Colchester Institute signs new wellness charter supporting mental health
Colchester Institute has reaffirmed its commitment to supporting staff and students by signing up to a brand new national mental health and wellbeing charter.
Created by the Association of Colleges in conjunction with mental health experts, the charter commits to promoting equality of opportunity and challenging mental health stigma, providing appropriate training for staff and targeted individual support where appropriate.
Every year, 1 in 10 young people experience a mental health problem and 1 in 5 young people aged 16-24 experience conditions such as anxiety or depression at any one time.
Colleges across England teach and train 2.2 million people each year – including 685,000 young people. As a large regional provider of further education for both school leavers and adult learners, Colchester Institute plays a vital role in supporting the wellbeing of its students and staff.
Alison Andreas, Principal and Chief Executive at Colchester Institute, spoke of the importance of the charter: “The unprecedented circumstances that we’ve faced as a nation over this past year have elevated many of the mental health and wellbeing issues people face on a daily basis. It’s our aim as an organisation to provide as much support as possible for our staff and students as we can, and continue to raise awareness on the importance of mental health. The charter is just one way of us expressing our commitment to this and it provides a helpful framework for identifying and monitoring tangible actions”
Mental Health lead at the Association of Colleges, Richard Caulfield highlighted the vital role that education and training providers play. “Every single day colleges like Colchester Institute provide a world class education and transform the lives of millions of people. This includes providing support for both staff and student wellbeing at the right time, in the right place. This charter gives colleges the chance to publicly state their commitment to the mental health agenda.”
