Faculty and UCL Change Makers promote wellbeing for students

The new 'Healthy Mind, Healthy Learning' (HMHL) programme, led by Faculty Tutor, Dr Julie Evans and previous Education Officer Nafisa Wagley, was granted £1700 from UCL Change Makers to develop resources, aimed at teaching students how to address and manage their mental and physical wellbeing during their studies at UCL.

The project was developed and delivered jointly with two PhD students from Psychology, Martha Rodriguez and Sam Fardghassemi, in collaboration with Student Support and Wellbeing.

Thanks to the grant and the team's efforts, the programme now provides workshops, a leaflet and video, offering students practical advice on how deal with wellbeing issues, especially in relation to mental health and promoting the support which is available to them at UCL and in the wider community.

Widget Placeholderhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRxDgGBDO6o

Over 100 students recently attended the inaugural HMHL workshop discussing the topic of mental and physical wellbeing for students at university, whilst the accompanying video has been widely disseminated to new students in the Faculty of Brain Sciences and other UCL faculties, just in time for Freshers' week.

A Healthy Mind, Healthy Learning leaflet has also been developed and was distributed at the workshop and will be available online for all students to access.

Dr Evans said it was important to develop these resources, given the widely reported link between positive wellbeing and academic achievement. "Starting university is very exciting but also challenging and can be stressful in a number of ways. In recognising that good mental health is linked to effective learning, these evidence-based resources aim to help ease students into their new life at university and offer support and tips to enhance their wellbeing and overall university experience. The workshop also highlighted the need to seek professional help if students were feeling overwhelmed - there is a lot of support available within UCL", she explained.

Dr Evans also highlights the importance of UCL Change Makers: "We are incredibly pleased that UCL Change Makers saw the merit in what we were proposing and awarded us with a grant that will go a long way to help boost the wellbeing of our students. Additionally I would like to thank Student Support and Wellbeing for their advice throughout this project."

Beginning in 2014/15, UCL Change Makers has grown to work with over 100 students and staff each year on project work. The scheme aims to support collaboration and innovation to enhance the UCL learning experience.

Links

• Healthy Minds Healthy Learning video
• Healthy Minds Healthy Learning student booklet (password protected)
• Healthy Minds Healthy Learning slides (password protected)
• UCL Change Makers
• Student Support and Wellbeing