SERC Awarded Mental Health Early Intervention and Prevention Grant Funding

SERC has been awarded Mental Health Strategy Early Intervention and Prevention Grant Funding from the Public Health Agency.

The £6960 grant will be used to support a new initiative - Thrive: Early Health Programme for Students - which will involve up to 200 students with mild-to-moderate learning difficulties, physical disabilities and long-term health issues, in a programme to enhance their college experience through hands-on activities that build resilience.  

Paul Walsh, Head of Learner Development said, “We are delighted to have secured funding for Thrive which offers a physical exercise programme and food preparation activities designed to improve students' understanding of a healthy lifestyle, while promoting collaboration through hands-on engagement as well as the message of healthy body, healthy mind.”  

He added, “Over 16 weeks, across SERC’s four main campuses, students will participate in up to two hours of exercise sessions aimed at boosting students' confidence, self-esteem, and resilience. They will also take part in four hours of cooking activities where they will learn to cook healthy, nutritious meals, fostering empowerment, independence, emotional stability, and social connection with the act of cooking and sharing meals strengthening social bonds and reducing feelings of isolation.”  

Paul concluded, “The mental health of our young people is topical and complex and one which our staff teams at SERC manage as effectively as possible.   “The effects of the COVID-19 lockdowns are particularly pronounced in this projects’ target cohort, as students with mild to moderate learning difficulties, physical disabilities and long-term health conditions struggled to navigate the limited opportunities for socialising and engaging with others during and following that time. This project will address these issues in the comfort of the college environment, equipping students will skills and learning they can call on beyond the end of the programme.”