Future Research Leaders with representatives from Bristol Students' Union and Changes Bristol Bristol Students' Union
A group of seven University of Bristol student researchers have published a powerful new report exploring the barriers male students of colour face in accessing mental health support, and what can be done to break them down.
The report, presented earlier this week, to the CEO, the Head of Services and the Board of local mental health charity, Changes Bristol, is the result of a six-month research project led by Bristol Students' Union (Bristol SU) and funded by UKRI Research England.
The research group, named the Future Research Leaders (FRL), was made up of seven students from underrepresented backgrounds in research, who conducted hands-on, community-led research.
Their conclusive findings highlight key challenges including cultural stigma, lack of inclusive services, and long wait times. The students also proposed practical solutions, such as improving cultural responsiveness in services, simplifying access, and increasing outreach through culturally relevant campaigns.
Rasheed Taiwo, Project Lead from Bristol SU, said: "It's amazing to learn from our project that people's culture plays an important role when tackling mental health issues. I'm particularly proud of the students who really experienced growth in skills and whose research has shown how mental health issues could be effectively addressed in the community."
Changes Bristol welcomed the findings and confirmed the report prove useful in the development of their peer-support initiatives. Alessandra G, CEO, said: "This project has been a really lovely collaboration between the two organisations with lots of communication all the way through.
"Going forward its important as these project findings will help us be more inclusive. It's a project that has really benefited us as a charity and will hopefully benefit other charities in Bristol. It was really clear that all of the students involved were really passionate about their work and its really high quality."
The students will present their work again at the Research England Festival in July 2025. The Future Research Leaders are Alaa Alkhdair, Emily Arceo, Karnikka Mahendran, Nadjwa Binti Nur Firdaus Seet, Segun Bamidele, Sharan Khemlani and Wisdom Adzakor.
