About the event
The inaugural London Wellbeing Week took place from Monday 2 to Friday 6 March 2020, coinciding with University Mental Health Day on Thursday 5 March. The week gave HEIs in London the opportunity to showcase and celebrate the work that they are doing to support students and staff in the area of mental health and wellbeing, and explore how we can convey good practice amongst the wider HE community by featuring conversation starters every day throughout the week.
Throughout London Wellbeing Week individual institutions held a variety of events, ranging from meetings, talks, coffee mornings, performances, showcases, sports activities and others, all with the aim of highlighting their commitment to wellbeing.
The following intitutions, all members of the London Health & Wellbeing Network, are ran a variety of staff- and student-focussed events:.
London Metropolitan University ran a staff workshop to provide a briefing on burnout and issues that arise from chronic stress that has not been managed.
LSE, the London School of Economics & Political Science had a full schedule of events for staff, students or both, all of which encourage a positive approach to mental health and wellbeing and demonstrate that student wellbeing is a top priority for the school, broadening the understanding of wellbeing support that LSE can offer.
The University of East London had a full schedule of events for students and staff to show the various ways in which the university takes wellbeing seriously. In addition they are held focus groups throughout the week to enable both students and staff to feedback as to how they feel the university is currently supporting their mental health.
The University of West London ran events including workshops designed and led by UWL student wellbeing champions, free nutrition consultations and appointments led by Level 6 nutrition students, mindfulness sessions and massages, a variety of fitness and sports sessions for both students and staff, promotion of student wellbeing and advocacy support services, and mental health awareness training for staff.
The University of Westminster marked University Mental Health Day on Thursday 5 March with a focus on training both staff and students to provide better wellbeing support.
The University of Middlesex held a Student Success Festival, providing support and guidance to students to achieve their academic best, as well as a series of workshops from Yoga classes to wellbeing workshops delivered by trained Middlesex University students.
Next steps
London Higher’s dedicated London Health & Wellbeing Network gathers colleagues working across our member institutions to create new conversations while sharing their innovations and effective ways of working, to ensure that London’s students have access to the support they need to thrive.