We see a world where loneliness is recognised as a significant societal problem. In targetting this, we hope to remove the stigma around loneliness and prevent future mental health problems it can result in.

Our campaign, ‘What Now?’ hopes to target graduate students who feel bewildered, lost and a bit lonely after university.

We noticed that an overwhelming number of graduates struggle with their mental health when they finish university and find it hard to adjust to the adult world. 

On top of our research, this is something that the four of us have personally experienced and I’m sure we’re not the only ones in this room.

Although I’d never struggled with my mental health before, I felt like I’d completely hit rock bottom when I moved back home and was totally unprepared for that.

Our campaign wants to help others who feel that overwhelming sense of deflation after uni overcome that feeling of ‘What Now?’ 

When researching the national picture, the typical student has an average debt of around 50 thousand pounds after graduating from undergraduate studies. This economic strain coupled with the impending duties of moving home, seeking employment and a disruption in routine can place stress on graduates mental health.

When you are in Uni you have a wealth of free services at your fingertips;

• Student Union- societies, socials 

• Student services- provide counselling, financial support etc. 

• A sense of community 

It is this gap that we are hoping to be able to bridge. We want to create a space where we can talk about this problem with soon to be graduates and prepare them for what is going to be a tough time when they first graduate, but hopefully arm them with some skills and a community that can buffer that affect just a bit.  

Following on from that, we also want to raise awareness of the fact that graduate blues is a real thing. I think a huge thing for me was not knowing that it was quite common to feel like this and it would’ve been helpful to know that.

So, we want to have an ongoing Instagram campaign because it’s a really popular and accessible platform for young people. We want to use it to create a community for people in similar situations. 

Don’t isolate yourself - graduate blues are real, but we can overcome them, together!