WIXLIB

Student Minds Annual Report 18/198Empowering students tohave agency, and play akey role in transformingthe state of universitymental healthFor decades, ‘nothing about us without us’, hasbeen a mantra used by those working to improveinclusivity in healthcare. It’s about creating cultureswhere those that may be impacted by changes topolicy, services or structures have a strong voice inshaping and making decisions that are about them.Empowering students is a core value for StudentMinds. From our beginnings, when a group ofpassionate students started talking about navigatinguniversity with a mental illness, we’ve believed andtrusted that students can, and should, be at theforefront of making the changes they want to seein their own lives and wider society. We know thatthe best way to tackle stigma and create a moresupportive, equal university experience is to co–design our approaches with students themselves– students from all backgrounds. There is a widerange of evidence from research and practice (someof which we explore in our co–production toolkit),which demonstrates that to create accessible,timely and relevant support and prevent some ofthe root issues, lived experience must be a keycomponent from start to end.With excellent training, support and supervisionfrom Student Minds, our student volunteersdevelop the knowledge, confidence and skills tocreate the change they want to see in the world.They can learn how to listen effectively to flatmatesor teammates who are experiencing difficulties,and help motivate them towards support. Theycan learn how to safely and effectively run a peersupport group for students experiencing low moodor difficulties with food. And finally, they can learnhow to identify the key issues students are facing intheir communities and deliver evidence–informedcampaigns at meetings or in the media, usingstorytelling skills to advocate for their peers.Over the next few pages, you will see what we havedone to empower students this year – spoiler alert,students are ‘using their voices’ and it’s about toget louder!

Student Minds Annual Report 18/199Peer SupportOur formal peer support programmes bringtogether students with similar experiences tosupport one another. We know students aremore likely to seek help from their peers thanfrom formal service providers – according toresearch by the Equality Challenge Unit*1, 75%of students who experience mental healthdifficulties disclose these to their peers or friends.Our student–run groups therefore have animportant role to play within the whole supportlandscape at universities. Our model focuses onproviding thorough training to student facilitators,coupled with ongoing support and supervision.The two–day training programme focuses on keyfacilitation skills and how to ensure the groups aresafely run, with ground rules and boundaries.All facilitators are provided with supervision fromone of our volunteer supervisors after every sessionthey run. Our team of supervisors are all recentgraduates who facilitated a Student Minds peersupport group whilst at university. The team aretrained and supported by our Clinical Supervisor,who provides a reflective space for the studentfacilitators’ ongoing skills development.‘Hearing other people speak about theirexperience, I realise it’s normal and I’mnot alone.’ - AnonymousData highlights:79 studentswere trained this year torun courses and workshops to other studentsat their universities.Over 150 studentssupport groups.*2attended our peerPositive MindsOur Positive Minds course supports students whoare experiencing low mood and is structured to helpcombat the key aspects of depression. The coursewas designed by Dr. Denise Meyer using materialfrom Student Against Depression. The frameworkhelps attendees to avoid rumination, encouragingthem to engage in specific tasks and create concreteplans for change with small, achievable stepsinstead. In addition, the groups help attendees tobuild social contact, helping to break isolation. Thisyear, 15 of our student groups ran Positive Minds.Eating DifficultiesWe offer two types of peer support groupsfor students experiencing eating difficulties:unstructured and structured. Both groupsprovide a welcoming space for any student whois experiencing difficulties around food or bodyimage to explore their thoughts about treatment,recovery and university life in general. Ourstructured course, Motivate Me was designed incollaboration with Professor Janet Treasure OBE,director of the Eating Disorder Unit and Professorof Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’sCollege London. The course focuses on supportingattendees to manage the underlying psychologicalmechanisms and challenges commonlyexperienced by individuals with eating difficulties.This year, two of our groups ran Motivate Meand one group ran an unstructured course.We also offer students the opportunity to runSupporting Supporters workshops. These focuson providing students supporting a friend withmental health difficulties with an understandingof specific mental health difficulties/behaviours,the practical skills for supportive conversations,and advice on setting boundaries and looking afterthemselves, too.*1 The Equality Challenge Unit is now Advance HE*2 We do know that not all attendees complete a feedback form, so in reality this number may be higher.

