Universities are increasingly confronted with rising mental health needs among students and staff. Traditional awareness campaigns and training programmes often lack interactivity, contextualisation, and opportunities to practise supportive responses safely. MINDGUARD addresses this challenge by developing a participatory mental-health prevention framework, an evidence-informed Guide for educators and staff, and an immersive VR platform for training delivery in higher education.

This workshop introduces the MINDGUARD framework and immerses participants in its pedagogical approach. The session begins with a short overview of the project’s objectives: increasing wellness literacy, empowering students and staff to recognise signs of distress, and improving institutional capacity for early intervention and peer-support networks. Participants will explore selected components of the Guide, including strategies for inclusive communication, culturally responsive support, and ethically managing sensitive scenarios.

The presentation equips attendees with practical tools for integrating wellbeing first-aid training into student supports, staff development programmes, and institutional wellbeing strategies. It is suitable for educators, HE wellbeing teams, student-support units, academic developers, and technology-enhanced learning professionals.