Mind the Gaps is a new support project designed for Students who are first in their families to attend university and students who are otherwise cut off from family support (estranged students, mature students, care experienced students and others).
The programme has been co-created alongside students with lived experience of studying without various forms of familial support and aims to support you and help you to learn the skills needed to identify, develop, reflect and refine your wellbeing at university.
What is the Mind the Gaps programme?
It features a series of workshops led by Maudsley Learning and King's students and digital resources to support support your own individual reflection.
The workshops are planned to take place in November 2022 through to March 2023. Workshops will take place at the Strand and Waterloo campus (however we will aim to plan these around the preferences of those who sign up).
When are the workshops and what do they involve?
Workshops are planned to take place in November 2022 through to March 2023. The primary plan is for the workshops to take place across all our campuses at King’s, however we will aim to plan these around the preferences of those who sign up.
The workshops will be facilitated by Maudsley Learning and King's students and will follow four themes around wellbeing:
- Workshop 1 – Identify
The transition into university, whether you’re joining university for the first time or transitioning into a new year, is often a time of discovering new opportunities and connections. The first workshop will follow in this spirit to explore your expectations and motivations for university, identify your personal needs to support you in your journey, and build new networks and connections in the university community.
- Workshop 2 – Develop
As the academic year progresses and you begin to work through your course material, it can be challenging to identify your own working style and approaches for managing multiple responsibilities. The second workshop will focus on building skills for time management and work life balance, including academic, personal and social demands.
- Workshop 3 – Reflect
The first exam period can be a daunting time, but also an opportunity for reflection on outcomes, redirection from previous expectations, and growth towards new goals. The third workshop will review the academic year so far, exploring personal definitions of success and failure and revisiting goals and motivations to plan ahead.
- Workshop 4 – Refine
At the stage of your final exams, you will have spent the whole year learning new skills and growing from experiences across your academic, personal and social life. The end of the academic year can be a time of uncertainty as you look ahead to the summer break and transition into the new year, or the workplace. The fourth and final workshop will refine skills learned in previous workshops, with a focus on problem solving and managing change as you look towards the future.
Are the workshops recorded?
None of the sessions will be recorded, all the information shared within the face-to-face session will remain confidential amongst those within the group.
Do I need to sign up to every activity?
No, you can register for just the face-to-face sessions or just access the online resources, if you do not wish to attend the workshop sessions you can still access all digital resources.
Why should I sign up?
By exploring personal skills and experiences with others who have lived experience, you can feel more confident to manage hurdles and navigate transitions during your university experience. These sessions also aim to help you build your network and make connections with other students.
If you are interested in signing up for these sessions all you need to do is complete this form.
If you have any questions, please contact Jonathan Nassar - jonathan.nassar@kcl.ac.uk.