Meet the students: Welfare Officer

Mental health is an important topic to discuss at any time of the year, but for many students it becomes more pressing an issue in exam term.

The Junior Parlour Committee includes a JP Welfare Officer who supports students and organises events to relax and de-stress. Amaani Ahmed (2016) is the current JPC welfare officer, and told Kit Smart what being welfare officer involves:

What does a JPC Welfare Officer do? 

We’re here to ensure that all the undergraduate students in college have the welfare support they need, and try to organise a lot of events throughout term to give people a break from work and a chance to destress. This term, events have included weekly Zumba classes, tea outside the library and picnics. We’re also here to listen to listen to any problems students might have and can point people in the direction of further help if they would like it.

Exams are an obvious source of stress, but what are some of the challenges to self-care this term?

People often find Easter Term very stressful and, with the pressure of impending exams, feel as though they may have to work more than they usually would. Spending hours working alone in your room or in a library can at times feel quite isolating, especially when your friends are also stressed and busy with their own work. Most sports also stop having matches in this term, meaning that people may not have as many fun and social activities planned to take their minds off work.

What kind of resources are there for students who need help?

Student Minds Cambridge have recently published a self-care guide that’s very helpful for pointing people towards relevant sources of help, as is https://www.findsupportcam.com.

There are several resources in college, including Tutors, the college counsellors and Jan, the college nurse. There is also the university counselling service (https://www.counselling.cam.ac.uk).

If you would like to have an anonymous chat, you can also call or message Nightline on 01223744444 / http://cambridge.nightline.ac.uk, who are open from 7pm-7am during term time.You can also come to any of the welfare officers, who would be happy to listen to anything you wanted to talk to them about, and can direct you to any of these resources if you wanted.

Student welfare teams always seem to have a raft of welfare events up their sleeves – what kind of things have you seen happening in Cambridge this term?

Mental Health Awareness Week occurred during this term and CUSU (the student’s union) organised a range of welfare events for this, including a welfare movie night and a walk to Grantchester. They also hosted an ‘art for mental health’ event earlier in the term, and Gonville and Caius college had an ‘art and chill’ evening in aid of the charity Bloody Good Period. As well as this, there have been several event throughout the colleges, including puppy therapy days, massage appointments and yoga classes.