Wellbeing through action: a new way to engage young men

MindGreen is Activate Learning’s wellbeing and inclusion initiative, dedicated to supporting student and staff mental health while creating opportunities for wider participation, connection, and community impact. The programme was not conceived with the specific aim of engaging young men, however, evidence gathered by Activate Learning suggest that it has improved participation of male students in enrichment activities and opened up opportunities for male students to engage with their wellbeing in a practical way. The approach has achieved strong engagement among male students partly because male staff actively participate and model positive wellbeing behaviours.  

Many boys are more comfortable engaging with discussions around wellbeing through practical activities than through direct conversations about their mental health. Traditional college tutorial and wellbeing approaches frequently rely on talking, reflection, and classroom-based discussion. These approaches remain important but may not engage every student equally.  

The MindGreen approach creates opportunities for wellbeing conversations indirectly, through shared activity and participation in social action projects, for example, volunteering, community service, fundraising, physical challenges and skills-based projects. Projects that have engaged predominantly male students have included: construction students building wellbeing spaces for community groups, plumbing students creating practical resources for older residents, and e-sports students running gaming cafes for primary school pupils.

Rather than asking students to focus directly on their own wellbeing, MindGreen focuses on enabling students to contribute to others’ wellbeing. This in turn has resulted in students reporting that they feel an increased sense of belonging, a greater sense of purpose, improved self-esteem, and enhanced wellbeing for themselves. Benefits extend beyond wellbeing as engagement develops character, offers leadership  opportunities and develops employability skills.