This past week, Seattle University Recreation (UREC) hosted its annual weeklong mental health-centered campaign, Project Positive. This year’s theme, “Chart Your Own Path,” encouraged Seattle U students to have positive outlooks on life and take it day by day, recognizing that everyone goes at their own pace.
Henry March, a third-year finance major and an outdoor leader at UREC, appreciates the inclusivity of the event and says his favorite part about it is the message behind it.
“[Project Positive] is giving us space for these important messages,” March said. “Whether you want to just show up and watch a film festival or you want to play Battleship in the pool, there really is a wide range.”
When the program began over a decade ago, it was an event centered around body positivity. However, Kevin Sutton, assistant director of UREC Outdoors, said that the focus shifted after receiving student feedback.
“Some of the feedback that we got was that not everyone loves their body. We wanted to change it to be more inclusive. So it’s now both body positivity, but also body neutrality, because we recognize that not everyone’s happy with their body,” Sutton said.
Now, Project Positive hosts a multitude of events throughout the week that connect mental health with the outdoors and mindfulness.
Over the years, Project Positive has expanded into an event that partners with many different departments across campus, such as University Ministry and Seattle U School of Law, in order to make it as widespread as possible. Sutton said that one of the goals of this year’s Project Positive was to be more inclusive of Cornish students.
“With the acquisition of Cornish, we have a whole new, different student body with a different physical location and different needs,” Sutton said. “How do we incorporate Project Positive programming down to their area instead of forcing them up here?”
Some of the events that were offered during the week of Project Positive were sound baths, E-sport gaming sessions at both First Hill and SLU, chaos board crafting at SLU, cycling classes and hikes.
One of the standout events, a showing of the 5Point Film Festival, took place Wednesday night. 5Point is dedicated to displaying impactful stories by uplifting diverse storytellers that encourage viewers to explore the world around them, and is focused on five core ideas—commitment, respect, humility, purpose and balance. The films selected were chosen from the ones displayed at the 5Point Film Festival in Carbondale, Colorado, earlier this year.
Sutton said that, to him, the purpose of 5Point was to highlight individuals who are not typically well represented in the world of outdoor recreation.
“For those of you who don’t know me, I am a six-foot-tall, white-bearded guy, cisgender male. I recognize that I have all of the privileges in the world. So, trying to branch out and give space and time and voice to the people who have been marginalized, both intentionally and unintentionally,” Sutton said.
Ricardo Bernabe Francisco, a second-year accounting major, is a frequent attender of UREC events. However, he didn’t know much about Project Positive or 5Point before attending the film festival.
“This is my first time attending Project Positive. I’m not sure what it’s all about,” Bernabe Francisco said. “I don’t know what’s going to be shown. I just want it to be fun. It’s the unknown with the films that got me intrigued.”
Sutton hopes that Project Positive will not only encourage students to practice mindfulness, but also that it will bring more people to UREC on a regular basis.
“Even if you can’t engage with us in Project Positive, come hang out at UREC. It’s an inclusive, safe, happy and welcoming space,” Sutton said. “It’s always awesome meeting new people and I want to meet as many of you as I can.”
The UREC also offers everything from outdoor excursions, such as hikes and snow trips, to indoor classes, like power yoga and cardio dance. For more information on UREC events, check out their Instagram or Campus Groups.
