Mental Health Workforce Summit: Emotional Wealth; Back to the Future.

The Challenges of Covid-19

Dr Paul Phillips CBE – Principal and Chief Executive, Weston College Group

Dr Paul Phillips has turned Weston College around from an inadequate College (c£9m) when he joined in 2001 to the £67m Outstanding College it is today. Paul was awarded the TES FE Leader of the Year and in 2020 and received the Pearson National Gold Lifetime Education Achievement Award. His passion for ‘Inclusive Practice’, has seen the College recognised as 1 of 3 DfE National SEND Centres of Excellence, as well as being nominated as a Young Minds Trailblazer. Dr Phillips knows only too well the pressures of both learners and staff during this national pandemic.

Keynote speaker Nigel Owens MBE – Leading International Rugby Referee

Nigel is the most-capped referee in world rugby. Hear about his own experiences in life and dealing with some difficult times, dealing with adversity, dealing with mental health issues and inclusion as a gay man. Hearing about how even legends can struggle with challenges in their lives will give us all something to take away and learn from.

The Big House Production Company EDI presentation and workshop

We are delighted to welcome back The Big House for the second ever showing of the critically acclaimed production of “The Ballad of Corona V”. by critically acclaimed author and playwright David Watson. We will watch an intimate extract from the production that pulls apart the hypocrisy ingrained in our society and focuses in on the messy edges of unconscious bias, inclusion and diversity.

Following the performance The Big House will facilitate a discussion that will help your teams better understand how the small things that play out in day to day encounters and interactions with their equally small, unintended consequences, affirm and consolidate the status of both the marginalised, the privileged, and those that fall somewhere in between.

Keynote speaker - Nick Elston – Talking Anxiety

Nick Elston is one of the highest-profile and leading speakers on the lived experience of Mental Health. He will discuss how anxiety will affect learners who have been out of on-site learning for a year and provide tips on appropriate support strategies to alleviate symptoms.

Let’s Chat

Keynote speaker Ben Knocks - Weston College

Discover Weston College’s model to supporting staff and learners’ wellbeing. In collaboration with Somerset Counselling Centre and Gateshead College, Let’s Chat is a wellbeing programme that offers the College community an opportunity to explore their mental health and wellbeing through a variety of workshops, 1-1 discussions and learning opportunities.

The programme includes Emotional Literacy workshops, Wellbeing MOT’s, Mental Health First Aid training and an opportunity to take part in a Wellbeing Focus Group. It is a workforce development model that we feel all businesses can benefit from.

The Language of Empowerment Post-Covid - Emotional literacy

Keynote speaker Georgie Ford - Weston College

A brief exploratory journey through the perceptions of language on our emotions, wellbeing and ability to connect. We’ll look at how to build positive returns and opportunities for strengthened resilience for both staff and students.

The session will examine some of today’s most asked wellbeing questions and explores an empowering response to these.

This session is designed for all organisations to help them better understand emotional literacy and how they can implement strategies to improve both the emotional literacy of their staff and their organisation.