The next BRIT Challenge will start on
25th January 2025 & finish on 25th March 2025
NORTH EAST
STEERING GROUP
By respecting and embracing existing mental health support and services, BRIT will work closely with universities, colleges, Students’ Unions, governing bodies and charities throughout the UK to facilitate a collaborative and proactive student, and staff, network.
Together, we will share best practice, provide opportunities to champion innovative mental health strategies and discuss ways to improve mental health provision both regionally and nationally.
The BRIT North East Regional Steering Group will;
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Provide a forum for students and staff to share both their activity and fundraising successes when taking on the BRIT Challenge
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Enable the annual BRIT Challenge to act as a catalyst to involve the student body in meaningful mental health promotion throughout our feel-good fundraiser and the year ahead
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Establish a student network that can share best practice of university and college mental health provision and support
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Facilitate a collaborative fellowship of students and staff that can direct a cohesive approach to supporting and improving young adult mental health and fitness throughout the UK.
A NORTH EAST REGION-WIDE NETWORK OF STUDENTS & STAFF
BRIT have established a BRIT North East
Regional Steering Group.
BRIT Regional Steering Groups enable student, and staff, volunteers to represent every UK university and college, be integral to our vision, and both steer and guide our charity.
We want to ensure students, and staff, are at the heart of BRIT and will provide opportunities to join our BRIT Trustees’ Board and Chair, Co-Chair and Deputy Chair our 10 BRIT Regional Steering Groups.
"The aim of the BRIT North East Regional Steering Group is to bring together Student and Staff Representatives from every university and college in our region. Whether working together or alone the Steering Group will provide the opportunity to share successful ways institutions have taken on the annual inclusive BRIT Challenge to ensure more teams take part, discuss ways of engaging students and staff of all abilities throughout the North East, explore ways of destigmatising mental health and share best practice for championing equality, diversity and inclusion.
It is a pleasure to volunteer my time, and support BRIT, as the Chair of the BRIT North East Regional Steering Group, for a three-year tenure, and to be working closely with Scott Bullock, Principal at Newcastle College, who will be the Steering Group Co-Chair. Together we look forward to growing our Steering Group and providing opportunities for students and staff to be integral to the success of the BRIT Challenge in the North East.
At the heart of everything we will be striving to achieve is supporting and improving young adult, student and staff mental health, fitness and wellbeing. I hope every university and college in the North East will share the opportunity for their staff and students to represent them on our BRIT Steering Group".
Daryl Dixon
Head of Sport
Northumbria University
Chair of the BRIT North East Regional Steering Group
AIMS
The aims of the BRIT North East Regional Steering Group are to;
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Promote the annual BRIT Challenge to ensure that every university, college and Students’ Union have the opportunity to enter teams each year and encourage student and staff participation
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Encourage every university and college team to choose a second charity to fundraise for, alongside BRIT, in order to support local, regional and national charities
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Champion disability inclusion and invite students and staff of all abilities to take part
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Embrace the BRIT Challenge as a catalyst for promoting student services, mental health charities and support available to students and staff
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Reduce the stigma surrounding mental health by welcoming BRIT Ambassadors who will share their lived experience in order to encourage, enthuse, inspire and thank students and staff who participate in the BRIT Challenge
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Ask universities in each region to use their regional network to encourage and invite FE colleges to enter teams in the annual BRIT Challenge
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Encourage universities and colleges in each region to use their regional network to invite independent colleges and institutions who support students with disabilities and Special Needs to enter teams in the annual BRIT Challenge
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Conduct meaningful discussion in order to identify and proactively champion innovative and successful mental health strategies that can be shared across their region and feed into an annual BRIT national forum to promote positive action around young adult and student mental health and fitness.
COORDINATION
A university and college have been asked to Chair and Co-Chair the BRIT North East Regional Steering Group that will comprise of;
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Chair – Member of staff from a university (a 3-year tenure)
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Co-Chair - Member of staff from a college (a 3-year tenure)
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Deputy Chair - Student Opportunity (a 1, 2 or 3-year tenure)
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Representatives from every university and college in that region (minimum of a 1-year tenure).
COMPOSITION
The BRIT Founder and Non-Paid CEO will work closely with the Chair and Co-Chair on a strategy to promote the invitation for students and staff from every university and college to join the BRIT North East Regional Steering Group.
In addition to BRIT Ambassadors being invited to deliver inspirational talks, we hope to secure long-term support from;
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Regional university and college (staff or student) mental health, wellbeing or sport networks.
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BRIT’s existing network of university or college staff (and students).
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Association of Colleges (AoC) Area Directors.
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AMOSSHE.
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NAMSS.
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Natspec.
CHAIR AND CO-CHAIR
We are delighted that Northumbria University and Newcastle College (part of NCG) have kindly agreed to Chair and Co-Chair the BRIT North East Regional Steering Group
Daryl Dixon, Head of Sport, at Northumbria University is Chair of the
BRIT North East Regional Steering Group and Scott Bullock, Principal, at Newcastle College (part of NCG)
is the Co-Chair.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the BRIT North East Regional Steering Group as Co-Chair, and I look forward to working in partnership with universities and colleges across our region to support the BRIT Challenge.
As Principal of Newcastle College, my role is to not only help develop the skills and talents of our students, but to provide a welcoming, supportive, inclusive and safe place for them to learn and grow.
Being part of this Steering Group will provide an important opportunity to explore ways of destigmatising mental health and share best practice for championing equality, diversity and inclusion. At the heart of everything we will be striving to achieve is supporting and improving young adult, student and staff mental health, fitness and wellbeing.”
Scott Bullock
Principal
Newcastle College (part of NCG)
Co-Chair of the BRIT North East Regional Steering Group
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“The Education Training Collective (Etc.) sites are delighted to take part in the BRIT Challenge 2023 and have set a target of 23p per student and staff member to support both charities (BRIT and Student Minds).
After the BRIT Founder, Phil Packer, met with our colleagues, we were inspired to register all five of our sites, Stockton Riverside College, Redcar and Cleveland College, Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training and The Skills Academy. We are extremely proud to partner with an organisation whose vision is to support and improve young adult, student and staff mental health, fitness and wellbeing throughout the UK.
We are implementing a variety of fun challenges relating to the theme ‘23’, starting on the 23rd January with a BRIT Student Wellbeing Week. Students and staff are looking forward to participating in sport, quizzes, health workshops and resilience-based sessions to name a few, whilst senior management teams are taking on a 23,000-step challenge and are competing against each other.
We have launched our campaign with a short, but impactful, mental health awareness film to highlight the struggles we all face.
Together, we can help destigmatise mental health and improve the lives of others”.
Declan Paice
Group Wellbeing Coach
Education Training Collective
“New College Durham staff and students are excited to support the Brit Challenge.
Staff and students across the College are embracing the opportunity and the challenge to participate in fundraising and activities, that are inclusive and will encourage and improve student and staff’s fitness, mental health and wellbeing as well as championing equality, diversity and inclusion.
The challenge will see our staff and students work together to complete 2,023 miles and engage in at least 23 minutes of wellbeing activities”.
Megan Poole Andy Broadbent
Students' Union President Principal and Chief Executive
New Durham College
