Good Vibes recognised for national honour

Flinders University’s Good Vibes Experiment, a campaign to promote student wellbeing, has won a national award for Most Successful Wellbeing and Support Program.

The colourful and approachable project was developed by Flinders University students in collaboration with creative media staff and mental health professionals.

The award from the Student Experience Network was rated by a jury looking for entries that demonstrate excellence in:

  • Adaptability to the changing needs of the student community
  • Evidence of strong strategic planning
  • Creative technique
  • Inclusivity, diversity, and environmental considerations
  • The quality of the program engagement, and
  • Innovation, leadership, and recognition

Through promoting the tagline “there’s lots of ways to improve your mental health, we’ve made a stack for you to try”, the Good Vibes campaign encourages students to taste-test a range of psychologically-founded methods. If students don’t like one of the 20 suggested tactics, they’re encouraged to move on and try another, emphasising that there’s not a one-size-fits-all solution to mental health

Indianna Marrone receives the Student Experience Network Award for the Good Vibes Experiment.

The Good Vibes Experiment is about developing the knowledge and skills necessary to improve, sustain, repair, or strengthen mental health. The innovative campaign has waived copyright on the resources and is available for non-profit organisations and education sectors to utilise throughout Australia.

“I’m super proud of the work we have done and the way we developed the campaign,” says Indianna Marrone, psychology student and champion of the campaign.

“I can’t wait to see other universities and schools take advantage of our work. I’m sure the impact we’ve seen at Flinders will be echoed wherever it goes.”

Dr Gareth Furber, eMental Health Project Officer at Flinders University and lead author of the activity book, says the award underlines the importance of new mental health conversations.

“It’s important to reframe how we talk about mental health, as something everyone has and can work to improve, rather than just associating it with mental illness,” says Dr Furber. “The more awareness we can spread about these simple but powerful techniques and their benefits, the better we can help people navigate the negative impacts of unavoidable life stressors.”

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