We want to make sure that we are continually supporting your wellbeing as well as breaking the stigma when it comes to mental health. We see student mental health and wellbeing as a priority and run a number of campaigns throughout the year to support students, with the aim of promoting positive mental health and wellbeing. A number of our staff are also trained as Mental Heal First Aiders to be able to support our students in a crisis. You can also be trained up for this for free thanks to The Big Deal, just keep an eye on our what’s on page for the next available dates.
In 2020, we signed up to the Student Minds programme which focused on developing a Commitment to Mental Health for our members. We recognised that studying at university can be stressful and difficult and it’s important to know where to turn to if your mental health becomes affected. We're proud to have been one of the first in the country to launch our very own Commitment to Mental Health and you can read all of our plans and commitments around student’s mental health and wellbeing on our mental health support page.
Over the years we’ve worked on a range of campaigns from tackling loneliness over the winter break and de-stressing over the exam period with free doughnuts and pizza alongside our top exam tips, to regular ‘Wellbeing Weeks’ which even included our very first ‘Wellbeing Fair’ where we invited local support services to join us on campus in a week filled with goodie bags, fitness classes, honest hours, and breaking the stigma on a wide range of mental health conditions and disorders.
A campaign much loved by our students is our ‘Break the Stigma’ campaign where we challenge our members assumptions when it comes to mental health and wellbeing and the stigma surrounding particular conditions. Alongside raising awareness and sharing support resources, we ask that students take a pledge to educate themselves and work towards breaking the stigma. Have a read of our Movember themed edition of The Bucks Student where we covered men’s mental health and our break the stigma campaign from 2020.