Students will experience a wide-range of health activities at Arizona State University’s (ASU) health expo.
Titled “Give ‘em Health, Devils,” the health expo is taking place on April 14, 2022. It’s an interactive event for students to:
- Learn about the variety of resources on campus and in the local community.
- Take part in various well-being experiences.
In fact, Courtney Smith, the associate director of Sun Devil Fitness and Wellness, shared they have two main objectives with the expo:
- To engage students that are new to Sun Devil Fitness and Wellness programs and services.
- To influence students’ perception of well-being, showing them it’s more than physical activity and nutrition.
“We wanted to host this event for students to demonstrate holistic well-being is a journey and looks different for everyone,” said Smith. “By engaging in the variety of health and wellness activities, students, faculty and staff can learn how to better their own optimal and dynamic states of healthfulness. The event will highlight our four pillars of well-being: Live, Feel, Learn and Engage. And, it will have the vendors and departments arranged according to their specialty area of well-being.”
What Will Students Experience at the ASU Health Expo?
Smith shared some of what ASU students will get to participate in:
- Healthy food trucks.
- A coffee and conversation area for students to take a break together.
- Therapy dogs.
- Dance performances.
- Group wellness class demos.
However, there is also a very atypical offering. “What physical movement and exercise regimen is complete without a mechanical shark? We will have several competitions— and also non-competitive turns — on the crowd favorite,” said Smith.
Plus, the coffee and conversation booth is more than just a hang out spot. It will showcase the “Hi, How Are You?” project. Brought about through a partnership between ASU and American Campus Communities, the project looks to bring awareness to and remove stigma around mental health.
“Our coffee and conversation booth will highlight the ‘Hi, How Are You?’ project and will display happy and healthy habits students can use to improve their mental health,” said Smith.
Challenges Accepted
One big challenge in putting together this health expo involves strategy. “Since we want to ensure a variety of vendors are present that truly meet our purpose of demonstrating holistic well-being, we had to be strategic in gathering vendor commitments and engaging departments on campus,” said Smith.
In addition, Smith said it has been a full team effort. “Most of the planning committee as well as others from Sun Devil Fitness and Wellness tapped their networks to gather in-kind donations, prizes and companies to be present at the event,” she said.
And despite the challenges, they aren’t slowing down. As such, there are already things in the works for the future of the “Give ‘em Health, Devils” expo.
“We hope to grow this health expo to be hosted on all four of our campus locations next year,” said Smith.
