Improving the mental health and wellbeing of young people in tertiary education.
Creating a mentally healthy campus
Our batyr@uni partnerships include structured peer-to-peer programs, student leadership training, staff training and on-campus events. Through a lived experience approach, we reach students from first year to post-graduate and help to create a university-wide culture of openness that supports mental health.
“This was an amazing lecture! I suffer from anxiety and I am always to scared to ask for help, this has made me want to book a doctors appointment to hopefully start heading in the right direction.”
- UTS Student
The REALITY of mental ill-health at University
Students are FIVE times more likely to experience mental ill-health at university.
84%
of students indicated that they had experienced mental ill-health in a recent Australian study
42%
(or almost 1 in 2) of students globally said their mental health has declined in COVID-19 times
Current Tertiary Partners
We’ve delivered our programs at over 25 universities in Australia to over 42,000 students. 76% said they would be more likely to seek help for their mental health after seeing our programs.
Our Programs
Discover a suite of evidence-based batyr@uni programs and offerings tailored for students from all cohorts, promoting positive conversations about mental health. Every batyr program includes a young storyteller, who shares their lived experience with mental ill-health in a safe, impactful way.
NEW! Program: Mind Your Mental Health
Best-suited for domestic and international undergraduate cohorts
This program explores the shifting nature of mental health, highlighting key factors that both positively and negatively impact the wellbeing of young people.
This also explores themes of showing up for ourselves like we do for others.
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Coming Soon! Program: Herd Mentality
This program will explore community and friendship as a vital source of support for young people’s wellbeing, examining the boundaries and responsibilities involved in supporting those we care about.
It will also explore the many diverse ways one can share about their mental health.
Duration: 60-90 minutes
Student Leaders Workshop
Best-suited for students engaged in volunteering & leadership opportunities
This workshop is designed for students who hold a leadership role in the community. These may be club executives, peer mentors, student leaders or anyone interested in building their mental health advocacy skills. These workshops build on the structure of a standard batyr program and facilitate an in-depth conversation into mental health and stigma, empowering students to be mental health advocates in their communities.
Duration: 90 minutes
HDR Candidate Program
Best-suited for postgraduate cohorts
In this program we explore the experiences faced by graduate research candidates and postgraduate students, including competing work/life priorities, high academic pressures, intensive workloads, and the impact on their mental wellbeing, such as burnout or imposter syndrome. Students will hear from a batyr storyteller who has a similar experience and learn of practical tips and services available to support their mental health journey throughout their course of study.
Duration: 60-90 minutes
University Staff Wellbeing Program
batyr’s Staff Wellbeing Program is designed to help university staff support both their own mental health and that of their students. The session includes insights from a young person with lived experience and focuses on building confidence to create safe, supportive spaces for students.
Staff will reflect on their boundaries and role, explore what is within their control, and learn practical wellbeing strategies for themselves and their students. The program helps staff feel empowered to support student wellbeing while also prioritising their own.
Duration: 60-90 minutes
If you want to promote positive mental health for your university students get in touch today!
“This is such an important part of ensuring the best possible university experience for students and a sense of competency among staff who are required to have a broad skill set in busy times.”
- UoN staff member
Program FAQ’s
If your university doesn't have a partnership, but you're interested in learning more, please fill out this form and a member of our team will be in touch.
For any other general enquiries relating to university programs, please get in touch with us at [email protected].
The batyr@uni programs are delivered by trained batyr facilitators and lived experience storytellers, who share their story of mental health. A batyr coordinator supports the running of the program on the day.
Programs generally run for 60 minutes, but 45 minute and 90 minute program options are also available.
Programs are covered by the batyr and university partnership. They are therefore free of charge for university staff members who are interested in booking.
batyr@uni programs are currently delivered at our partnering universities Australia-wide. These include the University of Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney, the University of Newcastle, the University of South Australia, RMIT,Griffith University, University of Queensland and Deakin University.
We receive funding for our programs from various Government and non-Government sources.
Yes, absolutely!
We aim for a minimum of 60 students at each batyr program, however we can be flexible with the number of attendees. Please reach out to the university coordinators to see how we can best cater for your cohort.
Yes, information about the support services available at the university, as well as external support services will be provided after a program. There are also resources available on our resource hub.
Yes, we have programs specifically tailored for university staff.