AccessAble aimed to increase accessibility and inclusion in the workplace. One of the greatest challenges that individuals with disabilities face is the process of requesting reasonable accommodation in the workplace. The process for requesting Reasonable Accommodation, as guaranteed by the Ontario Human Rights Code, is often quite long, different for each organization, and involves multiple stakeholders. This creates additional barriers for the individual, as well as added costs and productivity loss for organizations. Our project redefined the reasonable accommodation process through a platform which streamlined this process to enable greater ease and efficiency.

AccessAble is a streamlined platform for providing workplace accommodations. It empowers greater accessibility for employees requesting accommodations. The current process is unregulated and exhausting for the companies that have it. And some companies do not have a formal process yet.  Employees who seek accommodations could be people with temporary disabilities, permanent disabilities or invisible disabilities or people with general accommodation requests. Our solution looks to solve the problems associated with requesting accommodations from both the perspective of the employee and their employer. The end goal behind this project was to make the process of requesting accommodations easier, less convoluted, and therefore more accessible.

Coffee, Create & Connect Therapeutic Art Group was a wellness option that helped support staff and faculty members who were feeling overwhelmed, burnt-out or struggled to find time for self-care. This 5-session pilot program for staff was intended to provide an open and relaxed space to reflect, decompress, and help build more meaningful connections with others. Using a mix of mindfulness tools (meditations and art exercises), the program helped participants develop more compassion and empathy for themselves and help boost feelings of well-being.

A total of five therapeutic art sessions were held with 93% of registration spots being filled. Participants expressed great satisfaction with the program, commenting that the program helped them to enjoy being in the moment and be less critical of themselves. They also stated that the opportunity to create meaningful connections with a consistent group of peers from across campus was an extremely valuable experience. 100% of participants stated that they walked away with skills to support their well-being and would recommend the program to others.

Black students sometimes report feeling isolated on Canadian university campuses and for Black male students, that isolation can be heightened. The Empowered program was run by BSSC and provided an opportunity for Black male students in any program and level of study  to meet, and build connections with one another. Through the program students had the opportunity to participate in facilitated discussions about the impact of harmful stereotypes on their lives and shared strategies for navigating them effectively.

The Empowered program held a total of four two-hour sessions from September – November 2022 with an average of 25 students in attendance for each session. Sessions would begin with introductions and refreshments, followed by a film focused on the intersectional experiences of Black men, and ending with reflections on the show and one’s own life experiences. Feedback was unanimously positive, with 100% of respondents describing the environment as welcoming and very comfortable, stating they would be extremely likely to attend future programming at the Black Student Success Centre, and indicating their interest in remaining connected to the group following the conclusion of the program.

Home-Cooked at Mac was an initiative intended to celebrate the diversity of our community by highlighting individuals and balanced dishes from cultures across the world. Home-Cooked at Mac consisted of a series of recipe instructional videos and corresponding articles. Accompanying the release of each recipe, meal kits were available to be picked up for participants to cook along.

The universal medium of food carries rich stories, memories, and emotions. By sharing these connections through authentic recipes, we supported community members in reconnecting with their culture or learning about new ones.

From October to April 2022, Home-Cooked at Mac released a total of four videos providing step-by-step directions on how to cook delicious and nutritious meal recipes. After releasing the videos, 100 meal kits – including all the ingredients from the recipes and which served 2-3 individuals each – were handed out at the Student Wellness Centre. Many of these recipes allowed students to learn more about different cultures, with 86% of students reporting a feeling of connection to another culture and many more making connections to their own culture. Student participants were overjoyed to hone their cooking skills with others and enjoy food together.

“I think this program is an excellent idea and cannot sing its praises enough. I have been telling my peers about it and they are super excited to sign up for the next recipe! Additionally, with the cost of groceries, the meal kit is an incredible initiative, and the serving size is amazing, I get my friends together to make the recipe and still have leftovers after. I think this program is excellent on so many fronts, from the opportunity to learn about cultures, experience dishes I wouldn’t usually make, and connect with other students, I just cannot express how great this program is!” – Project participant

Learn more about Home-Cooked at Mac.

Many members of the McMaster community have dearly missed the opportunity for in-person interaction over the past couple of years due to the pandemic. As we continue to chart our way forward, the Library Sustainability Committee wanted to provide ample opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to learn and share new skills and engage with conceptualizations of sustainability together. The main mission is to mirror and support McMaster University’s Sustainability Commitment, so all the projects dovetailed with the Key Pillars of McMaster’s approach to sustainability: Natural Resources, Reducing Environmental Impact, and Student Learning and Research.

The Library Sustainability Committee gathered 21 volunteers to host a Repair Café in the Thode Makerspace, where anyone in the McMaster community could bring their broken items to be fixed by the talented volunteers. 92 guests visited the event and over 100 repairs were performed during the five repair sessions. Most guests found the event invaluable and were very satisfied with the repair results.

