Members of the Global Mental Health (GMH) team have piloted an exciting new workshop-based project called IMPACT (Inspiring Movements for Progressive Action and Change Together). IMPACT encourages students to develop an understanding of the components and intricacies of change campaigning, before proactively supporting them to design and initiate their own change campaign. This novel project aligns effectively with the University of Glasgow’s aim to be world changing.

A small amount of funding was secured through the College of Medical, Veterinary, and Life Sciences' Equality, Inclusion, and Diversity Committee, which covered costs for sustenance, activities, and prizes. The pilot workshop was led by staff members, however, as the project develops, it is hoped recent alumni will collaborate with GMH team members to refine and facilitate future workshops. A Learning and Teaching Development Fund application has been submitted to support these developments.

The workshop adopted a games-based approach to optimise enthusiasm and concentration across the day, and student feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

"I thoroughly enjoyed each part of today's session…the activity-based approach for today's learning was a wonderful experience…Keep doing this kind of workshop it really helps.  Today I surprised myself...it was (helpful) and will help me engage more and do meaningful work."

"The learning materials are very practical…I love how interactive this workshop is!!! I learned a lot, but it doesn't feel like school. I have a SOCMED account aimed to raise awareness on mental health. This workshop helped me learn how to improve the account."

"I think every part was valuable…I did not know what to expect coming here today, but it has been so much fun. I enjoyed every activity that we did, and it really pushed me to use my brain more. I think differentiating between awareness, advocacy, and action was mind blowing. How complex/mixed it can be. It was easier to understand from listening to your explanations. Thank you!! It really has stuck with me…It's given me the opportunity to see what goes on in creating a campaign and how important it is. I've learned to break down my ideas, expand them, and to briefly explain them in an impactful way. I feel like a lot of thought and care has been put into this."

First published: 28 August 2024

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