Mind Matters: Health day for students
"Mental health concerns us all – also as students": This is the motto of the mental health day "Mind Matters" that takes place on 10 October from 10:00 to 16:00 at the Münzstraße Campus of the Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (THWS). Together with the Krisennetzwerk Unterfranken (Lower Franconia Crisis Network) and the University Health Management of Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg (JMU), the Student Health Management at THWS is inviting students and other interested parties. The cooperation partners want to take a stand for a more open, informed, and preventative approach to mental health.
The event aims to provide accessible, practice-oriented information on mental health, inform about contact points, and provide a space for exchange, reflection, and prevention.
The programme:
- 10:00-16:00: Info stands and student exhibitions
- 10:00: Welcoming address by THWS President Professor Dr. Jean Meyer, JMU Vice President Professor Dr. Matthias Bode, and the crisis services represented by Dr. Daniel Kilian
- 11:00-13:00: Interactive talk by "Irrsinnig Menschlich e. V.", titled: "Psychisch fit studieren" (Mental health for students)
- 14:00-16:00: Workshops
The interactive talk by "Irrsinnig Menschlich e. V." wants to sensitise students to mental health, reduce prejudice, and inform about support offers. Participants of the workshop develop strategies for handling stresses. They also hear stories of people who have successfully overcome crises.
The workshops focus on different topics relevant for students in their daily (university) life, offering different perspectives on mental health. For example, Professor Dr. Frank Como-Zipfel, Faculty of Applied Social Sciences at THWS, and Katharina Eckert of the Studierendenwerk Würzburg, are talking about mindfulness and stress management.
Anica Pilz, Department of Psychology V at JMU, is giving a workshop on sleep hygiene. Input on nutrition and mental health will be provided by Dr. Andreas Petko of the Sports Centre at JMU. The crisis network Krisennetzwerk Unterfranken will answer the questions "How can we recognise that someone is in a mental crisis and what approach can be taken?"
Info stands and student exhibitions
In addition to the talks and workshops, the event offers on-site info stands by various regional institutions and initiatives throughout the day. That way, visitors can learn about and interact with counselling centres, support providers, and projects around mental health.
A student exhibition on “Empower & Prevent” directed by Professor Claudia Frey, Dean of the Faculty of Design at THWS, rounds off the programme. In the exhibition pieces, THWS students approached different aspects of mental health in their own ways.
All students and employees of the Würzburg higher education institutions and other interested individuals are cordially invited to drop by, participate, get informed, and take home impulses. Because: Mind Matters!
Mind matters - your day for mental health - University Health Management