How five Atlantic post-secondary institutions collaborated to make practical mental fitness development accessible to faculty and staff, strengthening workplace resilience in higher education.
Faculty and staff across post-secondary institutions are navigating many of the same pressures: sustained workload demands, ongoing change, emotional strain, and the challenge of maintaining a sense of control during uncertain times.
While those pressures may show up differently across roles, campuses, and provinces, they point to a shared need: giving people practical skills to navigate stress and challenge in their everyday lives.
That opportunity brought together five Atlantic Canadian post-secondary institutions—Acadia University, Dalhousie University, Holland College, Memorial University and St. Francis Xavier University—for a shared PowerHour Series with AIR.
The goal was to create an accessible initiative that could reach faculty and staff across all five institutions while building a shared language around mental fitness and resilience.
The question became:
How could five institutions deliver practical resilience development at scale while still creating an engaging, personally relevant experience?
Building workplace resilience in higher education
AIR developed a shared eight-session PowerHour Series combining evidence-informed education, interactive reflection, and practical mental fitness tools participants could apply at work and in daily life.
Part 1 included four PowerHours delivered between January and April 2026.
Rather than focusing on awareness alone, each session explored a different aspect of resilience and provided opportunities for participants to practise what they were learning.
The sessions moved from understanding stress and mental health to developing practical skills for emotional regulation, regaining a sense of control, and understanding emotions.
Throughout the series, polls, reflection, practical exercises, and AIR tools created opportunities for active participation. The interactive format also allowed faculty and staff to see how their own experiences connected with those of colleagues across the region.
Part 1 at a glance
Across the first four PowerHours:
- 1,137 participant-hours were recorded.
- 88% average interactive participation was achieved based on responses to live session activities.
- 95% PowerHour recommendation rate demonstrated strong perceived value.
- Five Atlantic institutions participated in one shared resilience initiative.
These results show more than attendance. Participants were actively engaging with the sessions and the tools being introduced.
From participation to early impact
The early impact of Part 1 was also reflected in participant feedback.
Across the first four PowerHours, participants consistently described the sessions as relevant, practical, and engaging. Feedback indicated increased awareness of stress and emotions, along with practical strategies participants could use to regulate stress and navigate everyday challenges.
96% of survey respondents found the sessions relevant in their day-to-day lives, while 97% intended to participate in future AIR sessions.
Participants reported:
- Greater awareness of how stress and resilience show up in everyday life.
- Practical strategies for regulating stress and navigating challenging situations.
- Greater confidence in recognizing, understanding, and responding to emotion.
But another important theme emerged from the experience: connection.
The shared format helped participants recognize that colleagues across Atlantic institutions were experiencing many of the same pressures. Instead of learning about resilience in isolation, faculty and staff were able to see their experiences reflected in those of others across campuses.
As one participant shared:
“I actually felt seen. The examples they used are exactly how I feel on, almost, a daily basis. The responses from the group in the chat were very, very helpful and responses that I feel I can use in my everyday work.”
– Participant, Regaining a Sense of Control in Stressful Times
Another participant reflected on the practical application of the learning:
“The exercises were helpful to provide insight into my own physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and behavioural responses to stress.”
– Participant, Regulation: Strategies to Reduce Anxiety
Together, the feedback demonstrates an important part of the PowerHour experience: practical skill-building can happen at scale without losing the opportunity for reflection, interaction, and personally relevant learning.
Creating an experience that works across institutions
Delivering a shared initiative across five institutions also requires coordination behind the scenes.
Internal organizers across the participating institutions worked closely with AIR to coordinate and deliver the series across campuses.
Their feedback reflected a positive experience with both the preparation and ongoing support:
100% of organizers agreed that support from AIR was available as needed, and 100% found the preparation meetings helpful and well-structured.
One organizer described the experience:
“It’s hard not to first recognize the session content and facilitators, though, I realize that there is a lot of behind-the-scenes organization and logistics that are required to pull this off… It’s been a great experience thus far and a lot of fun!”
Another shared:
“I appreciate how flexible and easy to work with the AIR Institute has been. Thank you, all!”
For an initiative spanning different roles, campuses, and provinces, that coordination is an important part of making resilience development accessible at scale.
Building on the momentum
Part 1 established a foundation. The series is now continuing through the fall.
A PowerHour focused on emotional containment was delivered in September, with upcoming sessions focused on motivation, healthy boundaries, and self-compassion.
Together, these sessions give faculty and staff further opportunities to practise and apply the mental fitness skills introduced during Part 1.
The response to the first four PowerHours demonstrates both the value participants found in the experience and their interest in continuing to build these skills.
For organizations, this initiative offers a practical example of how workplace resilience in higher education can be supported through accessible learning, practical tools, active participation, and opportunities for people to build skills they can use at work and in everyday life.
Bring practical mental fitness development to your organization
AIR PowerHours provide organizations with accessible, interactive learning experiences focused on mental fitness and resilience.
Whether you’re looking to start a broader conversation about resilience, give employees practical skills for navigating stress and challenge, or build mental fitness across your organization, PowerHours can create an accessible starting point.
For organizations looking beyond individual sessions, AIR works with employers to build broader approaches to mental fitness and resilience across their workforce.
Explore More Case Studies:
- Five Institutions. One Shared Commitment to Resilience.
- Building Organizational Resilience: Lessons from a Three-Year Partnership
- How UPEI Built a Culture of Mental Fitness
- Strengthening Workforce Mental Fitness: WCB
- Resilience in Action: How AIR, Shannex, and CAN Health Are Supporting Frontline Workers
