How can we address community needs?

Simply put, the past few years have been tough. Whether you found yourself feeling isolated, unable to visit with friends and family, or you took on the additional responsibilities of unexpectedly homeschooling your children while simultaneously working full time, there were likely times you felt yourself reevaluating your priorities. This was certainly our response at Up and Running Guelph. Widespread experiences of declining mental health and overburdened mental health care systems led us to take the necessary steps to ensure that our nature-based walking and running programs stay relevant and continue to meet the changing needs of our community.

Lonely girl looking out over a body of water (Stock imagery)

Have you found that the COVID-19 pandemic caused you to reflect on different aspects of your life and what’s important to you? We think this was a natural response to the pandemic for many people, and this was true for us at Up and Running Guelph. We used some of our time during the pandemic to think about and plan for how we can make sure our programs are relevant and meeting the needs of our community.

Last summer, Up and Running Guelph worked with local consulting firm Collective Results to conduct a community needs assessment. A needs assessment uses research methods to understand the needs of individuals and communities to support and guide program planning. The needs assessment involved:

• A review of research literature on mental health broadly (in Canada and Ontario) and locally (in Wellington County and Guelph).

• A scan of other mental health and physical activity programs for adults in the local community.

• A community survey to better understand Wellington County and Guelph residents’ experiences related to mental health, physical activity, and time in nature.

We learned so much from this project about what our community needs and how we might be able to adjust our programming to ensure that we can continue to improve mental health and wellbeing through inclusive, nature-based walking and running programs within a supportive community.

Women walking on a forested trail (Stock imagery)

Results from the Needs Assessment

There is a need for low-cost programs addressing mental wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in worsening mental health for about half of Canadians, and more Guelph residents were reaching out to local mental health agencies for support during the pandemic. Average wait times for mental health services are long and many people find it hard to access services. While there are many mental health services available in Guelph, therapy can be expensive. There is a need for low-cost program options. There is also a need for more programs focusing on wellbeing, as opposed to mental illness.

Everyone will, at some point, struggle with their mental wellbeing, but there are some groups in our community that are more likely to experience those challenges. While Guelph has mental health programs and services for the general population, it could use more services focused on working directly with those that have a higher likelihood of experiencing mental health challenges. There is an opportunity for Up and Running Guelph to consider targeting programming to groups that need it most.

Community members are more likely to recognize Up and Running Guelph as a physical activity program. When we asked community members to tell us in a few sentences what they knew about Up and Running Guelph, people spoke most frequently about the walking and running programs.

There is interest from community members across Guelph and Wellington in attending Up and Running Guelph programming. The majority of our survey participants indicated that they would consider attending an Up and Running Guelph program for the physical health benefits and opportunities for social support. People want Up and Running Guelph programming to include:

• physical activity

• nature components

• no pressure or competition

• locations close to their home

• small groups

There are barriers we can address to help more people access the benefits of Up and Running Guelph. Some of these barriers include worries about not being able to keep up with others, the time commitment, lack of transportation, the need for childcare, worries about stigma, and concerns about accessibility.

Women stretching during an Up and Running Guelph winter program (Image by Dean Palmer)

Next Steps

We will use the findings from the needs assessment and our recent program evaluations (more information to come) to determine the next steps for our programming. We’re looking at how we can capitalize on participants’ interests in physical activity and social connections as we work to promote our programs. We’re considering expanding our programs to new groups, locations, and priority groups. And, we’re looking at how we can address some of the barriers people reported experiencing so that everyone can access our programming.

We look forward to continuing to hear from our participants and community members about how Up and Running Guelph can meet your needs. Feel free to Contact Us anytime to share your thoughts and ideas!