An event for staff and students at the Univeristy of Bristol

University of Bristol's Time to Change launch: Challenging mental health stigma and discrimination

On Friday 6 October at 4 pm, the Vice-Chancellor will be signing the Time to Change pledge in Wills Memorial Building as part of the University’s commitment to changing how we think, talk and act about mental health, and ensuring students and staff who are facing these problems feel supported.

The event will feature a talk from award-winning mental health campaigners Jonny Benjamin and Neil Laybourn who met in 2008 when Neil stopped Jonny from jumping off London's Waterloo Bridge and taking his life.

One in four people are affected by mental health problems each year. Nine in ten of those experience stigma and discrimination. Time to Change is a national movement campaigning against mental health discrimination to improve public attitudes and behaviour, reduce the amount of discrimination people report and increase confidence to challenge discrimination.

In making a pledge, the University of Bristol joins thousands of others in showing support for those facing mental health discrimination and marks our collective commitment to ask friends, loved ones, colleagues and peers how they are, be there when they need our support, challenge stigma and discrimination when we see it, and share our own stories to help others understand mental health.

The main event will be preceded and followed by an exhibition showcasing the mental health support and resources on offer at the University and from partners across Bristol. Timings will be 3 pm – 4 pm and 5.30 pm – 6 pm.

Find out more about the Time to Change movement.

Time to Change launch: challenging mental health stigma and discrimination