Autumn semester 2020.
8 university students have taken their own lives this term alone.
8.
8 students, forced into isolation, some in a new city, away from friends and family and the government refuses to take account.
This is not something we can ignore.
This is not something we are willing to stay silent about.
Every year the government is fully prepared to see student suicides and still they do nothing.
Wales has taken steps and has pledged £10million to support students’ mental health and wellbeing - but when will we see the positive impact of this funding?
Where was this funding before 8 suicides happened?
Ben West, a wonderful and dedicated campaigner, took a petition to Boris Johnson, a petition with 210,622 signatures all supporting that teachers should be given mental health first aid training. Mr. Prime Minister shook Ben's hand. He discussed the policy and said change would come.
This was October 2019.
Nothing has changed.
How many more deaths with it take before real action occurs? When will universities start looking at prevention methods and taking them seriously?
When will the government view students as people and not just statistics?
Our campaign “students vs stigma” hopes to change things. We will be sharing stories from students across the country on their personal journeys - times they’ve been ignored, refused help and times they have actually been listened to.
We will not be silent about this.
Save our students.