News

Yoga challenge

Published 7 January 2011
Event 18 January 2011

More than 100 people are taking part in a six-hour sponsored yoga marathon to raise funds to help students with non-academic problems including drugs, alcohol and general wellbeing.

The University of Brighton Students' Union has launched Peer2pier which will include a 'buddying' scheme for students who might feel uncomfortable asking institutions for advice.

The yoga session, called the New Year Yoga Challenge, takes place at 11am on 18 January and will involve students and staff taking part for 90 minutes at campuses in Brighton, Eastbourne and Hastings.

Join the New Year Yoga Challenge

It will raise awareness about Peer2pier which is run by the union in collaboration with the university's Student Services to create a healthier and safer environment for students and to encourage students to get involved in and launch wellbeing campaigns of their own.

The buddying project will train student volunteers to act as mentors to provide advice and friendship to students who need non-academic help or who may be considering leaving the university prematurely.

The union was granted charitable status last year and it has identified students' mental, physical spiritual and environmental wellbeing as one of its main priorities, along with helping people to study at the university.

The union is aiming to advance the education of students by:

promoting the interests and welfare of students during their course of study and representing, supporting and advising students.
being the recognised representative channel between students, the University of Brighton and other external bodies.
providing social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities and forums for discussions and debate for the personal development of its students.

As a result of extensive research and a two-year governance review, the union has remodelled itself for the 2010/11 academic year to better reflect the needs of its student members.

The new system makes it much easier for a student to raise an issue and see positive action taken by the union to improve the student experience. Students will be able to engage in open meetings which are attached to four 'wellbeing zones' of union activity.

These zones reflect the student experience and are designed to empower students to make effective change in the following areas:

Activities and events: societies, sports, entertainments and events
Campus and community: the student campus experience and students in the community
Academic: the student academic experience
Wellbeing: the students’ mental, physical, spiritual and environmental wellbeing.

The union is encouraging university's students and staff, and the public to support and donate to Peer2pier. For more information contact Tess Gooding, development officer with the university's Development and Alumni Office, at t.gooding2@brighton.ac.uk or for information about Peer2pier, go to www.ubsu.net/peer2pier.

The union thanks Charlotte Watts, Rosie Waters and Helen Kowalski of The Vajrasati Yoga community (http://vajrasatiyoga.co.uk) for volunteering to lead the yoga sessions.

Student Services have kindly provided the funding for the first year of the project. They feel this sort of pro-active, student-led volunteer scheme is vital to reach students who wouldn’t seek out the help the university is able to provide. The Students' Union now need to find the funds to ensure this important project can continue in the next academic year.

Please support Peer2pier by sponsoring the challenge: www.justgiving.com/peer2pier.