Your time at University will be exciting and rewarding, but it will also have its challenges. We recognise that many of our students will need support during their time at University. Whether you have a longstanding condition or have recently started to experience difficulties, there is a range of support options.
If you are concerned about your mental or physical health you should always consult your GP. Most Durham students are registered with the University Health Centre at Green Lane.
Our JCR Welfare Officer is also available for support trevelyan.welfare@durham.ac.uk
Creating opportunities for students to meaningfully explore ways to take care of their own wellbeing is a clear strategic priority for Trevelyan College.
The college student support team along side the JCR and MCR welfare teams deliver a wide range of events and activities to not only provide access to support and signpost to key resources, but also to celebrate key annual events to ensure that our initiatives are relevant to students across the entire college community.
Visit our Student Support Hub for more information on all of the support services available to you and how to access them.
The welfare campaigns started in November with Sexual Health and Guidance (SHAG) week, which shared information about sexual health resources and the support available within college, the university and the wider area. The JCR led campaign encouraged conversations around consent, held a Q&A session on social media, ran a pub quiz and finished the campaign with a LGBTQ+ Bar Night to raise money for the Albert Kennedy Trust charity who support LGTBQ+ young people.
The college purchased a badge making machine so that we can hold events throughout the year which provides the opportunity for students to make their own pronoun and pride flag badges.
A badge maker .
The JCR Welfare Disabilities Rep ran a DisabiliTEA event on the International Day for Persons with Disabilities to raise awareness of the challenges faced by disabled students. The welfare team also shared content on social media to help confront stigma around invisible disabilities such as chronic pain and mental health conditions.
The 'Mental Health Matters' campaign was launched by the college student support office, JCR and MCR welfare teams. This was launched on social media and there was a range of events throughout the week to encourage students to explore different ways of maintaining positive wellbeing.
'Time to Talk Day' in February is run by the charity Mind and encourages people to have more conversations about mental health. To promote this in college we had a session on the Cobbles where students could come along, collect free wellbeing supplies, and meet the JCR and MCR welfare officers and the Assistant Principal.
8 March is International Women's Day and members from across the entire college community join together to raise awareness. The focus of the 2022 campaign was #BreakTheBias and the college shared photos of everyone doing the IWD #BreakTheBias pose on the college social media accounts. We hoped that this would raise awareness of how bias, whether deliberate or unconscious, can significantly impact all aspects of the lives of those affected.
Staff and students doing the IWD for #BreakTheBias campaign.
Your College student support team is here to look after your wellbeing. You can talk to them about any personal, health, or academic concerns that you might have throughout your time at Durham. They can offer you advice and support and, where necessary, liaise with other departments on your behalf. You can set up appointments by email or attend a drop-in session.
Dr Hannah Martin, Assistant Principal trevelyan.studentsupport@durham.ac.uk.
Your JCR Welfare team are elected by the student body. They are here to provide you with peer support throughout your time at Trevs. They also run campaigns weeks to educate and promote conversations about important topics like consent, mental health, and disabilities.
You can read more about our JCR Welfare team on the JCR website.
Creating opportunities for students to meaningfully explore ways to take care of their own wellbeing is a clear strategic priority for college.
Creating opportunities for students to meaningfully explore ways to proactively manage their own wellbeing is a clear strategic priority for college. This year, our College Student Support Team and the JCR and MCR welfare teams have delivered a wide range of events and activities to not only provide access to support and signpost to key resources, but also celebrate key annual events to ensure that our initiatives are relevant to students across the entire college community. This year we have further developed a culture of wellbeing in college, through both proactive and reactive events and campaigns and we look forward to expanding this further in the future.
The JCR Welfare Campaigns Committee has helped run several campaigns, including Alcohol and Drug Awareness, Sexual Health and Guidance, and Mental Health Awareness, and some new campaigns, such as the Welfaremas Campaign and GYN Week, which focused on gynaecological health.
The JCR Assistant Welfare Officers and Minority Reps ran their own events and campaigns, this included hosting a weekly crafting session and running Meditation and Mindfulness sessions.
During May the College ran a Stress Less Campaign to encourage students to take a break from their revision and exams and destress. This included 'Cake on the Quad' where students could enjoy a sweat treat or piece of cake for free. The Assistant Principal hosted Dog Wellbeing Sessions and offered drop in hours along with the College Chaplain.
The JCR Welfare Team also ran a Stress Less Campaign this included crafting sessions, dance and exercise classes, a coffee morning and a welfare quiz.
The Assistant Principal, Student Support Administrator and JCR Welfare Officer set up for 'Cake on the Quad', with cake and support postcards.
The University has several central departments that provide our students with support and advice in matters relating to mental health, disability, and academic concerns. Some services, such as the Disability Support Service, gives you the option of disclosing a disability or health condition before arriving in Durham so that your support needs can be discussed in advance.
The Self-Certification of Absence Form has been moved online and is now available on this webpage: Student Registry: Self-Certification of Absence.