By Daniella Theis

TEDxUniversityofStrathclyde are launching a video mini-series as part of their Digital Wellbeing Project.

The project will centre around Strathclyde students, highlighting their personal experiences with mental health, feelings of anxiety, the recent lockdowns, the pandemic overall, and coping strategies some students have found the most useful.

“We know how important mental health has been the past year,” said Cerys Goodwin – Product Design Innovation student and leader of the project. She added: “The pandemic has made it worse – it has affected so, so many people. We also know that as students ourselves, it has affected us all massively. Even though it might not seem like it. We want to show that students have been affected by this. What we wanted to do is to create a video series portraying the fact that we have struggled throughout this pandemic.”

The emotive series will consist of several videos, each featuring individual students drawing on their personal experiences. Its script and narration will be delivered by well-known Scottish poet Steven McLeish, who has previously worked on similar projects with the BBC. 

“The University has been incredibly supportive of this highly relevant project,” said Lead Organiser Sheik Malik: “I would like to thank the University of Strathclyde Alumni Fund for their support in realising this vital project. Without this, we would not be able to deliver a much-needed discussion on the student community’s mental health and wellbeing at a time where so many of us are struggling. Their contribution has made a positive impact and we are grateful for their assistance and encouragement.”

Currently, the TEDxUniversityofStrathclyde team are still looking to engage with individuals who would like to share their story and come forward with their experiences. Some of the students who have already been in contact, have shared their experiences with juggling online learning, living in different time zones, depression, and suicidal thoughts during lockdown.

Goodwin explained: “People are saying that they have really struggled. That they have been feeling down, or lonely. People do want to tell their stories online because they want to let people know: ‘This is me. This is how I struggled.’ They also want to let people know that they are not alone and that there are other people in the world. We will be including information on where to get help. At the moment that’s the main goals: Telling people they are not alone and letting them know where they can get help.”

TEDxUniversityofStrathclyde are also currently planning their flagship event: The 2021 Annual Ideas Conference.  The society is looking to gain insights from all Strathclyde students about what ideas and topics to include. Any suggestions should be emailed to tedxstrath@gmail.com by February 15.

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Any students wanting to get involved with the project by sharing their experiences are asked to either email tedxstrath@gmail.com or contact Cerys Goodwin directly via Facebook or Instagram to discuss their involvement.  

Any students seeking information about mental health and support can find more information provided via Strath Union here.