On October 10, students and staff at Callywith College came together to raise awareness for World Mental Health Day and #HelloYellow by wearing yellow to show their support.

Research highlights the significant impact that loneliness can have on our mental wellbeing, and that simple acts of kindness and compassion can go a long way in helping people feel more connected and valued.

During personal development tutor sessions, students have been working on creative projects that highlight the link between loneliness, kindness, and mental health and encourage people to reach out and connect. Students reflected on our college values of compassion and respect in their projects. Their inspiring ideas included a podcast discussing mental health, a short film exploring the effects of loneliness on wellbeing in college, a ‘pay it forward’ challenge - random acts of kindness, awareness events and eye-catching posters directing students to support resources.

Over the coming weeks, students will continue to plan and develop these projects, which will be showcased during ‘Anti-Bullying Week’ starting from November 11.

Personal development tutor Jess Dean said: "I am incredibly proud of how my students have taken on this project. They have worked together to come up with some fantastic ideas to promote this message, pushing themselves out of their comfort zones. There have been some truly amazing ideas. Great work, everyone!”

Throughout this week, students also contributed to the 'Callywith Unity Rainbow' by adding their handprints and sharing 'Values Poems' on our collaborative poetry board. Using Callywith’s values of compassion, resilience, respect and success, they created poems, haikus, and other pieces of creative writing on ‘raindrops,’ to be added to the collaborative display.

Callywith’s therapy dog, Macy, also joined in to spread some joy, while daily walks along our beautiful mindfulness trail provided a calming touch to the week’s activities.

A spokesperson added: “We’d like to remind students that we are here not only to get you through your qualifications, but to help you overcome any personal issues you may be experiencing as a young person.

“Thank you to all those that took part today and throughout the week!”