Mood Walks for Campus Mental Health is a mental health promotion initiative led by the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario, in partnership with the Centre for Innovation in Campus Mental Health, The Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants, Conservation Ontario and Hike Ontario.

Mood Walks provides training and support for postsecondary institutions across the province to launch educational walking programs for students at risk of or experiencing mental health issues. The program is also designed to encourage and support students (age 17-29) – including newcomer students who may be experiencing additional stress due to settlement changes and social exclusion – to be physically active, to engage with their community, and to benefit from exposure to healing effects of nature. Participating campuses will run a walking group for at least 10 weeks, with eight to 12 participants.

Mood Walks groups:

• Receive Safe Hiker training from Hike Ontario, and some participants may be eligible to receive Hike Ontario’s Certified Hike Leaders training (see “Hike Ontario Training for Mood Walks Participants”)
• Participate in trail hikes and educational events organized by their local conservation area during the Healthy Hikes campaign (see “Group Challenges—Healthy Hikes”)
• Participate in project evaluation using the provided Mood Walks evaluation tools
• Share feedback with CMHA Ontario about their Mood Walks experience

We recognize that each Mood Walks group is unique. Mood Walks groups are occurring in diverse communities across Ontario. Groups will consist of unique student participants, staff members, and group leaders and supporters. Host campuses will differ in terms of experience and resources, as will project partners. Likewise, host communities will vary in terms of resources such as conservation areas, walking trails, and public transportation. We look forward to hearing of each group’s experience and expect the Mood Walks project will be a rich learning experience for all involved.

Mood Walks program schedule:

No programs are currently available. Check back soon for our fall program availability.

Download the Mood Walks for Campus Mental Health manual

For more information, contact moodwalks@ontario.cmha.ca.