SERC Students’ Union Wellbeing Room- Helping Students Recharge

SERC is renowned for its caring and supportive ethos which creates a safe environment for all students to succeed and flourish as they learn.  Today, more than ever, student welfare support is vital as students navigate the social and emotional challenges which have resulted from the events of recent times.

The college's latest innovation in student welfare is the establishment of a Wellbeing Room at its Downpatrick Campus. This is a quiet space with a soothing atmosphere which provides students with somewhere to recharge and refocus. It also provides opportunities for students to meet, socialise and take part in activities that will continually enrich their experience at SERC.

The wellbeing room was made possible with £5000 of funding from East Down Education Partnership Limited (‘EDEP’). This funding has enabled the provision of virtual reality mindfulness activities, weighted blankets, and other therapeutic interventions that will help students dedicate time to their self-care and restore focus, before they return to learning.

Alison McDonnell, Director of EDEP said “On behalf of EDEP, we would like to thank the Student Engagement Team for leading this fantastic initiative and giving us the opportunity to facilitate the implementation of it.  We hope that the wellbeing room will provide that essential refuge where students can begin to feel calm and relaxed with the space to connect with their peers, and we wish you every success with it.”

Catherine Shipman, SERC Head of Engagement and Development said “Our student wellbeing room at our Downpatrick Campus has provided a much-needed quiet space for students to self-manage their mental health and wellbeing. We are very grateful to EDEP for providing the funding to bring this project to life. This space has already had a real, positive impact on the lives of our students -  helping them to access support, connect with their peers and improve their health and wellbeing.”

Heather McKee, Director of Strategic Planning, Quality and Support at SERC said: “The new wellbeing room in our Downpatrick Campus aims to provide a comforting and calming recovery space for students. This space also provides an opportunity for students to socialise with others, not just from their classes but throughout the campus, helping to further create a greater togetherness within the SERC community. At SERC, we pride ourselves in providing our students with excellent pastoral care services, so we are delighted that this space will help by offering the students facilities needed to help with their self-care. The space is part of a wider pastoral care programme available at the College, developed to help all students to succeed and to fulfil their full potential.”

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