Students from throughout the UK are meeting this week to develop a strategy for boosting wellbeing on campuses. The 'mental wealth meetings' are part of an ambitious project started at the University of Leeds, that aims to "bring mental health and wellbeing out of the shadows" by creating a network of student champions from UK campuses.

The meetings come at a time when mental health and wellbeing are very much on the government agenda. A national mental health strategy, New Horizons, was introduced by Gordon Brown in December, promising to shape mental health policy for the next 10 years. Of the strategy, the Prime Minister said, “This is about more than preventing mental illness...it is also about helping individuals and communities to bring the best out of themselves”.

Edward Pinkney, founder of The Mental Wealth Project and a Leeds University undergraduate said, “these meetings are not only about tackling mental illness, but also creating a culture that encourages the emotional self-awareness required to thrive. We’re talking about a new generation of young people coming through far better able to deal with the world’s challenges. “ 30 universities will be represented at the meetings taking place in universities up and down the country over the next few days. The project aims to lay the foundations for a national network of students, staff and stakeholders who will look to shape the future of wellbeing on campuses.

Last year a pioneering student society was created at the University of Leeds to promote wellbeing and tackle mental health issues on campus. Events included a stigma-busting fair with music, a Gladiator-style inflatable, freebies and activities, that drew nearly a thousand students. They have also held talks by the likes of celebrity psychologist Rufus May, who appeared recently in a Channel 4 documentary entitled ‘The Doctor Who Hears Voices’, and organised meditation sessions for students. The society, now one of several around the UK, also carried out a survey with 950 students of which over 50% of the participants felt stigma towards mental health was still prominent on campus.

New research commissioned by northern ireland’s NUS supports this, revealing that that 60% of students wouldn’t want anyone else to know if they had a mental health problem and more than 1 in 10 students are affected by mental ill health  (NUS-USI;)  and. Edward said, “there are some great support and services available for students, but that’s not enough if students don’t know about them, or feel unable to talk openly. What’s required is a complete shift on campuses towards a proactive, open culture. It’s down to us students to make this happen.”

                The Mental Wealth Project are planning for a campus mental health & wellbeing conference later this year, and are in the process of creating a non-profit organization to lobby and support campuses full term.