CN: contains discussion of mental health problems, including suicide. 

Switchboard talks to the BME campaign’s mental health and disabilities officer Elia Chitwa about their experiences of poor mental health at Cambridge, and how BME students are disproportionately impacted by mental health issues at Cambridge. (01:10).

Former Pembroke student Luke Naylor-Perrott tells Varsity about the documentary he directed, Feeling Blue, which tackles the mental health crisis at Cambridge, and how he thinks the university can improve its provisions. (02:51).

Maddy talks to natural sciences student Karris McGonigle about her petition to introduce a reading week to counter ‘Week Five Blues’, and if she thinks the discourse around week five creates a self-fulfilling prophecy. (15:36).

Disability Resource Centre mentor, Julie Bailey, tells Switchboard why she thinks mentors should be available to all students, regardless of disability. (21:42).

Finally, Switchboard talks to an anonymous Camfess admin about how the nature of submissions have changed since the beginning of the pandemic, with there being a significant increase in the number of posts by students struggling with loneliness, anxiety and isolation. (27:44).

If you are struggling and need support, you can contact Samaritans on 116 123, Lifeline on 0808 808 8000, or Nightline, the Cambridge student-run service, 7pm-7am nightly during full term at 01223 744444. 

Feeling Blue Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/feelingbluedoc

Switchboard is Varsity’s flagship podcast. Episodes are released every Friday on all major podcasting apps via Anchor. Transcripts of all episodes are available via this link.

The Cambridge community is now spread across the UK and around the world, but Switchboard is here to keep you connected. Every episode connects you to an eclectic array of voices and sounds, from Cambridge and beyond...