Online course: Diversity and Equality in Mind
How is diversity visible and taken into account in your study environment?
What does minority stress mean, and how can it affect students' well-being?
How can we promote mental health by improving equality and inclusion?
The online course Diversity and Equality in Mind was developed within Nyyti ry's QueerMieli project (2024–2026). It offers information, insights, and concrete tips for promoting equality within student communities – a key factor for safe study experiences, a sense of belonging, and mental health.
The QueerMieli project's main target group was rainbow students, which is why the course's examples focus on students belonging to gender and/or sexual minorities. We hope that the course, which encourages reflection on norms in the study environment, inspires insights regarding other aspects of diversity as well.
Course Content
The course is based on the open training sessions for student organisation activists and higher education staff that were organised within the QueerMieli project, but also includes some perspectives that the time limits did not allow looking into, during the online sessions. However, this online course is suitable for anyone who wishes to learn more about LGBTQIA+ and other diversity issues, minority stress, and promoting safer study environments — whether as a fellow student, an active member of a student organization or as a professional in a teaching or counseling role within higher education.
The course is divided into seven themes:
- Personal and Shared Values
- Diverse Identities and Norms
- Minority Stress and Its Effects
- How Are LGBTQIA+ Students Doing?
- Balancing Stress
- Towards Safer Student Communities
- Standing Up for Equal Rights – as a Fellow Human, a Professional or an Ally?
Each theme is further divided into shorter sections that begin with a brief description of the content. You can progress through the course at your own pace and according to your own needs and prior knowledge: look deeper into what is particularly relevant to you or skip what is already familiar. We estimate that completing the course takes about three hours if you go through it from start to finish — shorter or longer depending on how long you wish to pause and reflect. The course also includes links to external resources. Via the table of contents you can easily find your way to each chapter if you want to return to the course later.
After the course, you will be able to
- better identify different norms and reflect on how they manifest in the daily life of higher education communities
- understand the underlying factors of minority stress and how it affects well-being
- see more clearly how the realization of human rights and sexual rights relates to overall mental health
- know concrete tips and tools for promoting equality and inclusion.
The course material is free to use and is also available in Finnish and Swedish.