A call about: the staff symposium on Student Wellbeing
The first staff symposium on Student Wellbeing – from abstract idea to practical tips – will take place on 15 March 2022. Why have we chosen a practical approach and what can you expect? Sonja Wagenaar (SEA) is project manager and she tells us more about it.
Sonja says proudly that 200 people have already signed up for the symposium and that they can choose from no fewer than ten workshops! There is a broad array of sessions aimed at prevention and detection, which was a deliberate choice. ‘The symposium offers guidelines for all members of staff who have contact with students: the focus in the workshops is on skills.’
The first staff symposium on Student Wellbeing: how did it come about?
It would be hard to miss the fact that the well-being of our students is a key theme within the university. We are working hard to raise the level of well-being of our students. The student well-being team and the introduction of faculty student well-being officers will help us achieve that. Besides this focus on the students, it is also important to know how you can contribute as a member of staff. That could be, for example, by flagging up problems promptly or knowing how to initiate a conversation with a student and where you can refer them if further support is needed. That’s why this symposium offers staff the choice of ten different practical workshops.
Ten workshops: which ones do you recommend?
As a didactic specialist, Sonja has a lot of experience with giving didactic and pedagogical advice. She is involved as a project manager in various projects and has recently completed one on inclusive education for students with a disability. When asked which workshop staff really should attend, she says that she recommends all of them. The workshops are given by internal and external experts and staff can choose whether they want to take a workshop in Dutch or English. Depending on their needs and interests, staff can choose a workshop on, for example ‘How do you start a conversation?’ or ‘How do you create a safe student space?’, or ‘How can you help a student set achievable goals?’ This very broad range means that staff can choose the most useful workshops for them to join.
What else can staff expect?
‘Everyone is very committed: besides this symposium, we are also working on developing a student well-being roadmap for staff and students.’ And in early March a staff site will be launched where staff can find all the different student well-being facilities that are available. We are also working on a set of training courses for staff on student well-being. In short, staff can expect a lot more even after this symposium. If you want to get started, sign up now!
There is a lot happening within Leiden University. The websites are filled with news on a daily basis. In the section 'A call about' we ask one of our employees to tell us more about a relevant and topical subject within the university. The answers give you more insight into the facts, but above all give you more personal background information. You can read all about it in 'A call about'.