This international charter is an outcome of the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges cohosted by HM|HC in Kelowna. The Okanagan Charter articulates an encompassing vision with shared aspirations for the pursuit of robust health promotion in and outward from post-secondary settings. Recognizing that endeavor as integral to the advanced education mandate, the Charter issues purposeful calls to action on various aspects of campus community life and elaborates on principles to be applied in such initiatives. Watch the International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges
Okanagan Charter: An international charter for health-promoting universities and colleges
The International Health Promoting Universities & Colleges Steering Group is pleased to announce four new translations of the Okanagan Charter in Bulgarian | български, French | Français, German | Deutsch, and Spanish | Español.
Squires, V. & London, C. (2021). The Okanagan Charter: Evolution of health promotion in Canadian higher education. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 51(3), 100-114.
Healthy Minds | Healthy Campuses has formally endorsed the Okanagan Charter with a Statement of Endorsement.
Adoption of the Charter
To learn about how post-secondary institutions might formally adopt the Charter, please click the FAQ here.
For a list of BC (and other Canadian) post-secondaries that have adopted the Charter, with a statement of their commitments in doing so, see the Canadian Health Promoting Campuses Okanagan Charter page.
Activation of the Charter
Stories of activation in BC
Examples to come; please email us your stories at [email protected]!
- Towards regenerative campuses: Implementing the Okanagan Charter to promote human and ecological wellbeing by Matt Dolf, UBC
- Activate Wellbeing Toolkit from UBC (2023)
- Leveraging the Charter dialogue (2020)
- A health promoting campus: What’s your role? by the Centre for Campus Innovation on Mental Health, Ontario
- Thrive by Mez Jiwaji, North Island College
BC campuses’ health & well-being frameworks
These samples have either been inspired by the Okanagan Charter or are in evident affinity with it. Other post-secondary institutions in BC are welcome to send us theirs for posting here too! [email protected]
- BCIT, Eight Dimensions of Well-being
- College of the Rockies, Campus Health and Wellbeing Framework
- Douglas College, Mental Wellness Strategy
- Langara College, Mental Health Framework
- Simon Fraser University, Vision for a Healthy Campus Community
- University of British Columbia, Wellbeing Strategic Framework
- University of Victoria, Substance Use Health Strategy
- Vancouver Community College, Mental Health and Well-being Framework
Student-focused mental health frameworks:
- BCIT, Student Well-being and Resilience Framework
- Camosun College, Student Mental Health & Well-Being Strategy
- Capilano University, CSU Mental Health Strategy
- North Island College, The CARE² Plan: Student Mental Health and Well-being
- Royal Roads University, Student Mental Health Framework
- University of Victoria, Student Mental Health Strategy
Resources
- 2025 The Limerick Framework for Action: Advancing the global health promoting campuses agenda
- 2025 book Health promoting universities: Advancing wellbeing through a systems approach
- 2022 chapters Applying salutogenesis in higher education; Health-promoting higher education
- Some International resources and references on the Okanagan Charter
- Recordings from the 2022 International Health Promoting Campuses Symposium
- Records of the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges
- The Canadian Health Promoting Campuses Network
- The International Health Promoting Campuses Network
- 1998 WHO book Health promoting universities: Concept, experience and framework for action
- The Ottawa Charter
- The UK University Mental Health Charter
