Mental Health Foundation joins further education community action programme
Melanie May | 31 March 2022 | News
The Mental Health Foundation has joined the Further Education community action campaign Good for ME Good for FE, which encourages staff and students across the country to volunteer locally.
The Mental Health Foundation joins the FA, Scouts, NAVCA and SLQ Sports Leaders as partners of Good for ME Good for FE.
Good for ME Good for FE was launched last June by three college principals to create a long-term, sustainable community action programme. 138 colleges have now signed up nationwide, and the Good for ME Good for FE campaign has already generated £1m of social value through staff and student volunteering and fundraising across the country.
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Impact is measured in monetary terms via London South East Colleges’ social value calculator, with other key performance indicators, including number of food items donated and the amount of volunteering hours also captured.
Dr Sam Parrett CBE, Group Principal and CEO of London & South East Education Group, a founding member of Good for ME Good for FE, said:
“We are delighted to welcome the Mental Health Foundation into our Good for ME Good for FE network and are grateful for the valuable contribution they are making.
“Improving the mental health and wellbeing of our staff and students within our college communities is a key aim for our campaign. We know that helping others can greatly improve a person’s wellbeing and Goof for Me Good for FE is encouraging this throughout its network.”
The Foundation is also launching a wellbeing pack for students in FE, which will be distributed to colleges with support from the programme network, and includes advice about improving and maintaining good mental health.
Lauren McConkey, Project Manager for Higher and Further Education at the Mental Health Foundation, commented:
“75% of mental health problems start before the age of 24, so we are pleased to help Good for ME Good for FE advise college students about how to protect and sustain their mental health. Our wellbeing pack suggests simple, practical things that students can do in their daily lives for good mental health. We are proud to join this partnership.”
About Melanie May
Melanie May is a journalist and copywriter specialising in writing both for and about the charity and marketing services sectors since 2001. She can be reached via thepurplepim.com.