Your Health & Wellbeing

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Hi, so I am your VP Welfare within the Students’ Union. This means I have been elected by Cardiff University students to represent you on welfare issues.

This booklet explains all the services that are on offer to support your welfare. If you take anything from flicking through this booklet, let it be that help is always there when you need it. There is pretty much a service for every welfare issue, and if you are not sure who to go to about your problems, please feel free to drop me an email and I’ll find the person who can help.

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We want to create a supportive and inclusive environment at Cardiff, so if you need help, please just ask for it. By doing this, we can then ensure that you make the most out of your student experience.

Contact me at VPWelfare@Cardiff.ac.uk or on 029 2078 1422. I am also located on the 3rd floor of the Students’ Union so feel free to come and find me.

Enjoy your Freshers’ Week!

Hollie Cooke

Student Advice Student Advice is a free, confidential, impartial and independent service run by the Students’ Union, providing advice and information, advocacy and representation.

Students often come to Student Advice for academic representation or help surrounding housing. However, it provides many other services. So if you are looking for help which is independent from the University, fill in their enquiry form which is available on the website, or give them a call. You can also visit them on the 3rd floor of the Students’ Union.

Student Advice also operate at the Heath Campus, appointments are available by booking ahead.

If you fancy getting involved in helping with other students’ welfare, then Student Advice run the Advice Exec. They are always looking for new volunteers. If you are interested, either send Student Advice an email, or get in contact with your VP Welfare.

In addition to this, please watch out for Mind Your Head Week (10th – 14th October) and Housing Advice Week (7th – 11th November). These are campaign weeks that Student Advice and your VP Welfare run to provide info around mental health and housing for the next year.

029 2078 1410 Advice@Cardiff.ac.uk cardiffstudents.com/advice

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Student-Led Services Student-Led Services are student groups that come together to provide services for other students and the local Cardiff community.

Head to cardiffstudents.com/activities/sls to find out more information. The groups are always looking for volunteers, so if you want to get involved, get in contact.

Nightline Nightline are there to listen to students who wish to discuss anything in confidence. They provide a phone service that runs 20:00 - 08:00 every day, or there is an instant messaging service available on their website 20:00 - 00:00.

They pride themselves on the fact that they listen, and don’t lecture.

Therefore, if you feel like you just need someone to talk to, give them a call on 029 2087 0555. This number is also on your student card so you always have it handy.

Alongside supporting students, they are also looking for more students to volunteer, if this is something you fancy doing then find them at the Societies Fair. @CardiffNL

cardiffnightline.co.uk

Student Minds Student Minds work towards supporting students with eating disorders by facilitating weekly selfhelp support groups. Alongside this, they also aim to raise awareness of all mental health disorders, and host fundraising events throughout the year.

If you would like to attend one of

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their group sessions, they run on Thursdays 18:15 - 19:15 in room 4H in the Students’ Union, with the first session being a meet and greet on 6th October. Feel free to bring along friends or family if you don’t want to go on your own.

Cardiff@Studentminds.org.uk

SHAG - Sexual Health Awareness Group SHAG works towards increasing awareness and understanding of fundamental sexual health issues.

They believe that sex and sexual health needs to be talked about. If you are facing an issue about any aspect of your sexual health and are not sure what to do, SHAG will probably have the answer.

SHAG provide condom dispensers for all students to use in the Students’ Union and the IV Lounge at the Heath. If, however, you want to access more than just regular condoms, SHAG run C-Card sessions. Here you can get free durex condoms of all types and sizes, dental dams and lube. These sessions run every Wednesday 13:00 – 15:00 in the Students’ Union.

CUSHAG.com

CHIPS – Cardiff Healthy People Society CHIPS are passionate about educating students on the concept of ‘healthy living’. Whether you are looking to lose weight, tone up, learn new recipes or just want to feel healthier, they aim to give you the tools to achieve this.

They run sessions weekly, which are mixed between park runs and indoor classes. Keep an eye out on their Facebook page for information about their first session.

Fruit and Veg Co-op The Fruit and Veg Co-op provides students with quality produce at low prices. Their stall runs 12:00 - 16:00 on Wednesdays in the Students’ Union, normally on the 2nd floor.

Here you can place an order for the following week, or collect your produce. When placing your order, you can choose between fruit, vegetables, salads, and stir fry bags, all at only £3.50 each. If you can’t make it to the stall, you can also order online on the SU website.

being involved in running a social enterprise, get in contact with them.

