Category Archives: Mental Health

Ensuring those with mental health conditions in our community are supported with their condition while continuing to be treated fairly, equally and without stigma.

Disability and Illness, Gender Equality, LGBT+, Mental Health, Parenting, Race and Faith, TeamTalk

FMS EDI Week Programme: 21st-25th January 2019

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FMS is holding its very first Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Week – why not come along and get involved?

We are holding the Faculty’s first EDI Week for our staff and students to celebrate our recent Athena SWAN Silver Award for our work towards gender equality. There will be a range of activities and events that not only reflect on our recent achievement, but consider where we go from here in order to provide more inclusive work and study environments that give everyone equal opportunity to succeed.

Take a look at what is on, and book early! We hope to see you at one of our events!

#FMSEDIWeek19

21st January:

  • Why does EDI matter? – 12-1pm, The Boardroom
    We launch the week by hearing from members of the senior leadership team about why EDI is important to our Faculty and the people who work and study here. Read more and register.
    X
  • EDI and TechNET – 1-2pm, The Boardroom
    Members of our technicians network talk about how EDI is central to the work that they do both in the Faculty and across the University. Read more and register.
    X
  • How to embed EDI in the Professional Pathway? – 2-3pm, The Boardroom
    Our Director of Faculty Operations, Katharine Rogers, will talk about the new professional pathway and how EDI is being embedded into its development. Read more and register.

22nd January:

  • EDI at NUMed Malaysia – 10-11am, Leech L2.9
    Come and meet Chris Baldwin, CEO and Provost at NUMed, to find out more about their approach to EDI in Malaysia. Read more and register.
    X
  • Mindfulness – 12.30-1.30pm, Leech L2.8
    An introductory session led by our very own Michael Atkinson. Read more and register.
    X
  • EDI Bites: What is Athena SWAN? – 12-1pm, The Boardroom
    Our EDI Team explains what Athena SWAN is, what our Silver Award means, and what our plans are for progressing gender equality over the next four years. Read more and register.
  • Athena SWAN: An institutional perspective – 3-4pm, The Boardroom
    Judith Rankin, the Dean of EDI, will talk about the university’s application for a Silver Award renewal, which will be submitted in April. Read more and register.

23rd January:

  • EDI design principles for FMS  – 12-2pm, Colin Ingram Seminar Room (IoN)
    Jane Richards and the Good to Great (G2G) Team hold an interactive session to hear your views about how EDI should guide FMS in the future. Read more and register.
    X
  • Why should we become conscious of our Unconscious Biases? – 2-3pm, Leech L2.2
    Tom Smulders and the IoN EDI Team run an introductory session about unconscious bias and how to combat it. Read more and register.

24th January:

  • EDI Lunchtime Fair – 12-2pm, the Atrium/Entrance to the Medical School
    For staff and postgraduates to find out more about different networks, mentoring schemes, support for wellbeing, and get a chance to speak to EDI representatives. Light bites provided. Please register your interest for catering purposes.
    X
  • Athena SWAN Celebration & Unveiling – 12.45, Entrance to the Medical School
    The Pro-Vice Chancellor of FMS, David Burn, will unveil the Faculty’s Athena SWAN Silver Award to mark the achievement that the award represents.

25th January:

  • ‘For Families’ Launch Event  – 10.30am-12pm, David Shaw Lecture Theatre
    Event jointly hosted by NU Women and NU Parents to launch NU’s new family-friendly initiative, update on its progress, set out plans for the future and take feedback and questions. Read more and register.
    X
  • Friday Fizz and Feedback – 4-5pm, The Atrium
    Join the Faculty EDI team for a glass of celebratory fizz and tell us what you thought of our first EDI Week, or what you’d like to see next year at EDI Week 2020! Bucks fizz and non-alcoholic sparkling provided. Register your interest for catering purposes here.
Careers, Disability and Illness, Gender Equality, LGBT+, Mental Health, Parenting, Race and Faith, TeamTalk

FMS EDI Week 21st-25th January – save the date!

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FMS will be holding its very first EDI Week from the 21st – 25th of January – why not get involved?

The week is firstly to celebrate our successes so far, with the unveiling of our Athena SWAN silver award, which recognises our achievements in promoting and progressing gender equality for all staff and students. However, as well as reflecting how far we have come, we will also be thinking about what we would like to achieve, and will be running a number of events and activities that staff and students can get involved with.

Although we are still confirming some events (final programme to be announced early January), we have some already pencilled in and you can get the times into your diary now!

21st January:

  • Launch Event – 12-1pm,
    “Why does EDI matter?” – hear from staff about why EDI matters to them.
    X
  • EDI and the Professional Pathway – 2-3pm,
    Katherine Rogers, Director of Faculty Operations

22nd January:

  • EDI Bitesize: “What is Athena SWAN?” – 2-3pm
    Candy Rowe, Director of EDI for FMS will explain what Athena SWAN is and what it means for the Faculty.
    X
  • Athena SWAN Silver for Newcastle University – 3-4pm
    Judith Rankin, Dean of Diversity will talk about the work currently going on to renew the University’s institutional Silver Athena SWAN Award.
    X
  • Wellbeing Session – lunchtime (TBC)
    Session hosted by Michael Atkinson on mindfulness.

23rd January:

  • EDI Design Principles for FMS  – 12-2pm
    Jane Richards and the Good to Great (G2G) Team will run a session about embedding EDI into faculty working in the future.

