Student Engagement category
The ActivateUTS Wellbeing Reps Program is a dynamic peer-led initiative designed to foster a safer, more inclusive, and mentally healthy environment at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Operated by ActivateUTS, the student experience organisation at UTS, the program trains and mobilises over 230 student volunteers as Wellbeing Reps. These students are equipped to lead mental health activations, provide peer support, and cultivate a community grounded in emotional, social, and academic wellbeing. Through weekly on-campus activations, partnerships with key university services, and extensive training opportunities, the program provides an innovative, student-centric model of engagement and support that aligns closely with UTS’s values and the wider tertiary education sector’s sustainability and equity goals.
Environmental and Social Benefits
- Created a robust peer-to-peer wellbeing support network that breaks down stigma around mental health and fosters student-to-student dialogue, improving help-seeking behaviour.
- Facilitated over 2,900 unique student engagements through events and activations targeting loneliness, emotional awareness, and academic pressure, improving overall student wellbeing.
- Embedded sustainable procurement practices into wellbeing events, including upcycling workshops, zero-waste materials, and direct local purchasing to reduce environmental impact and engage students in circular economy principles.
Leadership and Engagement
- Led by three paid Student Life Support Officers, drawn from the volunteer cohort, ensuring program design and delivery reflect the lived experiences and needs of students.
- Built ongoing partnerships with UTS Counselling, Respect.Now.Always, and sustainability clubs, integrating wellbeing support across university initiatives and contributing to co-designed programming.
- Developed a strong internal culture of belonging within the volunteer network, with a 4.63/5 rating for sense of community and high retention driven by peer connection and leadership development.
Significance to the Sector
- Shared program resources nationally, supporting replication at other universities including Griffith and University of Sydney, with recognition from SEN and ANZSSA networks.
- Provides a tested model for embedding students as partners in mental health promotion—moving beyond feedback to genuine co-design and co-delivery.
- Highlights a scalable, low-cost approach that can be adopted by both HE institutions and student associations to build mentally healthy campuses.
Wider Societal Impact
- Graduates emerge with micro-credentials and real-world experience in mental health, making them informed, confident advocates for workplace wellbeing.
- Cultivates values of care, inclusion, and social responsibility that students carry into professional and community settings post-graduation.
- Demonstrates the role of student-led initiatives in contributing to national conversations on mental health, resilience, and institutional responsibility.
Top 3 learnings
Supported by
Category finalists
Student Engagement
Student Engagement
Student Engagement category
The ActivateUTS Wellbeing Reps Program is a dynamic peer-led initiative designed to foster a safer, more inclusive, and mentally healthy environment at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). Operated by ActivateUTS, the student experience organisation at UTS, the program trains and mobilises over 230 student volunteers as Wellbeing Reps. These students are equipped to lead mental health activations, provide peer support, and cultivate a community grounded in emotional, social, and academic wellbeing. Through weekly on-campus activations, partnerships with key university services, and extensive training opportunities, the program provides an innovative, student-centric model of engagement and support that aligns closely with UTS’s values and the wider tertiary education sector’s sustainability and equity goals.
Top 3 learnings
Environmental and Social Benefits
- Created a robust peer-to-peer wellbeing support network that breaks down stigma around mental health and fosters student-to-student dialogue, improving help-seeking behaviour.
- Facilitated over 2,900 unique student engagements through events and activations targeting loneliness, emotional awareness, and academic pressure, improving overall student wellbeing.
- Embedded sustainable procurement practices into wellbeing events, including upcycling workshops, zero-waste materials, and direct local purchasing to reduce environmental impact and engage students in circular economy principles.
Leadership and Engagement
- Led by three paid Student Life Support Officers, drawn from the volunteer cohort, ensuring program design and delivery reflect the lived experiences and needs of students.
- Built ongoing partnerships with UTS Counselling, Respect.Now.Always, and sustainability clubs, integrating wellbeing support across university initiatives and contributing to co-designed programming.
- Developed a strong internal culture of belonging within the volunteer network, with a 4.63/5 rating for sense of community and high retention driven by peer connection and leadership development.
Significance to the Sector
- Shared program resources nationally, supporting replication at other universities including Griffith and University of Sydney, with recognition from SEN and ANZSSA networks.
- Provides a tested model for embedding students as partners in mental health promotion—moving beyond feedback to genuine co-design and co-delivery.
- Highlights a scalable, low-cost approach that can be adopted by both HE institutions and student associations to build mentally healthy campuses.
Wider Societal Impact
- Graduates emerge with micro-credentials and real-world experience in mental health, making them informed, confident advocates for workplace wellbeing.
- Cultivates values of care, inclusion, and social responsibility that students carry into professional and community settings post-graduation.
- Demonstrates the role of student-led initiatives in contributing to national conversations on mental health, resilience, and institutional responsibility.
Supported by
Category finalists
Student Engagement
Student Engagement
