Empowering Parents and Caregivers: Navigating the First Year Transition

Parents dropping off their child during first year move-in day.

Strengthening relationships with parents and caregivers as key influencers and supporters to ensure each student’s journey is academically fulfilling as well as personally and emotionally enriching.

Project Lead: Transition, Leadership & Enrichment, Student Experience
Project Status: In Progress

Resources and supports are being developed to empower parents and caregivers of first-year students. Research shows that the transition to university is, not merely an academic leap, but a holistic transformation encompassing intellectual, emotional, social, and identity development.

By combining insights from student development theory, the CliftonStrengths framework, and the Thriving model, the program takes a holistic approach to supporting parents and caregivers during the critical transition period for students entering their first year at Western. Through a multifaceted strategy encompassing newsletters, in-person sessions, live chat and virtual workshops, parents will be empowered with knowledge and resources that allow them to actively contribute to their child's success and well-being throughout this transformational period and beyond.

In summary...

  • A webpage dedicated to parent resources has been developed and is live on the launch.uwo.ca website, a site dedicated to preparatory resources for incoming students.
  • With funds from the grant, 1 student leader was hired to help coordinate the parent newsletter, support the virtual workshops and develop the video series.
  • Initiated a Parent/Caregiver Newsletter that was sent monthly over the summer and will be sent 4 times during the academic year.
  • The Transition, Leadership and Enrichment team held 2 overnight experience weekend transition events (in-person) and 6 Faculty Friday events in Summer 2024.
  • The Transition, Leadership and Enrichment team is partnering with Housing & Ancillary Services to offer 4 virtual workshops during the 2024-2025 academic year for parents, these will be recorded and posted on the Western Launch website.
  • 6 informative videos for parents will be developed.