{"id":52989,"date":"2018-09-07T11:28:30","date_gmt":"2018-09-07T15:28:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/?p=52989"},"modified":"2018-09-07T13:29:29","modified_gmt":"2018-09-07T17:29:29","slug":"student-mural-encourages-a-compassionate-brock","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/brocku.ca\/brock-news\/2018\/09\/student-mural-encourages-a-compassionate-brock\/","title":{"rendered":"Student mural encourages a Compassionate Brock"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s an eye-catching new piece of artwork on display at Brock\u2019s main campus that is meant to do more than just draw stares.<\/span><\/p>\n

The colourful creation, found in the hallway where Welch Hall and South Block meet, aims to help normalize death and grief \u2014 heavy topics for most people who attempt to broach them.<\/span><\/p>\n

The mural was the work of a group of recent Brock University Public Health graduates, who made it their final task before saying goodbye to their alma mater. They began work on the project in January and made sure to have it completed in time to see it hung before students returned in September for the new academic year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Compassionate

A new mural meant to normalize conversations of death and grief now hangs in the hallway of Brock’s main campus where Welch Hall and South Block meet.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt has been quite a journey,\u201d says Public Health alumna Aiman Ali (BPH \u201918). \u201cWhat started out as the creation of a product intended to provide the Brock community with something to reflect on and socialize about their experiences with death, dying and caregiving, also brought together those who work in the sciences and arts.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Through Together We Rise (TWR), an Interprofessional Education for Quality Improvement Program (I-EQUIP) initiative, Ali and fellow Public Health grads Alex Munro (BPH \u201918), Sarah Perryman (BPH \u201918), Gina Del Fabbro (BPH \u201918) and Anisha Balaji (BPH \u201918) spent their last term at Brock working alongside community partners and various facets of the University to create the 12-foot mural.<\/span><\/p>\n

The project is part of Compassionate Brock<\/a>, a student-led group that aims to nurture a compassionate environment on campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a student-created mural that draws attention to something we all deal with helps make it easier to have conversations about what someone might be struggling with,\u201d says Associate Professor of Health Sciences and Director of I-EQUIP Madelyn Law.<\/span><\/p>\n

The TWR team worked with partners from<\/span> Pallium Canada<\/span> and Hospice Niagara to ensure their goal was community-based and inclusive. The engagement with Hospice Niagara also allowed them to modify and revise their initial concepts to be more reflective of community needs and practices.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cOur meetings with Hospice Niagara changed our original ideas drastically between phases,\u201d Balaji says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Through this reciprocal relationship, Hospice Niagara staff were pleased to get involved and support the students in their vision.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTogether We Rise seeks to make Brock and Niagara a stronger, more compassionate community,\u201d says Hospice Niagara Marketing and Communications Manager Shari Willerton. \u201cIt\u2019s often not easy for people to talk about dying and death, and community involvement is crucial to help break down social attitudes.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

TWR approached their goals with the premise that in today\u2019s society, death and death-related topics are taboo.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnfortunately, most people are not comfortable asking those who may be struggling with caregiving or bereavement how they are doing,\u201d Perryman explains. \u201cMany individuals are unsure how to offer support. This mural is a reminder of the shared inevitability of the entire human experience and that no one should ever feel alone.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The mural consists of many layered concepts and is easily recognizable for its main overarching theme of butterflies, which symbolize change and renewal.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other concepts include:<\/span><\/p>\n