During OUSA Student Support’s recent Winter Wellbeing Week, students may have noticed ‘Look After Your Mates’ campaign posters on campus from the OUSA Student Exec. Critic Te Ārohi spoke to OUSA Welfare and Equity Rep Tara Shepherd, who spearheaded the campaign and explained the kaupapa behind the posters and her vision for well-being as a focus beyond O-Week.
Tara described Winter Wellbeing Week as a time where OUSA Student Support organised some events that had a focus broader than what everyone considers the elephant in the wellbeing sphere: Dunedin’s drinking culture. Events organised by Student Support included cuddle fix at OUSA Clubs and Socs building, in which students could swing by to pat a sweet dog on the way to $4 lunch. She felt that both groups and individuals seemed to sign up for these events, strengthening and reconnecting our student community to something quite wholesome. “We were just trying to bring back a sense of community following Re-O,” said Tara.
‘Look After Your Mates’ was included in the Winter Wellbeing package. However, Tara’s original intentions had been for it to be a standalone campaign, with the basic message being that from the library to the pub, our mates deserve support – regardless of the time of year. “I’ve noticed more people at the library and gym. People seem to be actively getting out of their flats to get out of the cold. Check in on those who might be feeling the winter blues a bit harder.”
This isn’t to say students haven’t been doing a good job in supporting those close to them. “I definitely feel that there are students out there that are advocating or reaching out for help. I don’t want the campaign to come across as paternal,” explained Tara. Instead, she envisions these campaigns as being reminders or conversation starters about the vigilant attitudes that are drilled into students during O-Week. “The year isn’t over yet,” she pointed out.
Referencing events like Selwyn Sounds, mid-semester tests or challenging situations arising around flatting, there is no shortage of times where your friends may need someone to lean on. It’s just about viewing these scenarios with the same concern as we have regarding drinking culture.
When asked about the revamp, which departs from the alcohol-focused wellbeing campaign ‘Don’t Be A Dick’ students have become familiar with on campus, one student commented that they felt there was “a need for an update. Wellbeing should be expected to be incorporated into our student culture. This should be more than making sure they don’t drink too much during O-Week. It’s going out for a coffee in the morning or doing a fitness class after being at the library.”
Be a good friend, be empathetic. Look after your mates. As stressed by Tara, support must be “tailored across different areas of student life”.