The Wellness Impact Lab (WIL) Celebrates Its Second Year Anniversary With Student Presentations

The Wellness Impact Lab (WIL), co-founded in 2023 by Dr. Harvey Skinner, PhD (Senior Fellow) and Susan Harris, MSW (Community Fellow), is rooted in the mission of “healing ourselves, healing others, healing our world.” Over the past two years, WIL has grown into a vibrant hub promoting evidence based integrated wellness practices that inspire personal growth, collective action, and resilience—especially in the face of climate distress.

On April 29, 2025, the WIL community came together to celebrate our second anniversary with a special team meeting featuring undergraduate student presentations from our RAYS Scholars and Global Health Interns. These inspiring projects highlight WIL’s commitment to creating spaces for healing, learning, and climate engagement presentations from these undergraduate students (RAYS and Global Health Interns).

Major Projects

Climate Cafés: Supporting Climate Emotions at York University.

By Sarah Merghani & Sophia Bryan-Carbonell

The Wellness Impact Lab is studying how Climate Cafés nurture student well-being by offering safe, supportive spaces to process climate emotions. In Winter 2025, eleven cafés were held: 4 online and 7 in person including Earth Day, April 22, Intergenerational Café (see picture). Cafés were promoted through tabling, social media, and classroom outreach to boost awareness and participation. Our research revealed that while most students hadn’t heard of Climate Cafés before, many left feeling supported and more prepared to talk with others about climate change. There was particularly strong participation from women and international students. Our findings affirm the power of community care and conversation in building hope and resilience amid the climate crisis.

Interbeing Wellness Mindfulness Meditation and Qi Gong Winter 2025 Participant Survey

By Sophia Bryan-Carbonell
This project evaluated participant experiences in the Winter 2025 Interbeing Wellness program, which incorporated Qi Gong and Mindfulness Meditation. The survey assessed goal fulfillment in areas including mindfulness, emotional regulation, physical well-being, and connection with nature. Findings indicated high overall satisfaction, with notable improvements in mindfulness cultivation. Qi Gong was particularly effective for physical and emotional grounding. Participants emphasized the value of flexible session formats and recommended shorter, more integrated practices to enhance future delivery.

Knowledge Syntheses

Scoping Review: Arts-Based Interventions for Climate Emotions

By Sarah Merghani

Preliminary findings were presented from a scoping review Sarah is assisting with Shatabdy Zahid, DI Community Fellow. The review explores how creative practices such as drama therapy, visual arts, music, and storytelling are used to support individuals experiencing climate-related emotional distress. Early findings highlight the potential of arts-based approaches to foster emotional resilience, strengthen community connection, and complement mental health supports, with a focus on accessibility, youth engagement, and local, community-based climate action.

Literature Review: ‘Yoga’s Application to Wellness and Climate Distress’

By Lisa Freire and Rosa Mirshahi

This project reviewed studies on how yoga can be applied as a wellness strategy to reduce climate distress. We found that Yoga supports emotional regulation, reduces stress, and increases resilience—all essential factors when coping with eco-anxiety. Through the utilization of breathwork, mindfulness, and movement, deeper senses of agency and connection to the environment was fostered. Although yoga cannot replace mental health treatments, it provides an accessible tool to support mental health and reduce climate distress.

Literature Review: ‘Mindfulness Meditation Application to Wellness and Climate Distress’

By Lauren Corridore

This project reviewed empirical studies on how mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) can be used to promote climate action. Findings showed that MBIs foster emotional regulation, self-efficacy, reduced climate distress and psychological barriers, and a stronger sense of environmental self-identity — factors that support pro-environmental behaviours and climate engagement. Mindfulness meditation encourages sustainable behaviour by cultivating compassion and connectedness with nature, with movement-based and environmentally engaged MBIs, such as walking meditation, reported as the most effective in supporting climate action and reducing climate distress. Overall, mindfulness-based psychoeducational programs were especially effective in enhancing emotional resilience, strengthening environmental values, and empowering individuals to engage in meaningful climate action. 

Literature Review: ‘Digital Climate Literacy’

By Hasti Rejali and Sadra Toossi

This presentation explored how digital climate literacy can support youth in navigating climate misinformation and managing eco-anxiety. We asked: ‘How do youth use digital tools to find credible climate information, and how does misinformation affect their well-being?’ Drawing on recent research, we found that youth are both consumers and creators of climate content, but without strong critical and emotional literacy skills, they remain vulnerable to confusion, misinformation, and psychological distress. 

These student-led projects are a powerful reflection of WIL’s mission in action. Together, they highlight how creativity, mindfulness, and community care can support emotional well-being and strengthen climate engagement.

You may also be interested in...