At the start of the new year many people focus on engaging in wellness activities and attending events that spark personal interest. With the release of a new university-wide program known as Flourish, doing both of these things just became easier for the faculty and staff at Texas A&M.
Released by the university for faculty and staff, Flourish is a free comprehensive calendar that allows individuals to get information about wellness events and book them with just one click, said Flourish executive director Jessica Rubie.
“The purpose of the program is to streamline registration for events with one click booking that is easy to navigate,” Rubie said.
Focused on employee wellness, community building and engagement, one of the first things Flourish has begun to offer is workout classes at various locations around campus, said Rubie.
“The majority of what we have rolled out is fitness programing which will continue all year long,” Rubie said. “Classes are held at the Rec Center, the MSC and the PEAP. With time, we hope to offer those classes in more locations all over campus.”
Cassidy Noelle, a communication specialist for Flourish, said she hopes that the program will be a new way for faculty and staff to feel appreciated.
“The introduction of this program is allowing the staff to feel appreciated all year round, as opposed to several times a year,” Noelle said. “We spend most of our time at work and less time at home, so this program is going to help staff and faculty create a better work-life balance. It will also help broaden their community by interacting with people they might not get to meet across campus.”
Along with forging new friendships and practicing physical wellness, Flourish also hopes to encourage people to have a positive mental health.
“We want people to be able to do things that make them feel good,” Noelle said. “Whether that is taking a 10-minute walk or taking a few deep breaths in between meetings, we really want to show that wellness is well rounded. It’s about both your physical and mental health.”
When the weather becomes warmer, outdoor community building and engagement activities such as First Friday meetups and volunteer opportunities will be added to Flourish, said Rubie.
Along with one click booking, Flourish is also making it easier for people to receive information about the event before they attend, said Rubie.
“Flourish is a communication tool that allows us to be much more targeted and thoughtful when sending information to people about events,” Rubie said. “We now have the ability to remind people that the event is coming up and send additional details to people who are registered, verses sending the information as a university email blast to a group of people who may or may not even be interested in the event.”
In the end, the long term goal of Flourish is to make the staff and faculty feel appreciated all year long, said Noelle.
“The staff and faculty are the backbone to this university,” Noelle said. “There is so much that goes on behind the scenes that not only helps students, but that helps keep this university functioning. We really just want to be able to give back to the people who work so hard every single day to make A&M a better place, and let them know that there are people who truly care for them and what they are doing.”
To learn more, Texas A&M employees can download the Flourish app to get involved.