As part of World Mental Health Day last week, our wonderful HEART Team hosted a mental health drawing event.
World Mental Health Day was on 10th October. According to the World Health Foundation, the day is “a chance to talk about mental health in general, how we need to look after it, and how important it is to talk about things and get help if you are struggling.”
Organised by our Welfare and Wellbeing Lead, Jess, the drawing event provided a quiet space for students to sit, reflect and relax while drawing and colouring.
Jess told us “The creative outlet can be really helpful to our mental health.”
A report from the National Alliance for Arts, Health and Wellbeing (APPG) suggests that having a creative hobby can actually benefit our mental and emotional health.
Jess went on to say…
“We got all our Art Society materials out; paints, chalk, charcoal, oil pastels, colouring books and pencils. We set up both a messy area and a mindful colouring zone where students could come and go as they pleased. Our HEART team were also there to chat if they wanted/needed too.
The students were able to enjoy a mindful drawing session accompanied by hot drinks and snacks. The HEART team also provided a key selection of books from the library – including a mix of self-help, positivity-focused and comforting fiction books.
The team made sure to signpost key local welfare and wellbeing organisations, and they can be accessed. These included: Second Step, Safe Haven, Talk Club, and Samaritans.
The students who attended the drawing event beamed about how useful it was to take some time out of the day to just breathe and relax.
Jess says “”the events with our HEART team are so important for our students, especially as we come back to studying in person and are able to reconnect again. These events allow the UCW students to connect and make friends (not only with peers from their course, but all of the UCW community, which is such a diverse group). It really helps the students gain that sense of belonging and community that I think we are all craving and need for our wellbeing”.
Thank you Jess!
We are so proud to see how dedicated our wonderful staff and students are to supporting one another.
To find out more about our HEART team – click here.
To read more about the Mental Health and Wellbeing services at UCW, click here.
