At Activate Learning, supporting our students and staff with their mental health and wellbeing is one of our key priorities.
As part of our Mental Health strategy, Mental Health Matters Here, we are committed to:
- Actively reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues
- Encouraging students and staff to access support for any mental health issues
- Teaching everyone strategies to manage their mental health and keep safe.
One of the ways in which we do this is by enhancing awareness of suicide and actively de-stigmatising conversations around it in the hope of reducing rates of completed suicides.
According to the World Health Organisation, suicide is the third leading cause of death in young people worldwide. Around 7% of children in the UK attempt suicide by the time they reach the age of 17 (Centre for Longitudinal Studies data).
Introducing the R;pple tool
We have partnered with R;pple, a charity focused on preventing harm and providing support to those accessing harmful content about suicide or self-harm online.
R:pple is a browser extension that gets activated when a person searches online for content relating to self-harm or suicide and provides support in three simple steps:
- Intercepts the search with a calmly presented pop-up screen
- Guides the person through a filter of breathing exercises, statistically proven to help them pause and reflect
- Signposts to helplines and mental health resources, accompanied with messages of hope.
The R;pple tool is free for you to use at home and within educational facilities.
We are proud to have adopted the R;pple tool and have now installed this on all college computers to help promote access to support in times of crisis.
Any searches of this nature will also be notified to the Safeguarding team, who will provide support and guidance to the individual involved.
For further information
If you are worried about your own or others safety relating to suicide, self-harm, or something else, please do not hesitate to contact the Safeguarding team via phone 01865 550401 or email safe@activatelearning.ac.uk.
Outside of college, you can see your GP, call the NHS on 111 or call 999 in an emergency situation. You can also visit the Hub of Hope website hubofhope.co.uk to access mental health support available in your local area.
Take care,
Charlotte Morgan
Designated Mental Health Lead