Wellbeing Day: Co-producing events with students to promote wellbeing

Abstract

Wellbeing comprises both positive and negative feelings and emotions and is directly impactful upon mental health. At university, students are exposed to a multitude of experiences that can both benefit and impair wellbeing, such as the transition to social and academic independence. It is widely recognised that students are vulnerable to mental ill-health and poor wellbeing is a catalyst of this. Including students in decision-making about their lives fosters student empowerment and belongingness, which are both predictors of positive wellbeing. Centring students in decision-making via co-production may be effective in benefitting student wellbeing. Co-production concerns the prioritisation of the lived experiences of a target population within the design and implementation of a product or service, facilitated by professionals. Within this review, we will draw upon Wellbeing Day, a departmental event co-produced for students, to evaluate the effectiveness of co-production upon student wellbeing. Wellbeing Day took place in November 2022 at a UK-based university and was entirely co-produced by a group of teaching-focused staff and a group of undergraduate and postgraduate students. We encourage student-facing staff across universities to engage in co-production with students to promote better student wellbeing.