Posted on 9 May '24

5 University Wellbeing Initiatives That Have Caught our Eye

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and as the pressures faced by students in the UK and abroad continue to mount, universities are rising to the challenge of promoting student wellbeing in uncertain times.

We’ve taken a look at five stand-out examples of university wellbeing and mental health initiatives to help inspire your next campaign!

#1 Walking spots photo competition at the University of Aberdeen

The positive psychological impact of exercise has been well-documented, and the University of Aberdeen is taking advantage of the fact that May is both Mental Health Awareness Month and National Walking Month to promote a movement-themed wellbeing initiative.

Students are encouraged to get outdoors and post a picture to social media of their favourite walking spot using a dedicated hashtag, for a chance to win a wellbeing journal and pen.

#2 Be-Well app at the University of Bath

We loved the holistic approach to wellbeing taken by the team behind the University of Bath’s Be-Well app, which helps users build healthy habits based around five core pillars (Be Active, Connect, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give).

The app provides a wide range of resources including blogs, podcasts and exercise guides, as well as wellbeing an habit trackers, and is free for all students to access using their university email address.

#3 Weekly Writing for Wellbeing sessions at the University of Exeter

The University of Exeter’s wellbeing service is hosting weekly Writing for Wellbeing sessions throughout the entirety of this year’s third term. The sessions will explore how various forms of personal writing such as journaling or poetry can be used to improve mental health.

This seems like a fantastic way for students to hone their creative skills while finding new ways to manage their wellbeing.

#4 Wellbeing grants at the University of Adelaide

We were excited to see that the University of Adelaide is taking a innovative approach to seeking ideas for their future initiatives, by offering grants of up to AUD$1,000 (£526) to both staff members and current students to deliver wellbeing projects.

We loved the idea of paving the way for student-lead to approaches to improving wellbeing on campus!

#5 Peer support for postgraduate students at the University of Guelph

Masters and PhD students at the University of Guelph can attend Grad Student Support Circles for ten weeks out of every semester, which offer a safe space to discuss the ups and downs of postgraduate study. This is a fantastic way to provide postgraduate-specific support for the challenges that can be unique to higher levels of study.

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