Student Space is here to stay with three-year funding to support students to navigate the uncertainty of university life. We are delighted to share that we have received a three-year funding commitment of £262,500 per year from the Office for Students and the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales to extend the provision of our online support resource, Student Space. Our funding announcement comes as a recent report from the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) states that student mental health is still a ‘significant challenge’ and that around a third of students considering leaving university cite emotional or mental health as the main reason. Student Space, which we initially launched in August 2020 in response to the impact of the pandemic on UK students, provides a range of expert online support and wellbeing advice for students who may be feeling concerned about their studies, relationships or any aspects of university life. We are grateful for the additional funding to enable our plans to move the support from being a Covid-19 response to it being a vital place for students to go to support them through the uncertainty of student life. Developed in collaboration with students, service providers, higher education professionals and researchers, Student Space currently comprises several support elements including advice and information, student stories, direct support services (from phone lines to text to peer support services) and signposting to university and students’ union services. Plus, in recognition of the fact that mental health problems can impact groups of students in different ways, a range of tailored support has also been created. To date, hundreds of thousands of students have accessed Student Space, and focus groups conducted by Centre for Mental Health found that students considered the content ‘really helpful’, ‘current’ and ‘authentic.’ Rosie Tressler, CEO, Student Minds, said: "Through Student Space we’ve reached over 300,000 people to date providing digital and tailored mental health support. It’s clear from recent research into student mental health and wellbeing that, although the pandemic highlighted an urgent and specific need for increased student mental health support, students are continuing to struggle, with many feeling lonely and around a third considering leaving university altogether. We welcome this ongoing support from the Department for Education and the Welsh Government. We continue to have ambitions to improve our service offer, acquiring funding to ensure that Student Space continues to reach the diverse needs of the student population.” We hope you will join us in celebrating this fantastic news. We look forward to supporting more students through Student Space over the years to come. If you have any questions or reflections please email [email protected].
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November 2024
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