Student Minds Annual Report 18/19This year two of our groups ran our SupportingSupporters – Eating Difficulties workshops. Overthe next year, we plan to develop our supportoffer for student facilitators to ensure they arefully equipped with the knowledge, confidenceand skills to give as many students as possiblethe opportunity to attend formal peer support.Thanks to the support of The AIM Foundation,we will also be developing new materials forstudents to run pilot workshops to build studentattendees’ resourcefulness tools, to build andmaintain good wellbeing.Peer Support Train the TrainerIn 2017 we developed our peer supportprogrammes into a Train the Trainer model toenable staff in universities and students’ unionsacross the UK to set up and run initiatives at theirown institutions. The course content is based on theknowledge and skills we’ve acquired from deliveringpeer support groups over the last decade. Thisapproach is beneficial as it enables staff to offermore localised training and support to studentfacilitators.This year, we continued to support staff at fiveinstitutions trained in 2017/18, and trainedmembers of staff from Birmingham City University,the University of Hull and the University of Surreywho we will now support to run initiatives over thecoming year.We have learnt that after the training it can taketime for individuals to implement all the necessarypolicies and procedures to run peer support attheir institutions. We will be exploring how we canimprove our model to help speed up the processgoing forwards.10Case Study:‘I have found my experience as a facilitatorto be rewarding – it has been a pleasureto be a part of an environment in whichstudents support each other and offer hopeto each other with the difficulties they arefacing. I also enjoyed the publicity side ofthe voluntary work with Student Minds andopening up conversations about studentmental health.I have enjoyed volunteering with skilledand like–minded people and building oneach other’s strengths to provide a goodexperience for attendees. It has also beenrewarding to see the benefits students gainfrom joining the group and noticing thingsthey take on board to improve their wellbeingthrough group discussions.’Kirsty Firman, talks about her experience ofbeing a facilitator at the University of Cardiff.

Student Minds Annual Report 18/1911Staff Training ProgrammesNavigating university life and the ups and downsit brings can be tricky. We know that studentsare most likely to turn to friends when they areexperiencing difficulties. Our Look After YourMate and Mental Health in Sport Train the Trainerprogrammes are designed with this in mind.We work with universities to strengthen thesenaturally occurring systems of support, by providinguniversity staff with the training skills and resourcesto deliver effective, evidence–based informal peersupport workshops to students.Look After Your MateOur Look After Your Mate workshop empowersstudents to support friends who are experiencingmental health difficulties, whilst also ensuringthey look after their own wellbeing by maintainingboundaries and signposting. We want students tofeel confident in supporting their friends and feelcomfortable confiding in each other.Case Study:‘I chose to do the Look After Your Matetraining as it directly corresponds with myrole on a daily basis. I predominantly workwith mature higher education students whocome to university usually after a prolongedperiod of time away from education, sothe transition into higher education oftenaffects their mental health. The traininghas assisted in spreading the ultimatemessage of supporting your peers andhow to identify and converse about mentalhealth and wellbeing, alongside lookingafter yourself, which is often overlooked.’Sarah-Jane Hewson, a Look After YourMate trainer at University Campus NorthLincolnshire talks about how the traininghas assisted her in her role as a HigherEducation Student Support Officer.‘It was really engaging and the discussionsincredibly thought–provoking,’ one trainer told usafter the course. Another summed it up in threewords; ‘practical, engaging and empowering.’Students who attended Look After Your Mateworkshops found that their mental health literacyincreased. They also learnt a range of reflectivelistening skills to help them support a friend or peerthrough their difficulties. One attendee reported:‘I will be more proactive and confident instarting a conversation, but at the sametime remembering to set and respect myown boundaries.’Data highlights:86 staff memberswere trained this year,taking our network of staff trainers up to 254in total, at 91 Higher Education Institutions.Trainers had a 50% increase in theirconfidence in their ability to train students inmental health awareness and supporting afriend by the end of the course.95% of trainersfound the course useful.Our trainers ran 122 workshops to 702students across the UK: 88%rated their skills, confidenceand knowledge after the workshop asgood or excellent.87%of students felt that theworkshop was useful or very useful.

Student Minds Annual Report 18/19Mental Health in SportOur Mental Health in Sport course was developedin collaboration with BUCS (British Universities andColleges Sport).Physical activity is proven to have a positiveeffect on wellbeing, with higher levels of activityassociated with improved quality of life andwellbeing, as well as reduced anxiety, depressionand body dissatisfaction. With this connection inmind, our course was designed to equip universitysport staff with the knowledge, confidence andskills to make sport at their university inclusive ofindividuals experiencing mental health difficulties.The two–day programme includes the HigherEducation Mental Health First Aid course, alongsidesessions on best practice for setting up accessibleand inclusive sports programmes, and an overviewof running the Mental Health in Sport workshopfor students. The Mental Health in Sport workshopgives students the skills to recognise and supportteammates experiencing mental health difficulties,and help in creating an action plan for promotingan inclusive club culture.Data highlights:37 staff memberswere trained this year,taking our network of staff trainers up to 88 intotal, across 36 Higher Education Institutions.100% of trainersfelt they had the necessaryskills to run workshops on campus after thetraining.Our trainers ran 30 workshops to 144students across the UK this year.* 86% of student attendees felt theworkshop was useful.46%reported an increase in havingthe necessary skills to support a teammate who is experiencing difficulties.12At the end of the Mental Health in Sport training,participants were keen to take what they had learntback to their campuses, with one telling us that theywere ‘looking forward to practising and deliveringthe workshop.’Student attendees told us that the workshopsinspired them to put action plans into place tocreate positive change within their teams. Forone attendee, this was to ‘make socials more foreveryone and make sure club members knowwhere they can access help whether from the unior club,’ whilst another planned to ‘establish awelfare action plan and support page for my club.’One student told us that they now felt able to reachout to teammates who they were concerned aboutbut had previously not been ‘confident on how toproperly approach them.’Case Study:‘I chose to do the training to understand thescope of mental health for student sportmore broadly and to learn how to engagesports clubs to reflect the principles in theirclubs and teams. We have received reallypositive feedback from student groupsand was great to see them visibly engagedwith the content – we have already seen apositive shift in club culture and an increasedengagement with campaigns and charitywork focused on raising awareness of mentalhealth.’Jamal El-Kalawy at Leeds University Uniontalks about the impact the workshops havehad for sports teams at the university.Looking forwards, we plan to continue to grow ourtrainer network, increasing connectivity betweentrainers at different institutions. Alongside this, weare continually developing and updating the contentof our training programmes and using feedbackfrom trainers to shape this.*This figure is based on the average number of feedback forms received between Time 1 and Time 2

