Introduction

Hi, I’m Diane Phimister, and as the mental health lead for the Coventry University Group I’m delighted to be able to share this resource with you.

At Coventry University Group (CUG) we recognise that everyone has ‘mental health’, but also understand that many of us at some point will experience, or at least know someone who has experienced, a mental health difficulty. As a leading Higher Education institute, we recognise and accept our responsibility to provide a supportive environment for you, our students. We hope that by taking action to encourage mental health and wellbeing activities, increase awareness, reduce stigma and improve the support available to people experiencing mental health problems, that this will help you at whatever point you are in your journey to be open, to thrive, to be happy and to be the best you can be.

This resource consists of four short films, all developed in collaboration with, and acted by, students. It is aimed at increasing your understanding and awareness of how life events can influence our mental health. We would like to express our particular thanks and gratitude to Curriculum 2025 students who gave their insight, time and knowledge to support the creation of this resource. It is designed so that you can engage with the films and then participate a short fun quiz, along with lots of resources and signposting options for you, your friends and anyone you think may benefit from a little help and support. We hope you enjoy it and have some fun whilst both watching the films and engaging with the activities.

This online learning resource includes readings, media, and discussion around topics such as alcohol, consent, drugs and drug misuse, sexual assault, mental health and mental illness. We acknowledge that this content may be difficult. We therefore encourage you to care for your emotional safety and wellbeing. Throughout the resource we will add relevant warnings so that you are prepared for the forthcoming content, and to give you the opportunity to opt out of that content should you wish to do so.

At the end of working through this resource, you should be able to:

• Recognise when there are changes in your behaviour that indicate a risk of developing mental ill health
• Recognise similar changes in your friends and associates
• Determine what to do when you recognise these changes