Student Engagement Team Launch Student ‘Recharge’ Wellbeing Room

South Eastern Regional College’s Student Engagement Team has opened a state of the art ‘Recharge’ wellbeing and recovery room for students at the College’s Bangor Campus, funded by £6k secured as part of the Community Innovators Seed Fund, the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and the Hospital Saturday Fund.

Named ‘Recharge’ by students, the recovery room provides a private area for students to assist them in feeling well again and confident enough to re-join day-to-day college life.

Furnished with specialist resources and equipment, it contains both a physical and a virtual quiet area to help students to self-manage their symptoms, including meditation facilities, light and music sensory therapy, a weighted blanket to help treat anxiety, access to a virtual private area for bespoke meditation and relaxation support and access self-help information via a dedicated PC.

Catherine Shipman, Student Engagement Manager said, “We are delighted to have the Recharge Room at SERC’s Bangor Campus. This room will provide a much-needed recovery space for students coping with mental health issues. It has been designed to support individuals to self-manage their recovery in a safe place with an estimated capacity of 800 sessions for 1 student and 1600 based on 2 using the facility at any time.

She added, “The space is part of a wide programme of pastoral care, including access to mental health first aiders, that SERC has in place to help all students to succeed and fulfil their full potential.

She concluded, “We are immensely proud of the project which is unique to FE and one that will impact positively on outcomes for our students.”