University lands £388k in mental health boost

NORTHUMBRIA University has been awarded £388,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund to help support people through an innovative mental health scheme.

Converge Northumbria offers Newcastle residents creative arts opportunities to help improve their mental health.

Converge participants access the same academic staff, learning resources, and wellbeing services as university students.

Courses are taught by staff, students, creative practitioners, and former Converge Northumbria students, with the aim being to progress into further study, volunteering, or work.

Since it was established in 2018, Northumbria University has supported 420 Converge students and now, with the new funding, the programme can continue for a further three years. The scheme provides coaching, life skills, personal development, benefit/citizen advice and advocacy, mentoring and experiential learning.

Converge will form part of the university’s new Centre for Health and Social Equity, known as CHASE. Converge is part of the university’s Higher Education Without Barriers campaign which has raised over £3.1m to support students from all backgrounds since its launch in 2022.

Dr Heather Robson, head of Northumbria’s School of Design, said: “Thanks to the National Lottery Community Fund we will be able to grow Converge Northumbria to build and extend a personalised journey that is right for every participant.

“Converge Northumbria works with students not patients, offers education not therapy, with the whole person. Above all, the overall aim is for every Converge student to be ordinary, extraordinary, and to be themselves. This award is life-changing for the project, the individuals, our students and the region.”