Winter Wellbeing Campaign: staff supporting staff
Throughout December, January and February the Staff Wellbeing team are hosting five different events to support staff wellbeing this winter as a part of their Winter Wellbeing Campaign.
Staff Matters spoke to Katie Coultas, who leads on Winter Wellbeing, about what the campaign aims to achieve:
“Winter can be a difficult time. As the days get shorter and the evenings get darker, it can feel harder to take care of yourself and that can impact your mood.
There are some lovely events in the summer for staff to get involved in, so we wanted to create the same opportunity for connection, and fun over the winter months. We have great fun each year trying to think of creative events for staff that are all different, to improve accessibility. We hope that everyone can find something to get involved in. It’s hard work behind the scenes but when we see staff getting involved it makes it all worth it.”
Each event is based on the five ways to wellbeing and has involved collaboration between the Wellbeing team and staff from all across the University:
Give – Gift donations for care leavers (24 November – 18 December)
Our colleagues from the Widening Participation team provide the information about care leavers and links with Southampton City Council for the donations, and libraries, catering, and wellbeing champions are all working hard to set up the stations.
Notice – ‘Capture the moment’ photography competition, enter to win prizes or view, comment and like your favourites (24 November – 23 January)
Weronika Rudy, Digital Content Lead within the Student Communications team, and Aaron Imran Rudy, Video Producer in the Brand team, are the photography experts who have shared tips and are on the panel to judge the photos.
Connect – Connect over comforting, healthy food through recipe sharing and a free healthy eating event with a cookery demonstration and samples (24 November – 3 February)
Our university catering team are behind the healthy food with 11 different recipes from our chefs. One of them will be doing a cookery demonstration live at our healthy eating event.
Learn – New year, new skills weekly newsletter (5 – 30 January)
Our Leadership and Management Development team are behind the January Challenge: Learn Something New! They will be writing and sending the weekly newsletter.
Move – Get mobile, flexible and strong with a free 5-week course, Nordic walking taster and a festive video of ideas (15 January – 12 February)
Our University sport team are offering the Staff Active for Wellbeing 5-week course and organising the Nordic walking taster sessions for staff. If you’re inspired to do more, do pop into see them and discuss other classes and activities.
Katie also shared how her previous experience as a mentor, providing working opportunities for care leavers, has increased her passion for the ‘Give’ strand of the campaign in particular:
“Many of the young adults were homeless or in poor living conditions, with very little working opportunities. I heard too many stories of how Christmas is often a time of hardship. One care leaver was offered to spend Christmas day with a colleague and shared how scared she was because she “didn’t know how to do Christmas”. There are approximately 300 care leavers in Southampton, and every year Southampton City Council relies on donations to give them a gift at Christmas. They are often successful with gifts for children, but struggle with gifts for young adults. Having gift donations for care leavers means we can all feel good giving to a good cause, and raise awareness about the wide range of support the University offers care leavers.”
Emma Woozer, Access Manager in the Widening Participation team, added:
“The WPSM team are pleased to be involved with this campaign because we believe every young person deserves to feel valued and supported during the festive season, which can be an especially difficult time for those in, or leaving, the care system. As a committed civic partner, we want raise awareness of care experience and the support we offer, both among university staff and across the wider community, helping to build understanding, solidarity, and a more inclusive environment for all care-experienced young people.”
So no matter what you want to do, there is something for everyone within the campaign this winter. Just visit the Winter Wellbeing for Staff SharePoint page for all the information you need to get involved.
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