As we ease out of the academic year, we are given an opportunity to reflect. We also have the chance to look ahead to future possibilities (cue planning for the new term) thanks to the inherent worth and rest of the summer. It is perhaps, therefore, logical that this is the period in which the Universities Minister announced plans for a new Mental Health Charter for higher education providers last week. The development of this charter is being led by the charity Student Minds, in collaboration with other partners.

For me, positive mental health is a kingdom (of God) issue, and is therefore fertilised by my faith. It is about fullness of being. It means feeling equipped and supported, edified in our identity and ability to be all that we are called to be. In recent years mental health has been brought under the spotlight through high profile campaigns aimed at raising awareness and giving people a safe space in which to talk about their experiences. The journeys we have with our mental health matter because they shape who we are; they shape our becoming whether we are young or less young. Our capacity to look after our own mental health means that we are nurturing ourselves and enriching how we experience the world around us. We know that “94 per cent of universities have seen a sharp increase in the number of people trying to access student support services. In some cases, there have been three-fold increases in the demand for counselling” (Times Higher Education, July 2018). As people who live and work in and around a university town, we may be better placed than most to support our young people and colleagues across the city.

Arguably in the past there has been a paucity of information about mental health. This is no longer the case. As the gift of the summer season unfolds before us, may we find the time to see and hear more about how we can better look after ourselves and those for whom we are called to care.

Dr Mariama Ifode-Blease
Community Engagement and Outreach Officer