Ahead of WorldMentalHealthDay this Saturday, The Duchess of Cambridge visited students at DerbyUni to hear how initiatives including peer mentoring are supporting students’ mental health during the pandemic.

Ahead of WorldMentalHealthDay this Saturday, The Duchess of Cambridge visited students at DerbyUni to hear how initiatives including peer mentoring are supporting students’ mental health during the pandemic.

studentmindsorg, the UK’s student mental health charity, say that the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated existing challenges facing student mental health, in addition to creating new ones.

Even before the onset of COVID-19, both the severity and prevalence of common mental health conditions experienced by young adults was on the increase.

However, like the sports societies and nursing students here at Derby, universities are continuing to explore new ways to support their wellbeing.

Students across England and Wales now have access to trusted support through the coronavirus pandemic via @studentmindsorg Student Space, a programme that helps students to find support that is available locally at their university, in addition to providing online resources and direct support by phone and text.

The 24/7 text support available via Student Space is delivered in partnership with @GiveUsAShoutInsta, a legacy initiative from the Heads Together campaign and was incubated by The Royal Foundation ahead of its launch in 2019.