“What we got was so much more!” Student-Led Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy: Insights from the ‘Barometer Project’ at Bangor University, utilising a ‘Students as Consultants’ model
Keywords:
Mental health and wellbeing, Staff-student partnership, student consultants, diaolgue, Institutional StrategyAbstract
This Case Study shares insights from the Barometer Project, a collaborative initiative between Bangor University and Undeb Bangor Students’ Union designed to evaluate and inform the evolution of the institution’s Student-Led Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy (2022–2025). Drawing on a co-created 'Students as Consultants' (SaC) framework, the project positioned students as active agents in shaping wellbeing policy and institutional culture. A diverse group of undergraduate and postgraduate students were trained as consultants, co-designed consultation activities, and gathered qualitative data from peers across the university community.
Beyond informing strategic improvements—such as clearer service communication, more responsive resources, and wider use of peer-led support—the project had a developmental impact on those involved. Students reported significant gains in confidence, leadership, institutional literacy, and a strong sense of community, while staff reflected on the ways the process challenged assumptions, shifted power dynamics, and enabled deeper, more authentic engagement with student perspectives. The project’s deliberately dialogic, inclusive approach created space for what participants described as “courageous conversations”, demonstrating how trust, flexibility, and peer-to-peer facilitation can foster more meaningful consultation and institutional change.
The Case Study proposes a potential for SaC approaches to be applied beyond mental health, with stakeholders identifying broader uses in curriculum development, inclusion work, and service design. Drawing on the Project Team's shared reflection, the Case Study suggests the Barometer Project offers a practical, transferable model for co-creation that reimagines how institutions can work in partnership with students to develop more inclusive, responsive, and transformative practices.
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