The Duck's Life Team

This very special and dedicated team take care of everything Duck's Life. 

We meet fortnightly during term time and discuss ideas and announce progress made in relation to the services Duck's Life provides.  Feel free to contact us at duckslife@yusu.org (with their name in the "subject" line if the message is for a particular person).

General Committee

Chair: Ivor Lobo

Secretary: Davina Chauhan

Treasurer: Sophie Hurst

Advertising & Marketing: Kim Middleton

Community: Claire Kelly

Magazine & Web Team

Editor: Leigh Maddox

Deputy Editor: Kim Middleton

Editorial Team:

Rachel Bickley

Davina Chauhan

Christina Christou

Ivor Lobo

The Birth of Ducks - A Message From the Founder of It's a Duck's Life

My name's John Campbell, I came here to study English in October 2003.  After only a few weeks here, I experienced some mental health problems which I could never have seen coming.  I couldn't understand what was happening to me; I acted irrationally—with some very regrettable results—and very little support was given to me.  It wasn't until the end of my first term and after a lot of hardship did I understand what was happening to me and how I should get help in dealing with it.  Since, I have heard from so many students, new and old, who have been through mental health and welfare problems.  They often say that they couldn't see outside themselves when they needed to, that they couldn't deal with change, and that they felt hugely isolated. Then they say how they have learnt to cope (or haven't), who helped them, and whether that help was useful.  Then the conversation stops and we go on with our lives.  But somewhere someone else is experiencing the same problems we went through for the first time, and they're porbably clueless about to what to do.  That's where 'It's a Duck's Life' comes in.

Our project is to collect student experiences and pass them on for the benefit of other students.  We encourage people to write articles, ask questions and share views about any kind of welfare issue affecting the student population of York.  We publish these articles on this website, and in an annual magazine, so that those in need can benefit from a student who has been through the same problems.  It's as simple as that.

Where do the ducks come in?  The ducks are for all the times we feel like life would be easier if all we had to do was swim, sleep and eat soggy bread (or is that just me?).  The ducks are for every time you think that everone else is swimming along fine, like young and sprightly students, but really underneath the water everyone has two feet paddling like mad, which hurt sometimes and might not be able to paddle any more.

I suppose you could call it self-counselling, but we're here when the counselling service isn't, when you can't talk to your friends, or when you just want private guidance with no hassle and no worries about having to talk to someone.   We're here when Nightline isn't open, when your welfare representatives aren't around.

Now it's very easy for me to spout wonderful things about our mission to save you all, but that's not the point.  The point is that we're offering you a forum to help yourselves, nothing more.  This project is for every student here, no matter what age, race or social background they have; if you want to make a contribution, all you have to do is click 'submit article'.   If you have any requests or suggestions, send us an email--we need you to keep helping us to make this work.

I have often wished that I could go back and talk to myself when I came here and tell me what was happening, what I should do about it, and how I should think.  I can't, but this is the closest I'll get, and it won't just be me that's doing all the talking, it'll be everyone talking to each other.

John Campbell

(Founder of 'It's a Duck's Life')