Brunel is Happy to Chat

As the leaves begin to turn fiery shades of red and gold, this morning I noticed the air carried the crisp scent of autumn. Autumn also means that the university is getting busier again. There are a lot of fresh new faces on campus, looking both happy and nervous.

This reminds me to share with you the BBC’s research on loneliness.  Do you know that against common assumptions that older people are lonely, young people are actually the group who feel loneliest?

According to BBC’s loneliness experiment:

“40% of 16 to 24-year-olds are often or very often feel lonely, compared with 27% of over 75s. This higher levels of loneliness in young people exist across cultures, countries, and genders.”

This is why we feel it is important that we start to promote Happy to Chat on campus, making social connections easier among our students and staff. Last week we hosted Happy to Chat stands as part of the welcome week events. We met many of our new students and gave out 142 Happy to Chat packs on campus.

We received some heart-warming feedback from our freshers. They really like the Happy to Chat idea. Many international students immediately picked up the multi-language stickers and stick them on.

Here are a few highlights: 

• Caring for Mental Health: We noticed there is a strong commitment of our home students to promote mental health awareness and their willingness to support others.
• Language Practice: International students were particular drawn to the Multilanguage stickers. They thought by participating in Happy to Chat can help the improve their English proficiency. Another student shared her excitement about wearing the French version of ‘Happy to Chat’ to connect with French students and improve her French!
• Community Building: It was really encouraging to see Brunel Language School staff taking an interest in this initiative. They collected stickers for their students and badges for the staff, emphasising the importance of community building and fostering a sense of togetherness.
• Lovely and Colourful: Many students also commented on the appealing design of the badges, describing them as cute and colourful. They told us they are eager to wear them everywhere, knowing that it could make a positive difference in the lives of those who might be feeling lonely.

Over the next few months, you will see more people wearing Happy to Chat on campus. Together, we are fostering a friendly and inclusive community for both students and staff, promoting wellbeing for everyone.

Woohoo, Brunel is Happy to Chat!