‘Listen – are you breathing a little and calling it a life?’ MARY OLIVER

Positive mental and emotional wellbeing is the vital sign that says you are living the life you were born for.

Instead, suicide rates are on the increase. In the UK, suicide is now the biggest killer of people under 35 years old. Many of these young people are in universities and colleges, where not only students, but also teachers and staff, struggle to manage anxiety, depression, overwhelm and burnout. Many to the point they want to quit.

Places of higher education should be the launch pad for hugely needed deep, transformative impact on the growing crises of this world. Places that generate positivity, creativity, and empowerment – not misery and endurance.

LifeRoute is a hub that invites and incubates new thinking, new pedagogy in education, and new languages of expression that are values-based. Its Caring on Campus initiative especially focuses on the creation of a culture of compassion that can ripple out to give greatest societal impact. There is no better solution if we are to hope for a future where we all can grow and thrive together.

Encouragement in Academia

Encouragement

'Even an old pit pony needs the occasional pat on the nose.' A word of encouragement goes such a long way, especially when it is a long road that is less travelled. Most small children when they are learning to walk are given loads of encouragement to take the first...

Revolving Doors

Where an online integrity educators' practicum included a survey on the participants' own formal moral and ethics training, in relation to their work-field experience, most respondents stated that their higher education in this area was of little relevance. That they...

Let’s name LOVE

Is it possible we have become silenced to use the word 'love' in the workplace, and especially in formal education settings? It's as if the English word 'love' has become an unacceptable word to use in many workplace contexts, including education, health, and...

We All Need A Docking Station

Docking is different to simply parking. A connection is made when something docks: whether it is a ship's hawser tied to the quay or a module locking onto a space station. Docking says you are now in a stable and secure landing place where you can offload, download,...

Don’t SUPPORT Me – GROW ME

Support is a word that many people shrink away from. It can suggest 'You are weak', 'Something is lacking in you that needs fixing'. Many students would rather suffer low mental wellbeing than walk through a door where the word 'Support' is written because it is like...

World Kindness Day

World Kindness Day – often described as a day for doing good deeds in the community. Do we "do" kindness? Kindness is a human value that motivates us, influences our behaviour, and the decisions we make. What we "do" is CARE. But do we always DARE to Care? It can...