Wellbeing Festival
The West Hub is thrilled to announce the upcoming Wellbeing Festival, a dynamic series of seminars, workshops, and activities dedicated to promoting mental health awareness and overall wellbeing. Here are some of the numerous benefits that such a festival brings to students, staff, and community members, complementing the regular series of wellbeing programmes and sessions offered throughout the year by the West Hub.
Promoting Mental Health Awareness:
The Wellbeing Festival serves as a powerful platform to raise awareness about mental health issues, particularly during Mental Health Week. By offering a concentrated array of events, the festival shines a spotlight on important topics and encourages open dialogue surrounding mental health challenges.
Providing Intensive Resources and Support: While the West Hub runs regular wellbeing programmes and sessions throughout the year, the Wellbeing Festival packs in even more resources and support opportunities. Specialised workshops offer attendees access to a comprehensive range of support services tailored to their needs.
Encouraging Deep Dive into Self-Care Practices: Participants of the festival benefit from a deep dive into self-care practices, with a plethora of workshops and activities designed to enhance wellbeing. Unlike regular programming, the festival offers an intensive focus on self-care techniques, empowering individuals to develop sustainable habits for mental and emotional health.
Strengthening Community Connections: The Wellbeing Festival fosters strong community connections by bringing together students, staff, and community members in a shared commitment to mental health. Through collaborative efforts and shared experiences, attendees build meaningful relationships and support networks that extend beyond the festival week.
Amplifying Impact on Academic and Work Performance: While the regular series of wellbeing programmes contribute to academic and work performance, the intensified efforts during the Wellbeing Festival amplify their impact. By prioritising mental health during Mental Health Week, participants are better equipped to excel in their academic pursuits and professional endeavours.
Demonstrating Ongoing Commitment to Wellbeing: Hosting the Festival alongside regular wellbeing programmes demonstrates the West Hub's ongoing commitment to prioritising mental health and wellbeing throughout the year. This dual approach ensures that individuals have access to support and resources whenever they need it, reinforcing a culture of wellbeing within the community.
The Wellbeing Festival organised by the West Hub offers a multitude of benefits for students, staff, and community members, complementing the regular series of wellbeing programmes and sessions. By promoting mental health awareness, providing intensive resources and support, encouraging deep dives into self-care practices, strengthening community connections, amplifying impact on academic and work performance, and demonstrating ongoing commitment to wellbeing, the festival contributes significantly to the overall wellbeing and success of individuals within the community.
We invite everyone to join us in this celebration of mental health and wellbeing during Mental Health Week and beyond.
Date: Monday. 13th May 2024 | Time: 1:00pm to 2:00pm | Location: West 1
Mindfulness could as well be named Heartfulness. Increasing awareness of our feelings and intentions, we find ways to express what we want to say – in ways that other people are happy to hear. With greater empathy for ourselves and others, we find new ways to connect. Our relationships grow ever more positive, friendly and loving.
Delivered by: Dr Elizabeth English
I have practised and taught mindfulness for over four decades, drawing on different mindful approaches. In my coaching & therapy, I increasingly specialise in sleep, helping people to overcome a variety of sleep-related problems; and also support those facing physical and emotional challenges, where unresolved issues inhibit or disrupt creativity, artistry and performance. On my courses and workshops, I teach mindfulness and meditation for life’s challenges, and am author of a growing range of mindfulness books and other materials.
Date: Tuesday, 14th May 2024 | Time: 10:00am to 12:00pm | Location: West 2
This workshop has been designed to foster self-awareness and resilience through the innovative LEGO® Serious Play® methodology. Participants engage in structured LEGO® exercises to uncover personal strengths and develop strategies for facing challenges effectively. This session offers a unique approach to professional and personal growth, providing participants with actionable insights for enduring success. It is ideal for individuals seeking a reflective and strategic boost to their resilience toolkit.
Delivered by: Monique Boddington
Monique’s research includes the study of entrepreneurial teams, entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurship and gender, and the use of sociological approaches to broaden our understanding of entrepreneurial activity. Monique leads the EVER project, which is a longitudinal qualitative study of the teams within Accelerate Cambridge. This project aims to understand the strategic decision-making of early ventures and how teams pivot over time.
She is also currently working on a project exploring the impact of gender on entrepreneurship in the gaming industry. Monique has a PhD from the University of Cambridge and her thesis focused on applying philosophy to archaeology to look at the nature of knowledge creation of the past.
Previously, she worked on the design and implementation of a survey-based tool to measure the impact of entrepreneurial education (as part of multiple EU-funded projects) and remains passionate about understanding how research can improve the delivery and impact of entrepreneurship education to educate the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Monique is also the Deputy Director of the MSt in Entrepreneurship. She currently teaches Prototyping and Product Development, and Research Methods.
Date: Wednesday, 15th May 2024 | Time: 2:30pm to 4:00pm | Location: East 1
How much is too much time online? That question is harder than ever for us to gauge when so much of our work and leisure time is absorbed in apps and various online platforms. In this section, we will talk about research-based approaches to wellbeing that can help us to understand digital habits and how to take care of wellbeing in an online – and offline – context. Learners will develop a wellbeing strategy and think about different options to thrive, not just survive.
How do we work when we are online? This section explores how we use our time, how we can manage our attention and focus, and more. During this week, learners will gather data and information about their work and how their time is spent, with an aim towards employing tips and strategies to get the most out of their workday and from those in their teams. Learners will do a digital audit throughout the week, looking at their screen time and productivity. Different tools will be discussed, and learners will explore how they can understand more about their digital lives.
