Hello! My name is Esmé, I study Psychology and Biology, and I would love to be your Union Health and Wellbeing Officer. Through my own experiences and through my work in helping others, I believe I have a skillset and understanding that would be an asset to students.
In the past year, I have co-established and now co-facilitate a peer support group at the university which allows individuals to mutually encourage one another during a complex and difficult situation. Through this I create content (on social media and other mediums) which gives helpful advice (both anecdotal and evidence-proven) for dealing with aspects of mental health.
Throughout the last year I have also been very involved in improving the #isthisok program, working with the university to improve services giving suggestions for the best possible ways to tackle sexual violence, and creating a safer environment for students. I have attended meetings to give trauma-specific input, worked with union staff and reviewed courses on gender-based violence.
I have been a welfare officer for Touch Rugby, helped out with Nightline publicity, completed the Scottish Mental Health First Aid course with the university and completed online courses based on trauma-informed work. All of these have given me a wide knowledge of mental health, whilst my involvement in sports like hockey and touch rugby has further proven the link to physical health.
I have a number of ideas for campaigns that may benefit everyone, and I would modify these as needed to fit the future situation.
The past year has been a huge change, to say the least, so I think a ‘Coping after Covid’ campaign based around managing traumatic events and anxieties that have risen during the pandemic may help people re-integrate back to normality. This would include activities giving information on anxiety-management techniques, additional support for individuals who have suffered grief or loss, and events like coffee mornings (or if need be virtual ones) for those who have struggled with mental illness during the pandemic. Although it will be a huge relief for many to begin to return to normality, it may be difficult for some of us and it is important to recognise this on a university-wide scale.
I would also love to try to organise more de-stress sessions for example with therapet charities and outdoor tree-planting sessions - this is something I believe a lot of people would enjoy and genuinely benefit from. Practical activites like tree-planting are great for fresh air and grounding yourself, and therapets sessions are a good way to bring joy into a stressful day.
Aside from these, I have so many more ideas that I would love to bring awareness to!
If I were elected, I would encourage people to contact or speak to me about concerns, difficulties they are having and suggestions for improvements, as I want to help everyone have a good experience at university. I hope you will consider me as your Health and Wellbeing Officer, thank you for reading!