MIND Us Student Tour: discussing mental health with youth

On June 4, three major Rotterdam knowledge institutions hosted the MIND Us student tour. For the first time, Erasmus University Rotterdam, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Albeda joined forces to jointly dedicate themselves to the mental well-being of students. Researchers from YoungXperts and Healthy Start worked together for this purpose with foundation MIND Us. During the week of mental health, the student tour draws attention to mental health and collects valuable tips on this theme in each city visited.

The programme in Rotterdam on June 4 included discussions with Albeda, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences and Erasmus University Rotterdam students about mental well-being. Young people were invited to brainstorming sessions organised by researchers from YoungXperts. In these sessions, various themes that influence the mental health of young people were discussed. These themes were composed based on input from young people via MIND Us’ Instagram and the student organisation Door Het Geluid. “The best thing about this day was that the voice of young people was really central, regardless of education. There was a real sense of togetherness,” says Healthy Start Academic Lead Professor Eveline Crone.

At the theme tables, topics such as climate concerns, trust in the government, performance pressure and loneliness were brainstormed. Students from MBO, HBO and WO, teachers and policymakers entered into a conversation based on scientific ‘facts’ shared by the researchers of YoungXperts. Because young people are the experts when it comes to their mental health, and factors associated with it, they were asked for ‘take-actions’. What do young people think should be done? What can an educational institution, policymaker, or young people themselves do to improve the mental health of students?
“By combining scientific knowledge with young people’s approaches, we can inform policymakers. Bringing these three components together is crucial for social change,” explains Yara Toenders, Healthy Start Fellow. Among other things, the young people pointed out that mutual connection is important to combat loneliness. They suggested that educational institutions can contribute to this by focusing on peer 2 peer coaching, because they can also be role models for each other.
The tour continues its route to the cities of Leiden, Velp, Leeuwarden and Enschede. Rotterdam’s tip for the rest of the tour is: “At YoungXperts, we combine scientific insights (FACTS) with action-oriented recommendations from young people (TAKE ACTIONS), because young people are the experts. You can only achieve real impact if science, young people and policy work together – if one of these is missing, you miss the connection.” Danielle Remmerswaal, academic lead of EUR’s student well-being programme and Ambition Lead of the Healthy Start ambition ‘Mental well-being of young people’, gave her reflections on the day at the end of the afternoon. “Above all, I wish students get enough time. It’s time to be able to make mistakes and discover who you are,” says Remmerswaal.
In addition to the themed tables, listening walks, listening spots and listening boxes were also available, giving visitors different ways to make their voices heard and share their experiences. The event was made possible through collaborations with MIND Us, Door het Geluid, Albeda, and Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences.
Researchers involved: Eveline Crone, Yara Toenders, Danielle Remmerswaal, Kayla Green, Lysanne te Brinke, Ties Fakkel, Ethell Dubois, Noura Borggreven, Anne-Wil Kramer, Sophie Sweijen.