Delivered by: Tyler Shores
Having worked at Google Authors, served as a director for an international non profit organisation, and, most recently, working in online education at Stanford University, Tyler Shores researches keenly the interaction between technology and society.
He maintains a particular interest in the experience of reading in print and digital mediums, digital technology in education, and the cultural impact of social media.
Most recently, Tyler has published on social media and celebrity advocacy, online culture, and philosophy, with his most recent work considering "The Use of Celebrity Men in Anti-Trafficking and Ending Demand Interventions: Observations on the ‘Real Men Don’t Buy Girls’ Public Service Campaign" (Palgrave, 2017).
Date: Thursday, 16th May 2024 | Time: 9:00am to 10:30am | Location: West 1
Stress and burnout vs. pressure
Signs of stress and the stress response
Cognitive restructuring to reduce stress
Changing habits to manage stress – sleep, diet, exercise/movement & workplace
Relaxation techniques and mindfulness
Delivered by: Maria Goldsmith
Maria has three decades’ experience counselling people both individually and in groups. Using an integrative humanistic approach, Maria’s specialisms include autism, trauma, rape and sexual abuse. In 2014, Maria founded Goldsmith Counselling and Mediation, offering individualised solutions to support staff wellbeing including training, mediation, and environmental stress audits. Maria’s philosophy is to map, plan and deliver “win/win” outcomes.
Date: Thursday, 16th May 2024 | Time: 11:30am to 1:00pm | Location: West 1
Common misunderstandings and communication errors
Behaviours we encounter – understanding patterns
Transactional analysis
Applying communication models to our daily life
Mindfulness to reset and reframe challenging interactions
Kindness
Delivered by: Maria Goldsmith
Maria has three decades’ experience counselling people both individually and in groups. Using an integrative humanistic approach, Maria’s specialisms include autism, trauma, rape and sexual abuse. In 2014, Maria founded Goldsmith Counselling and Mediation, offering individualised solutions to support staff wellbeing including training, mediation, and environmental stress audits. Maria’s philosophy is to map, plan and deliver “win/win” outcomes.
Date: Thursday, 16th May 2024 | Time: 2:30pm to 4:00pm | Location: West 1
Navigating the transition to adulthood for those ‘on the autistic spectrum’
· strategies to stop the snowball effect of negative thoughts
· techniques to handle anxiety
· Preventing autistic fatigue and burnout
For those around people on the autistic spectrum
· supporting your family member or friend
· self-care for you
· working well with colleagues on the autistic spectrum
· recognising and complementing autism coping strategies
As young people move through primary to secondary and onto tertiary education or the workplace, their social and academic environments are less structured whilst they have more choice over their goals and how to reach them. This can be especially challenging for neuro diverse people.
My work as a therapist involves coaching young people to identify their own triggers for anxiety, predict in which situations these are likely to occur, how they can prepare for those situations and most important of all, to appreciate they are a ‘package deal’: the traits they struggle with are complements to some of their most valuable qualities.
This session will show that while anxiety is part of being on the spectrum, feeling anxious and anxiety-based responses do not need to dominate your experience. For colleagues and family members, this session will include how to offer help, when to step back, how to engage with coping strategies and how to set boundaries and deal with unacceptable treatment.
Delivered by: Maria Goldsmith
Maria has three decades’ experience counselling people both individually and in groups. Using an integrative humanistic approach, Maria’s specialisms include autism, trauma, rape and sexual abuse. In 2014, Maria founded Goldsmith Counselling and Mediation, offering individualised solutions to support staff wellbeing including training, mediation, and environmental stress audits. Maria’s philosophy is to map, plan and deliver “win/win” outcomes.
Date: Thursday, 16th May 2024 | Time: 10am to 4:00pm | Location: Outdoors
The Zen Project presents...
A day of guided Zen Sessions to help support you, focusing on helping to lower stress and anxiety levels, and helping you to a sense of clarity and focus. Involving a mixture of guided meditation & visualisation, breathwork and sound experiences. All delivered from our converted American school bus!
Delivered by: The Zen Project
The Zen Project is a social enterprise, offering a range of wellbeing event services and mental health support. We are on a mission to offer a mobile sanctuary, bringing the benefits of our Zen Sessions (a range of simple activities to improve mental health) to all from our fleet of converted American school buses.
We believe in creating calm amongst the chaos and showing people how simple it can be to find some zen.
A recent report from Mind revealed that more than 76% of people now have a personal experience with mental health problems and over half of the population is suffering with anxiety.
We’re passionate about bringing our accessible, short, guided Zen Sessions to workplaces & communities. We believe that The Zen Project can help anyone to live a more peaceful, happier and healthier life.
Date: Friday, 17th May 2024 | Time: 1:00pm to 2:00pm | Location: East 2
Everyone has difficult thoughts, how do you cope with yours?
In this 1 hour session learn:
- Understand the science of stress, anxiety and difficult thoughts
- Diagnose how stress impacts you physically and psychologically - understand your triggers
- Learn the 8 MED - Minimum Effective Dose - techniques to help you manage difficult thoughts and emotions - Distilled down from over 120 studies
- Create a personalised mini daily routine to help you convert stress into useful action, get valuable perspective and protect time for personal recovery
Delivered by: Sam Thorogood - Tiny Pause