UPEI launches “Start with Hello” campaign to build connection and belonging across campus
A simple hello has the power to change someone’s day, spark a friendship, and create a sense of belonging. This fall, the University of Prince Edward Island is encouraging students, faculty, and staff to embrace the power of connection through a new campus-wide initiative called “Start with Hello.”
The campaign aims to create a campus culture where members of the UPEI community acknowledge one another, initiate conversations, and contribute to a stronger sense of belonging. Whether it’s greeting a classmate before a lecture, introducing themselves to someone new in residence, or checking in with a colleague in the hallway, the initiative encourages everyone to take the first step toward connection by simply saying hello.
The idea for the UPEI campaign was developed by Kelton Thomason, Manager, Residence Life, after he spent the last several years connecting with students across campus. “I spent a lot of time saying hello to students and received all kinds of responses. It got me thinking about how something so simple can make a difference in someone’s day and their experience at university.”
After a quick search online, Thomason found that there were other programs that demonstrate the positive impacts of human connection, including the Sandy Hook Promise project, “Start with Hello”, from which UPEI borrowed the name.
“At its heart, ‘Start with Hello’ is about building basic civility in our community and creating opportunities for connection,” added Thomason. “This is a grassroots idea that we as a campus community can embrace and use to make good things happen.”
The campaign is rooted in a simple observation: many students arrive on campus feeling uncertain, disconnected, or alone. While support services, programs, and activities are available, meaningful relationships often begin with small, everyday interactions. A greeting acknowledges another person’s presence, can reduce feelings of isolation, and opens the door to friendship, mentorship, support, and collaboration.
“A commitment to student success must guide everything we do,” said Thomason. “While each of us may define student success differently, we can all contribute to it by creating a community where students feel supported, valued, and connected. When we take the time to care about how students are doing and what they are learning, we help build the foundation for their success. After all, student success begins with connection, and connection begins with saying hello.”
For Hasan Mady, a third-year business student and Welcome Week Co-Coordinator, those everyday moments can have a lasting impact.
“It really makes you feel like you’re a part of this university. You’re a part of this community,” said Mady. “I was struggling to find my class in the Engineering Building during the first week of classes. Then I saw this girl who looked just as confused as me. She looked at me, I looked at her, and I said, “Hey!” I realized she was in the same class as me, and from there, we figured it out together. Forming a bond with someone new just by saying hello is really meaningful to me.”
Throughout the academic year, “Start with Hello” messages will be visible across campus through digital screens, social media, posters, banners, table displays, and other promotional materials. The campaign will also feature opportunities for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and campus leaders to share stories about meaningful connections that began with a simple greeting or conversation.
The initiative supports UPEI’s ongoing efforts to foster student engagement, wellness, belonging, retention, and student success. It also aligns with broader efforts to strengthen campus culture by recognizing that welcoming communities are built through everyday actions rather than programs alone.
The success of “Start with Hello” depends on participation from the entire campus community. Faculty, staff, student leaders, residence staff, peer mentors, athletes, volunteers, and administrators are all encouraged to model the behaviours promoted through the campaign by greeting students and colleagues, initiating conversations, and creating welcoming, inclusive environments across campus.
“Community starts with individual choices,” said Thomason. “Every connection starts somewhere, and sometimes all it takes is a hello. One hello can change someone’s day. It might even change their university experience.”
