University Mental Health Day

University Mental Health Day is celebrated across the UK bringing the university community together to make mental health a university-wide priority and create ongoing change to the future of student and staff mental health.

We know that mental health hugely matters to our students and it matters to us. Universities, including ours, have an important role to play in promoting good mental health, identifying those who are starting to struggle early, and supporting those who have a mental health condition.

In what has been a challenging period, we’re focusing on the mental health and wellbeing of our community with a programme of workshops, discussions and resources for staff and students, ensuring that we continue to support each other and our mental health through these times.

What’s on

This is our most wide-reaching programme of activities to-date, with a breadth of online and face-to-face events taking place across the university – including a keynote session from our Vice Chancellor, Professor Jane Harrington, and Dr Jacqui Dyer MBE, President of the Mental Health Foundation.

The 5-day agenda will include sessions covering nature bathing, exercise and mental wellbeing, and support for staff from Confidential Care, as well as hearing from the Student Wellbeing team and Greenwich Students’ Union about student mental health.

In a session led by the university’s BAME staff network we will be discussing what some old civilisations and the global majority can teach us about mental health and wellbeing. Staff can receive guidance on supporting students with mental health needs, and we can learn more about the benefits of ‘switching off’..

Join our events

For more information, including a full list of sessions and resources, visit our University Mental Health Day website.

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – March 2022

On 3 March it is World Hearing Day and with that in mind we have chosen Chris Fonseca as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

Chris is a professional dancer, choreographer, teacher and deaf ambassador. He specialises in Urban dance technique and works extensively across the UK and overseas – receiving both international invitations and commissions.

Chris drew early inspiration from the actor Michael ‘Boogaloo Shrimp’ Chambers and Old Skool dance techniques such as Electric Boogaloo, Popping, locking and B-Boying. Whilst attaining his degree in Graphic Communication, Chris was a founding member of Def Motion, an all-deaf dance group affiliated to Deaffest – the UK’s annual Deaf Film Festival.

Since then Chris has been involved in a variety of endeavours. In 2012, Chris appeared in the London Paralympics opening ceremony showcasing his talents as an accomplished dance artist and creator.

Other achievements have included – The Black Collective: Black History Month, Smirnoff’s Keep it Moving campaign, LinkedIn’s Chase the Great campaign, SKY1’s what’s up TV, BBC’s the One Show, BBC Three’s Amazing Human JBL: Sound to See campaign, BBC’s The Greatest Dancer, Blue Peter and touring the UK with the Wind in The Willows musical.

To find out more about Chris see here

https://www.chrisfonsecadancer.com/home

To find out more about World Hearing Day see herehttps://www.who.int/campaigns/world-hearing-day/2022