24th January:

  • EDI Fair – 12-2pm
    A fair to showcase information and get a chance to speak to the EDI Team, representatives from different staff/PGR networks, and the ECR Mentoring Scheme.
    X
  • Athena SWAN Celebration & Unveiling – lunchtime (TBC)
    PVC of FMS, David Burn, will unveil the Faculty’s Athena SWAN Silver Award and celebrate the incredible work and achievement the award symbolises.

25th January:

  • ‘For Families’ Launch Event  – 10am – 12pm
    Event jointly hosted by NU Women and NU Parents. It will provide information on NU’s new family-friendly initiative, update on progress, set out plans for the future and take feedback and questions.
Mental Health

World Mental Health Day: Just Ask

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 Today (Wednesday 10th of October) is World Mental Health Day. Every year, 1 in 4 people experience mental health difficulties, and sometimes you just need someone to talk to.

We spoke to Mark Bendall, a volunteer for Just Ask, about how the network supports staff and promotes good mental health at work.

Can you tell me a bit about what Just Ask does?

We are a group of volunteers, independent from the University, who are trained to provide non-judgmental, confidential advice to staff. We are a stepping stone for staff, to give them a chance to explore their options without going through the more formal University channels.

Our volunteers are excellent. A mixture of long standing and newer volunteers that were recruited two years ago, they have gained lots of training and experience, meaning they are sensible and really know what they’re doing.

Why do you feel Just Ask is so important to staff?

While we aren’t a counselling service, and only usually offer one meeting, maximum two, we still have an enormous impact on those we speak to. Many who speak to us have had our service recommended to them by colleagues, which shows the impact we’ve had.

For many, it is the first time they are able to speak about their problem, and it gives people a space to fully express their concerns and emotions, without fear of judgement. We hope that people see the service as something that’s there for them when they need it, and that the advice we give is empowering and provides a sense of control.

Can you tell me a bit about how Just Ask came about?

Initially, we were two separate volunteering groups, one which helped with bullying, and the other with stress. When we came together, we sat down and discussed what we would be, and broadened the areas in which we offer support. Until recently, we have been looked after by HR, but are now an independent volunteering group under the University Health and Safety Service.

Why did you choose to volunteer for Just Ask?

I had been active in trade union and while part of the union, I developed an interest in helping people with bullying at work. Here, I saw that there were often cases where people felt that they were being bullied, but by talking to them about the situation I was able to help them see if this was really the case and understand their situation more clearly. This was something I hoped I could do as a Just Ask volunteer.

Where would you like to see the network go in the future?

Because we have moved under the Safety Office, as part of the University’s broader wellbeing strategy, this has made Just Ask much more robust and will allow us to do a lot more for staff and have more regular meetings for the volunteers.

We also hope this new structure will promote the service more, and allow us to reach more people.

If you’re a staff member at Newcastle University and would like to find out more about Just Ask, or other resources the University offers to promote staff wellbeing, please click here.

Alternatively, if you’re a student and feel you need some support, you can contact Nightline or the Student Wellbeing Service.

Mental Health

Resilience Workshop: October 12th

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Resilience is our capacity to adapt positively to pressure, setbacks and challenges. It is about our ability to keep going, maintain our wellbeing, learn and develop.

Following the successful workshop series that the Faculty ran last year, we are offering a lunchtime workshop to give staff and students tools and techniques around resilience that can applied at work or at home.

The workshop will be delivered by Lisa Rippingale (Senior Organisational Development Adviser), who has been trained by Dr Mandi Sherlock Storey (Chartered and Registered Practitioner Occupational Psychologist, and Head of Leadership Transformation with the North East Leadership Academy), who originally developed these workshops as part of her PhD research on Resilience. Lisa has successfully delivered similar workshops at a number of organisations in recent years, and her workshops come highly recommended from our own staff.

Friday 12th of October, 11am – 2pm
L2.2, Leech Building, the Medical School

To book please go to: https://bit.ly/2wOotiq
Places will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.Previous sessions have been extremely popular, and early booking is advised. There will be a break for lunch, so please bring your packed lunch along.

For any queries please contact Malasree Home (ext. 85423).

Mental Health

Personal Resilience Through Change Workshops

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Resilience is our capacity to adapt positively to pressure, setbacks and challenges. It is about our ability to keep going, maintain our wellbeing, learn and develop.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Week (14-20th May), we are offering a series of three workshops to give staff and students tools and techniques around resilience that can applied at work or at home.

The workshops will be delivered by Lisa Rippingale, who recently joined the University as a Senior Organisational Development Adviser. Lisa was trained by Dr Mandi Sherlock Storey (Chartered and Registered Practitioner Occupational Psychologist, and Head of Leadership Transformation with the North East Leadership Academy), who originally developed these workshops as part of her PhD research on Resilience. Lisa has successfully delivered similar workshops at a number of organisations in recent years.

The workshops run as a series, so you need to commit and sign up for all three:

  1. 15 May 2018, 12 – 1pm, RIDB1.2.04A (Seminar Room 2.04A, 2nd Floor Ridley 1)
  2. 5 June 2018, 12 – 1pm, RIDB1.2.04A (Seminar Room 2.04A, 2nd Floor Ridley 1)
  3. 27 June 2018, 12 – 1pm, MED L2.8 (Seminar Room L2.8, 2nd Floor Leech Building)

Spaces are limited: Please book here

For any queries please contact Malasree Home (malasree.home@newcastle.ac.uk, ext. 85423)