WHICH NEED WILL THE PROJECT MEET?
Young adults’ incapacity for work due to mental disorders has increased alarmingly in the 2000s. At the same time, university students’ mental health problems have become more common. According to student surveys, as much as 40% of university students experience feelings of loneliness. Around half of the students say that they would like to have more people around them. We know that students become more exhausted when they progress further in their studies. In our student wellbeing survey, we observed that excessive self-criticism and the experience of exhaustion are linked.
WHY IS THE THEME OF COMPASSION IMPORTANT FOR UNIVERSITIES?
University studies require long-spanning, target-oriented work from the students. The students are competing on the best performance, and individual objectives and study methods require strong self-direction. We know from research that exhaustion in studies, inadequate social support and the feeling of being an outsider form a significant risk for mental health issues and study-related problems.
The university personnel are engaged in demanding and creative brainwork. Influencers and future operators graduate from university, and their working-life skills will highlight skills related to creativity, self-management and relationships more than ever before. The personnel are also the student’s window to working life.
According to research, compassion prevents feelings of being overburdened and lonely. It decreases stress, improves cognitive performance and increases the feeling of belonging, thereby promoting commitment to studies and work. Our vision is a university community where a compassionate approach works as a wellbeing factor and gives a competitive edge to the community.
The Compassion for Universities project will bring about ways to promote compassion in the whole university community. The project’s aim is that the students and personnel are well and feel committed to their tasks.