RAG Cardiff RAG aims to raise money and awareness for three main core charities. Throughout the year they hold events such as Jailbreak and Lost. There are many exciting challenges and it is a great way to boost your employability.

RAG@Cardiff.ac.uk

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Alongside this, the Co-op are always looking for new volunteers, so if you want to develop new skills by Your Health & Wellbeing | 5

Student Support -

Your Student Life, Supported.

Student Support are the professional services that the University provides to give you the support you need. The practical and confidential support provided by their specialist teams include:

Advice & Money Here you can find help surrounding funding and tuition fees, advice on how to best manage your money, and advice on council tax and benefits.

Careers & Employability If you need some career advice, or want to find out about work experience and job opportunities, here is where you need to go.

Counselling & Wellbeing Services If you are struggling with a mental illness, finding university hard, or facing troubling circumstances, then you may want to consider booking a counselling or wellbeing appointment.

Disability & Dyslexia Service Offering help with accessibility needs, applying for DSA, or providing study support for those with learning difficulties.

International Student Support If you are an international student

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and need assistance with visas and immigration law, then you can access help here. They can also help with living in the UK and changing your studies.

As you can see there is a whole host of services and support available.

So if you are faced with any issues you should ask for help, never suffer in silence. If you would like a better overview of the services, search ‘Support and Services’ on the intranet.

Also, throughout Freshers’ Week Student Support are producing a number of self-help blogs so take a look at these at blogs.cardiff. ac.uk/studentlifecu and follow ‘studentlifecu’ on Twitter, Facebook and youtube for essential information for your student life!

Any queries?

StudentSupportCentre@Cardiff.ac.uk 029 2087 4844 or call into: The Student Support Centres located at 50 Park Place, Cathays Campus and Cardigan House, Heath Park Campus.

Get Involved!

You can explore and sign up to the clubs, societies and volunteering opportunities at the Freshers’ Fairs.

Or browse the different categories on the Students’ Union website at: cardiffstudents.com/activities

Societies Societies are groups of students who share common interests, beliefs or values. There are over 200 societies you can get involved with. Societies are a great way of experiencing something new, developing skills and making friends along the way.

If you have any queries surrounding societies, contact Milly, your VP societies at: VPSocieties@Cardiff.ac.uk or on 029 2078 1427.

Sports There are over 60 different sports clubs that you can get involved in. It can be a great way to enhance your student experience as it gives you an opportunity to meet new people and develop as a person. If you have any questions then contact Elin, your VP Sport and Athletic Union President at VPSports@Cardiff.ac.uk or on 029 2078 1438.

a club or society before signing up, and is a great way of figuring out if the activity is something you enjoy.

Take a look at the give it a go booklet or cardiffstudents.com to see which sessions are on offer.

Volunteering There are also a wide variety of volunteering opportunities which you can get involved in. This is another great way of meeting people and developing your skills. If you have any queries contact: Volunteering@Cardiff.ac.uk If none of these activities take your fancy, there are plenty of other opportunities. For example, you can become an academic rep, get involved in part-time work through Jobshop, go travelling with the Global Opportunities Centre, or improve your employability with the Cardiff Award.

It is proven that engagement in activities can be extremely beneficial for your welfare and state of mind. It also allows you to meet new people, and gives you a different dimension to your student experience. If you face any issues with getting involved, let us know at the Students’ Union and we will do what we can to help.

Give it a go If you are not sure what to join and don’t want to commit just yet, then you can sign up to a Give it a Go taster session. This allows you to try Your Health & Wellbeing | 7

Cardiff University Student Life Fun Run Part of the Cardiff University Festival of Running

Take part, meet other students, make friends, have fun and be healthy!

Saturday 1 October Time: 3.45pm Price: ÂŁ5 Date:

Distance: Route:

2.4km 2 laps around Cardiff Civic Centre, starting outside Cardiff City Hall

Get yourself, your friends and housemates involved in the Cardiff University/Cardiff Half Marathon race weekend by signing up to the Cardiff University Student Life Fun Run. A new event exclusively for all Cardiff University students, the 2.4km route is perfectly suited to all abilities.

With no pressure to record fast times or even run all the way round, dig out your best fancy dress, drag along friends and enjoy the experience.

Register now

to be a part of this great new event and Cardiff University’s healthy student community! www.cardiffhalfmarathon.co.uk/take-part/cardiff-university-festival-of-running/ 8 | Your Health & Wellbeing

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