Students at Swansea University have been recognised by a national organisation aiming to make university campuses healthier, happier places for students. The students will work alongside 24 other universities during 2012 to promote mental health around campus through events and campaigns.
The national campaign, aptly named ‘25by2012’, was launched with the aim of making university campuses, healthier, happier places for students to live and study, by encouraging student-led activism. It has been supported by national organisations such as Action for Happiness, Young Minds, and the £20m anti-stigma project, Time to Change, as well as dozens of universities.
The campaign was launched by Mental Wealth UK, a non-profit body that was setup to support student-led mental health and wellbeing advocacy. Edward Pinkney, who founded Mental Wealth UK after launching a student wellbeing society at the University of Leeds in 2008, said, “More and more students are stepping forward to take leadership roles at their universities. The Royal College of Psychiatrists’ new report highlights the threats to student mental health and wellbeing, and with university resources stretched, we believe that student-led initiatives are going to play an increasingly important role in tackling these challenges.”
Each of the 25 Mental Wealth groups, formed at universities across the UK, aims to ‘bring mental health out of the shadows’ by challenging discrimination, raising awareness, and providing students with opportunities for training and skill-building.
Sara Huws Davies, Director of Student Services said: “ Swansea University is extremely pleased to be one of the first universities whose students have joined the 25by2012 initiative in taking a proactive approach to mental health. Swansea has Healthy City status and Swansea University is the first HEI in Wales to join the Healthy Universities initiative to promote and advance health and wellbeing in all its activities. The Students’ Union is very active in the Healthy Universities work and the Swansea Mental Wealth Society is just one aspect of this. We wish the group every success in their activities to promote mental health. The wellbeing of students and staff is of paramount importance and this group has the potential to make a real difference.”
Hannah Brotherton from Swansea Mental Wealth Society says:
“We are excited to become the second university in Wales to become part of the Mental Wealth UK network. There is a clear need for an improvement in mental health services across the UK, particularly in Wales. It is a privilege to be part of Mental Wealth UK to support students in need of guidance and help, and through our monthly newsletters, fundraisers and events, we hope to continue the amazing work of promoting student wellbeing on campus.”
