I don't think there is any one person who at some point hasn't felt alone, hasn't felt down or wished there was someone around to help and support them – to sit and listen, to give them a hug or wipe away a tear … Just to make the load feel a little lighter.

Some are fortunate that that is as far as it ever goes but for others the extent of that loneliness, fear or pain can close in and become overwhelming and this can be particularly the case for students in Further and Higher education, many of whom are thrown into a strange and unfamiliar world, living away from home for the first time, being separated from family and friends, trying to make new friends, adjust to life in a new city, manage their own finances for possibly the first time and adjust to a new way of studying.

 Students in Mind is borne out of an awareness of all of the above – we are the UK's first and only mental health charity specifically for students in Further and Higher Education and we were set up following extensive research into suicidal behaviour, mental health issues as a lived experience and the analysis of existing service provision for students.

One in four students will experience some form of mental distress and Students in Mind is here to help those one in four.

Although only in our infancy we are growing rapidly and are seeking to offer a range of services to students across England, beginning from our central offices in London. As we begin our important work we are looking for the support of students everywhere – this is your charity, and we really want you to be involved on every level. You are the experts … only you know what is lacking and what is needed and we will listen to your voices, sometimes unheard until now, and make them heard in the future.

 Our approach is three pronged:

• One, we offer signposting to a choice of different services, treatments and professional help relevant to individual circumstances and close to the university that a specific individual is studying at.
• Two, we offer ways for individuals to explore their own creativity while they go through these experiences, including a poetry art and music platform and a Student Survivors message board, which is a safe space where students can share survival skills and strategies with regards to a wide range of stressful and distressing issues – sometimes even amongst the most horrendous experiences the most amazing creativity can be found and this is something which Students in Mind really wants to embrace and celebrate.
• Three, we work to help individuals combat any sense of stigma or shame that others may attach to these experiences or any associated help they receive.

One of the most important things to point out is that the charity is not looking to replace any existing services but instead wishes to work alongside those already in existence, referring students onto them where relevant, sharing ideas and best practice. For example a student that contacts the service may be assigned an advocate who would perhaps arrange an appointment with their university counselling service but may also pass on the number of their local Nightline service, and encourage them to contact this service for help also.

 We are unique in that all of our services are being designed by students for students, or with direct student input. All decisions that are made within the charity are passed firstly through the National Student Steering Committee which is elected annually and made up of students from across the country. This highlights that we are actively listening to the voices of those we are trying to help.

 I myself am a recent graduate whose life has been massively affected and touched by the work of Students in Mind and I believe passionately in the work which we are trying to achieve.

A large part of my time at university was affected by mental health problems and I so desperately wished that a service like Students in Mind had existed at the time. If this had been the case I really feel that I would have felt I had somewhere I could turn to in those dark and lonely days for the help I so desperately sought and I do not believe that my own problems would have persisted for such a long period of time.

 I became involved with the charity after setting up a web-board on the internet for other university students who were suffering from mental health problems during the course of their studies. I was informed of the work of the charity and got in touch with them to see if there was some way we could work together, using the idea of the web-board.

I have now been working collaboratively with Students in Mind for almost two years and have recently started part-time paid work with them.

My web-board has been fully embraced by the charity and will soon be attached to the new Students in Mind site, giving a perfect example of how student's ideas are taken on, embraced, celebrated and developed within the organisation.

My work with the charity has given me a new lease of life and a renewed confidence.

Having the charity believe in me and my ideas has been a truly empowering experience.

Being able to use my own experiences to help others has been a huge step forward for me and it has helped me to move my own life forward, knowing that the experiences I went through are not in vain and that I can use those to help other students who sadly may end up in a similar situation.

My work with Students in Mind has given me a hope for the future which had not existed until now and ultimately in helping me to move forward the charity has saved my own life

For me the thing that keeps me going is the thought that other students out there are still suffering alone and I am acutely aware that everyday lost is another day that someone may end up taking their own life.

I know that Students in Mind can help with this and I will always fight 110% to see the charity become a huge success on a national scale.

Through my work with the charity I have met some very special people and made some amazing friends, whom I am sure will remain an important part of my life for many years to come. These people have truly understood what I myself have lived through, some of them having been through very similar experiences and the stories we have shared as a collective group have only fuelled my commitment and passion for the charity.

 Deep in my heart I know that the charity is an amazing and magnificent service, which not only could and will be a huge success, but which has to be.

Emma
Students in Mind
www.studentsinmind.org.uk