A number of our Tutorial Team Leaders completed the Youth Mental Health First Aid qualification on World Mental Health Day, 10 October, delivered by Mind Matters.
The qualification gives a clear focus on the issues faced by young people today, including bullying, cyber bullying and substance misuse. The course also teaches the importance of promoting wellbeing and protective factors against mental health issues. The session was a mixture of presentations, discussions and group work activities, equipping our staff with the skills and knowledge to enable them to support all students.
Michael Bentley, Tutorial Team Leader in the Business, Warehousing and Logistics department, said: “This event was a great opportunity to develop new skills and reinforce existing knowledge so that we can better support our students. It was also an invaluable chance to strengthen the network of support that our fellow Youth Mental Health First Aiders can offer each other, before, during and after helping students.”
“This session has equipped me with the extra knowledge and confidence to speak more freely about mental health.”
Emma Warren, Tutorial Team Leader in the Childcare and Education Professions department said: “The statistics that were shown throughout the training were eye opening and it was very interesting to see how the level of mental health issues relating to gender and age has increased throughout the years. This session has equipped me with the extra knowledge and confidence to speak more freely about mental health and eliminate the stigma surrounding it.”