The Library Sustainability Committee also inaugurated a seed library in the Mills Library, featuring a diverse selection of open-pollinated, non-GMO seeds. A total of 262 seed packets were distributed to students, who planted the seeds and returned any seeds that resulted from the grown flowers in order to supplement the library in the future. Another initiative the Library Sustainability Committee ran included a bike repair station in April.

The McMaster Community Fridge is an outdoor fridge, freezer, and pantry that is accessible 24×7, located behind Mills library facing parking lot B. Students and other members of the McMaster and surrounding community can take food from the fridge for free at any time, or leave a donation if they are able.

Two in five Canadian university students experience some degree of food insecurity. The McMaster Community Fridge was created as a response to this need, taking inspiration from several community fridges started across Hamilton over the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to bring together the campus community in a spirit of mutual aid, and tackle the stigma associated with experiencing food insecurity.

The MCF began as a student-led project through the SUSTAIN courses, championed by the MSU Food Collective Centre and the Student Wellness Centre. Many different McMaster students and departments have come together to support this project in different ways, making this a truly collaborative campus-wide initiative.

Donations of fresh produce, packaged meals, frozen foods, pantry items, and toiletries are welcomed, and if folks aren’t able to make a food donation in person, the fridge also accepts monetary donations. To learn more and keep up with donation requests made by the community, follow the fridge on Instagram @McMasterCommunityFridge

Students, staff, and faculty are also welcomed to volunteer to help keep our campus community fridge running!

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact fridge@mcmaster.ca.

Too many of us are fundamentally out of touch with our relationship to the land and where our food comes from. Many of us also face various obstacles to accessing fresh healthy produce. As much as we may try to promote healthy eating through education and other programs, there is nothing like pulling a carrot out of the ground and composting the leftovers to change the way we think about food and our relationship with nature. According to FoodShare Toronto, “Those involved with community gardens are more likely to eat and continue in the off-season to eat more fruits and vegetables.”

Community gardens are a site for connection, a place to form a community, and a way to gain experience and skills (DeMuro, 2013). Currently located in the McMaster Teaching and Community Garden, the OPIRG Community Garden seeks to grow a thriving garden space where folks in need of fresh produce can access it, and all members of the McMaster community can enjoy the therapeutic benefits of gardening as well as the beauty of an urban garden. Students and faculty will be welcome to volunteer at the garden, join the various workshops that are hosted, and harvest the fresh produce we grow.

OPIRG McMaster is a student-run organization that seeks to empower students and community members to take action on diverse social justice and environmental issues by providing funding, training, resources, and support.

This project is still in implementation.

The Bring Your Own Bottle initiative aims to reduce the use of single use plastic water bottles by encouraging the McMaster community to use the water bottle filling stations located throughout campus.

Current and Proposed Projects:

• Creation of an interactive map of water refill stations on McMaster’s Westdale campus
• Installation of signage throughout campus
• Communication to incoming residence students through Residence Life
• Hosting of events and engagement campaigns, such as an expert panel discussion and a plastic bottle free pledge

Visit the Bring Your Own Bottle webpage.

The Challenge Mindset: Expanding Career Possibilities

The nature of work today is fast-paced and ever-changing. Narrowing down career options isn’t always as easy as matching interests to a career. The Challenge Mindset encouraged students to think creatively, foster connections between their interests, and consider options based on purpose and meaning. In this way, students can learn to grow and adapt to new environments and roles, better preparing them for the future of work.

The Challenge Mindset initiative was an incredible success – a total of 608 students made accounts and engaged with the online self-directed challenge cards from July 1, 2023 – April 1, 2023. A total of 50 one-on-one career counselling appointments between students and alumni were hosted, which also featured digital challenge cards. 221 students engaged in the in-person group facilitated sessions, which prompted the hosting of additional facilitated sessions. Other events run in tandem with The Challenge Mindset initiative were the Harvest Festival, Career Café, and Entrepreneurship Week, all of which had excellent turnout. The digital challenge cards were featured on the McMaster Student Success Centre YouTube channel, and the Career Café was featured on the McMaster Daily News.

Student wellness is intimately tied to a sense of community, and more than ever, people are seeking meaningful connections on campus. The Soc Sci Drop-By was a bi-monthly event for Social Science students to come together in a relaxed and social environment. Each event was organized around a different theme so come out and laugh, write letters to loved ones, roast smores over a campfire, win prizes, and more! The goal was to foster a vibe that foregrounds relaxation, connection, and fun for all. As such, the Soc Sci Drop-By organizers were committed to creating a space that was free of racism, sexism, classism, queer and trans*phobia, ageism, and ableism.

The Soc Sci Drop By featured three sessions, including ‘Laughing Yoga’ for physical and mental wellness, ‘Letters to Loved Ones’ for students away from friends and family to connect, and ‘Financial Literacy Wellness Workshop’ where students could learn and ask questions about vulnerable topics related to money. Meaningful connections were made between students, or students and Social Sciences staff members who attended. The events created a safe space where people could feel a meaningful sense of community with their peers.