I know I’m not the only student who has felt a bit let down by the lack of direction and provision for university students throughout the last year. However, Student Minds have stepped into the void to create Student Space, a site specifically aimed at giving support and information to students as we navigate our way through the pandemic.
Student Minds is the leading U.K. student mental health charity, and they have worked with university and mental health services, as well as students, to create this site.
The first thing that Student Space offers is free and confidential support through phone, text, web-chat, and email. You will be connected to a volunteer who has had specific training, including modules on mental illnesses, self-harm, and suicide. However, Student Space is not just for those struggling with mental illness, as you can get support with other issues such as money, housing or relationships.
Student Space also offers a number of online resources, namely articles and videos, on a range of issues that students are facing right now. This includes specific tips for students, for example relating to studying online, getting a job after graduation, and managing relationships whilst living in a bubble, but also covers more general health and wellbeing topics, such as loneliness, sleep, eating well and dealing with grief and loss.
The final thing that Student Space offers is an option to discover what support is available at your own university. Through a search tool, you can find information and links specific to your university. For example upon searching University of Nottingham, I could find information about the HealthyU campaign, the University Counselling Service, and Nightline, to name a few.
Overall, I would recommend Student Space to any student in need of support or advice at the moment. Without a doubt, the demands of a degree, alongside financial, social, and emotional challenges, is hard enough as it is, never mind having to manage it in a global pandemic! It’s ok to be finding things tough, or to need a bit of extra support.
You can visit the Student Space website here