Students’ Unions are key to transforming the state of student mental health, launch of a ground-breaking support programme for SUs

We are delighted to announce that we are going to be partnering with a number of Students’ Unions next academic year to create and launch a support programme that seeks to define and develop the role that SUs can play in transforming the state of student mental health on campuses across the UK. The SUs partnering with Student Minds will be the early adopters in this space looking to innovate as well as create and test different approaches in improving student experience. 

Rosie Tressler, our CEO, shared, “Students’ unions are natural allies for Student Minds, and having worked with a range of SU staff and officers over the years I am very excited that we will be working together strategically and for greater impact. SUs play a vital role on campus as service providers, employers, managers of volunteers, innovators in peer support as well as representatives and advocates for the student voice. By collaborating on this innovative programme we are recognising this and the invaluable role Students’ Unions have in ensuring students in HE can flourish.”

The three-year programme will seek to develop three key areas of work:

• A Students’ Union Mental Health and Wellbeing Network: to share best practice, learning through relationship building and offer development opportunities for SU officers and staff
• A self-audit framework: to act as an empowering tool to define best practice in the space and to offer students’ unions direction as to what a “whole-organisation approach” to mental health and wellbeing looks like for Students’ Unions
• An in-house support programme: to create direct and relevant in house support ranging from local movement building to train the trainer packages for staff.

We will also aim for this process to be informed by and support the development of the University Mental Health Charter that we are leading on developing.

Student Minds’ funders, partners and early adopters in the programme will be:

• University of York Students’ Union 
• University of Westminster Students’ Union
• Queen Mary University of London Students’ Union (subject to funding)
• Hull University Union
• Leeds University Union
• Durham Students’ Union
• Oxford University Students’ Union

We are happy to say that University of York Students’ Union (YUSU) led the way as the first SU to sign up to support the programme. YUSU CEO, Ben Vulliamy and YUSU Community and Wellbeing Officer, Steph Hayle commented: 

“We are of the view that students’ unions are uniquely positioned to influence the mental health and wellbeing of students, but to realise this potential we need facilitation, support and expertise. It is for that reason that we have been talking with Student Minds over the last 6 months, exploring how they could support and advise us on developing student mental health related strategy and policies, embedding student mental health across union strategy and day to day culture. This is why we are happy to be funders and partners in this innovative programme.”

Do you want to join the SUs that are leading the way? If so contact susupport@studentminds.org.uk.