Student Minds Annual Report 18/1913Student-Led Campaigning‘By opening up and sharing my experiences, I haveencouraged others to do the same,’ says AneeskaSohal, chair of Student Minds York in 2018/19.‘I have understood the power of sharing humanexperiences, and that by discussing these together,you can come up with ideas to help improve thesupport around you, in ways you never thoughtwere possible!’Our York group is just one of the student–ledcampaign groups we support across the country todeliver a range of events and initiatives to improvestudent wellbeing and mental health literacy.This year, our 23 groups across the country haveachieved some great things, from lobbying for anopt–out from the public display of exam results toworking in partnership with other student groupson campus to challenge mental health stigma.After the successful launch of our LEAD modelof campaigning training last year, we continuedto train new members of these groups to Listen,Empower, Action and Debrief.The training enables our campaign groups to makea concerted effort to identify and understand thechallenges that students face on their campuses andthen take action to create change. We offer skillsdevelopment, coaching and ongoing support to ourvolunteers to ensure they are empowered to makean impact. We also equip our campaign volunteerswith the knowledge and skills to put these newprinciples into use, and to strive for both local andnational positive change.Looking forwards, we plan to significantlyexpand our student–led campaigning work intoa nationwide Leaders Movement. We will becrowdfunding throughout 2019/20 to support thiswork. Depending on the amount raised, the supportwe are able to provide in future could range fromtraining individual leaders and providing them withan online platform to organise, to fully fledgedpilots supported by regional community organisersacross the UK. You can support the movement orfind out more here.Data highlights:In 2018/19, we trained 42 students from21 universities across three sessions.Case Study:‘Between July 2017 and June 2018, theStudent Minds Bath team primarily focusedon lobbying the university for changes toits personal tutoring system. The mainachievement that arose from this campaign(called ‘Time for Tutees’) was the formationof a working group comprised of students’union, Student Minds Bath and Universitystaff, which is now working to refine andimplement changes based on a paper wewrote on the topic (based on student/staffconsultation i.e. focus groups). The membersof last year’s team got involved for variousreasons, most commonly: personal/friends/family experiences with mental difficultiesand to gain experience in a mental healthvolunteering role. The team’s favourite partof being involved with Student Minds is alsosplit amongst its members: the rewardingexperience of creating tangible change,strengthening the student voice with regardsto mental health and meeting like–mindedpeople who all share a great passion forstudents’ mental health.’Patrick Taylor, chair of Student Minds Bath,tells us about his group’s achievements overthe past year.

Student Minds Annual Report 18/1914Press AmbassadorsThe narrative of student mental health isincomplete without the voice of students. This iswhy we coach, support and train Press Ambassadorsto use their voices to influence positive changein student mental health. Press Ambassadors arestudents and recent graduates with lived experienceof mental health difficulties whilst at university.We support these brave and passionate volunteersto share their stories with press and mediaorganisations, and at events. Our training empowersstudents to share their personal experiences in safeand positive ways, and provides them with the toolsto have these experiences heard.[I am] proving that I am stronger thanmy eating disorder tries to convince methat I am.’ - Jessica MellStudents are experts by experience – theyknow how it feels to experience mental healthdifficulties at university. We work hard toamplify their voices, and encourage the publicto listen to what they have to say, in order tochallenge existing stereotypes and stigma.Together we can change public perceptions ofstudent mental health. In 2018/19, we trained anetwork of 18 Press Ambassadors with a variety ofpersonal experiences.Data highlights:100% of Press Ambassadors strongly agreedthat the training was useful and well organised.Some highlights from the year are as follows:Rebekah Dussek spoke to Channel 5 News onUniversity Mental Health Day about her mentalhealth journey.Annie Bocock wrote an article for Times HigherEducation on coming out as pansexual at university,and the impact suffering from anxiety had on herexperiences.Laura, Abigal and Daisy shared their experiences ofaccessing mental health services at university withThe Huffington Post.Case Study:‘The experience of being a Press Ambassadorfor Student Minds means having a really goodopportunity to do something you know isgoing to have a positive impact on students’wellbeing, because they are so well followed.On a personal level I have gained more selfconfidence about speaking about my ownmental healt

Student Minds Annual Report 18/19 7 June 2019 Office for Students' Grants Announcement In June came another exciting announcement - the Office for Students will be granting 14.5 million funding for ten projects supporting student mental health over ten years. Student Minds is delighted to be involved in three of these projects: