In 2017, we saw 220 staff, students, alumni and friends come together to raise an amazing £35,000 to support the student-led Mind Your Mood programme, managed by Student Support. And now we want to build on this and make 2018 an even greater success.
A recent survey revealed that 62% of students worry about their mental health yet less than 40% of students know where to seek support.
Mind Your Mood is a student-led mental health initiative which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues, offer support, improve mental wellbeing and de-stigmatise mental health.
This year, students, staff, alumni and friends are being encouraged to take part in the 2018 Belfast City Marathon by running the full marathon, entering a relay team, walking 8 miles or doing the fun run.Other challenge events include the 4 Campus Cycle, the SSE Walled City Marathon or the Ulster University Golf Challenge. And there are many others ways you can get involved.
Christina Jupe, Mind Your Mood Coordinator 2017/18, said:
“We were blown away by the support Mind Your Mood has received from staff, students and alumni and we hope many more people will get involved this year. Thanks to our fundraising efforts not only we were able to invest in new programmes to support student wellbeing but we also started conversations about mental health and broke down some of the stigma surrounding this important issue.
Many students do not know where they can seek help and support, or are embarrassed or ashamed to ask for help for themselves or others. Therefore, one of the key aims of Mind Your Mood is to provide support at the earliest point to avoid progression of mental illness to something more serious and threatening.”
The money raised in 2017 has been invested in a range of different programmes designed to support student mental wellbeing including:
- Mindfulness and ‘Living life to the full’ workshops as well as introducing creative therapies to students through drama and storytelling
- Mind Your Mood Ambassador Programme - establishing a network of students that promote positive mental health in their courses, teams and university.
- Mind Your Mood Awards - providing students with funding so that they can complete a project to promote positive mental health in their courses / communities.
For more information on Mind Your Mood and how to sign up to one of our fundraising events please visit the website: https://www.ulster.ac.uk/mindyourmood/