An imaginative collaboration between the School of Music and Fine Art and the Student Learning Advice Service (SLAS), Wellbeing and Counselling team, to tackle the social stigma often surrounding mental health, has resulted in two award nominations.

Student Charlotte Harding (Event and Experience Design BA) was instrumental in the project, coming 2nd in the 2015 Kent Student Awards for Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity. The project was also nominated for the Barbara Morris student support prize.

As part of a campus-wide mental health awareness campaign, SMFA offered a popular weekly meditation session, which resulted in the production of a free meditation CD. Student support staff contributed a meditation, with SMFA music and art students creating soundscapes, original compositions, and cover artwork.

The University funded 200 CDs, released to coincide with exams, and the tracks are free to students and staff to download via the university’s VLE.

Louise Frith, SMFA Student Support Officer who initiated the project said: ‘The CD generated discussions and awareness about mental wellbeing, and was discussed at the Medway mental health forum, reaching beyond the university into the local community, and to a national and international audience, with papers submitted to two major conferences.’

For further details, contact Louise Frith, Student Support Officer, SMFA, tel: 01634 888450 or email: mfasupport@kent.ac.uk