Potential Advantage Well-being Programme Activities
There are 11 activities to choose form in the Potential Advantage Programme. Students who decide to participate in an activity will be asked to attend at least four of the sessions. Activities will start during the week of February 4th.
Aerobics - No Kit, No Problem
Day/time: Thursday, 5:30-6:15pm
Location: Humanities studio, Humanities building (ground floor).
About: Build resilience and release stress through a combination of low impact movement, body weight exercises and stretching, in the comfort of your own clothes.
Beginners Ukulele Jam Sessions
Day/time: Fridays, 12:15-2:00pm (drop-in sessions)
Location: Ensemble room, Music Centre (Arts Centre building)
About: No prior experience necessary, instruments will be provided. Come learn a unique instrument and jam with your fellow PhD students! Stop by for as long as you can and leave whenever you'd like. Get your jam on!
'Failure' Club
Day/time: Wednesday, 2-3pm
Location: H4.01, Humanities building, fourth floor.
About: The road to academic success is not always a straight or easy path, and academic life is rife with failure that gets hidden behind well-groomed CVs. This 5-week long interactive seminar series will feature academics discussing the failure in their careers so far, bringing the unseen into the light, and discussing how to build emotional resilience for a future career in academia (or just to help you get through your PhD unscathed!). Each session will include a short talk followed by an interactive activity with your fellow PhD students. Speakers and topics are listed below! Don't miss this Potential Advantage exclusive activity!6th February: Professor Nick Powdthavee - 'What I wish I knew then that I know now'
20th February: Dr Jonathan Heron - 'Failing better'
27th February: Professor Pat Tissington - 'On the other side of failure'
6th March: Dr Elena Riva - 'It did not go according to plan. Was it a failure?'
March 13th: Dr Sarah Bell - Emotional Resilience workshop
Game Night
Day/time: Wednesday, 5-7pm (drop-in session)
Location: TBD
About: Hosted by the Tabletop Games and Role-playing Society, put down your work for an hour and meet some of your fellow PhD students for some games! There’s a spectrum when it comes to board games: from competitive, serious, strategic masterminds to people who honest to God have only ever played Monopoly; board games welcomes you all. Swing by whenever you can, play some board games, and leave when you're ready to go. It’s that simple. Carcassonne, Codenames, Ticket to Ride, Articulate - we have a massive collection, so bring a group of friends, or come alone to make some.Getting Creative (arts and crafts)
Day/time: Tuesday, 12-1pm
About: Beginners welcome! This activity will include sessions around sculpting, acetate drawing, Sketchbook making and observation drawing among others. You keep the art you create!
Location: Creative Learning Space, Warwick Arts Centre (ground floor). Head towards the Woods-Scawen lecture room, then the creative learning room is on the right of the Arts Centre main entrance doors (near the giant clocks on the wall). There is a yellow sign above the Creative Learning Space doors.
Mindfulness (group)
Day/time: Wednesday, 1-2pm (drop-in session)
Location: Library, Seminar room
About: The mindfulness drop-in sessions explore the approach and techniques of mindfulness and their application to life at university and beyond. The techniques practised have a psychological and biological evidence-base and do not require any previous experience or beliefs. The sessions usually include some small group discussions and a period of mindfulness meditation, in which various techniques are explored.
Day/time: Tuesdays, 12:30-1pm
Location: Tuesdays - Ground level, Library entrance (near the cafe entrance).
About: Take 30 minutes to join us for a walk, get some fresh air, connect with others and explore campus in a sociable and inclusive way. All walks are guided by walk leaders. Flat and non-slip footwear is recommended.
Day/time: Thursday, 1-3pm (drop-in session)
Location: Chaplaincy
About: Absolute beginners, as well as experienced crafters, are welcome to attend our knitting and crochet group in the Chaplaincy. All materials are provided and volunteers will be on hand to help and to teach. Join us for tea, cake, and good company as we chat, knit and crochet together!
Running Group
Day/time: Mondays, 5:15-5:45pm
Location: Reception, Sports Centre (be ready to go at the start time)
About: Running, lasting approximately 30-45 minutes. Anyone joining the running group should be able to jog continuously for 15 minutes at a moderate pace. Get some fresh air and exercise while meeting new people!
Support Dogs
Day/time: Monday, 10:30-12pm (you will be allocated a 15-minute session)
About: Come and spend some time with a wonderful dog from the Pets As Therapy charity. Each 15-minute session will be facilitated by volunteers from the charity and library staff. These are small sessions which are specific to participants in this project (not like the study happy events). Previous sessions have been extremely popular and the feedback from attendees has been very positive. Joining a session can help provide a sense of community by providing companionship. This activity is exclusive to the Potential Advantage project.
Yoga
Location: All sessions are held in the Humanities studio, Humanities building (ground floor).
There are three sessions to choose from, each with a different focus:
- Monday, 8-8.45am - Yoga for Productivity. Start Monday with gentle invigorating movement leaving you feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the week. This class can help to boost memory, concentration, and productivity.
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Wednesday, 5.30-6pm - Yoga for Study. End the day with gentle movement helping you to release any tensions and stress and to feel refreshed and ready to study and learn. This class can help to boost memory, concentration, and productivity.
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Wednesday, 6-6.30pm - Yin and Restorative Yoga. A calming style of yoga focusing on releasing, relaxing, resting and restoring the body and mind.