14 | FOREVER Keele
Spotlight on wellbeing
Since the Covid-19 pandemic began , there have been a host of initiatives at Keele to enhance the wellbeing of both students and staff . Here are some examples of wellbeing projects that have taken place during 2021 ...
Keele Key Fund – this year , the Key Fund focused on Health and Wellbeing and welcomed projects with that theme . This included :
• The KPA received funding to host an ‘ Easter Festival ’ – a free , community event for all those remaining on-campus over Easter and for the local community . Activities included online yoga , Easter brownie baking , the Great Bank Holiday Picnic on Keele lawns , and the Big Easter Egg Hunt .
• Creation of ‘ Be … boxes ’ – following on from the success of ‘ Be Active ’ boxes earlier in the year , the Residence Life team received funding to expand the scheme by creating ‘ Be Creative ’, ‘ Be Entertained ’ and ‘ Be Mindful ’ boxes for students to hire , to enable them to relax , de-stress , and connect with flatmates .
• Construction of a ‘ Hide and Seek ’ wildlife hide on campus near Keele ’ s lakes with nature interpretation boards to enhance visits . The project will be completed this winter .
Students – our teams continued to work tirelessly through the pandemic to provide support services to students in need and help them put the focus on their wellbeing at such a challenging time . One successful initiative was Wellbeing Wednesday each week of term - this included everything from freeto-collect baking ingredients and virtual movie nights to origami and aboriginal art sessions ! There was also a Virtual Gym offering free , live exercise classes each week .
Staff – Love your Lunchtime was an online group for all Keele colleagues to join during 2020 / 21 - the group offered weekly activities – from ‘ Music Monday ’ ( weekly musical-themed challenges ) to language taster sessions and opportunities to learn relaxation techniques . This was alongside more ad-hoc initiatives too , such as Feel- Good Friday sports sessions .
We are committed to implementing a whole university approach to improving the health and wellbeing of our students and staff , and have a Health and Wellbeing Strategy . Keele has been part of the Health Universities Network since 2016 .
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