ student and staff well-being programs. Regina Hechanova, Chair of the IAJU Task Force on Holistic Well-Being, also presented the work of Ateneo de Manila University, the AJCU-Asia Pacific, and the IAJU Task Force, with the aim of identifying synergies between these initiatives.
Across the three presentations, common challenges emerged, including funding sustainability, low help-seeking behavior despite high levels of awareness, and the difficulty of measuring impact. The Asia-Pacific Task Force model was highlighted as a possible reference point for Europe. Participants also emphasized the potential benefits of developing a shared repository of tools and resources, hosted in a dedicated space on the Kircher Network website.
In September, three additional universities will share their experiences and initiatives.
