‘Fascinating’ inaugural summer school reaches global audience

The Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health held its first virtual summer school for students from around the world and has received positive feedback from attendees.

The research centre hosted a three-day online programme featuring a range of talks and workshops from interdisciplinary experts. The Wolfson Centre team were joined online by sixty-five students from across the UK and around the world with attendees joining from India, Pakistan, Brazil, Kenya, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Denmark.

Dr Chris Eaton and Dr Victoria Powell, who organised the programme and hosted the school, said:  “We are delighted with the success of our first summer school. We had over 150 applicants for the school and were joined online by nearly 70 international attendees.

“The students were engaged with the talks and workshops and they asked lots of great questions to all our speakers.”

Becs Parker, the Wolfson Centre’s communications officer who organised the event, said: “It was wonderful to see so many people enjoying the school and engaging not only in the lectures but also on social media. The unique event hashtag #wolfsonsummer22 gained a lot of traction and was used over 80 times throughout the week.”

Sidney Muchemwa, a newly qualified Occupation Therapist based in Zimbabwe, attended the school. “The Summer School allowed me to broaden my perspectives on youth mental health. Several workshops were presented by world-renowned researchers in addition to the regular breakout sessions. What made the overall experience of this summer school so enriching was its participation-orientated format which facilitated discussions and debate amongst participants.

“Should another opportunity to participate in future Wolfson Centre for Young People’s Mental Health initiatives present itself, I won’t hesitate to join and signpost it to all my African colleagues. Wolfson Centre Summer School in Youth Mental Health Research 2022, an experience like no other!”

Charlotte Hanson, based in Public Health at Leeds City Council, who also attended the school, said: “Attending the Wolfson Summer School has re-ignited my drive to ensure all my work is informed by robust evidence. I found all the lectures and workshops fascinating.”

Dr Eaton concluded: “A special thanks once again to the students who attended the school and our wonderful speakers from across the Wolfson Centre and the Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences, DECIPHer and Welsh Government.

“We are excited to see how the School will continue to develop next year.”