Studying with a tailwind

Studying isn’t just about attending lectures, sitting exams and handing in assignments. Everyday student life also involves having little time, part-time jobs, new life situations, social interactions and stress – and sometimes simply the feeling that everything is happening at once. It’s easy for your own health to take a back seat.

This is precisely where the University of Magdeburg’s Student Health Management (SGM) comes in. It is committed to integrating health into everyday student life and making services more visible and accessible to students

“We want to support students in shaping their studies in a way that is healthy and makes them feel good. It’s not about dictating to everyone what is healthy, but about creating opportunities and working together to find out what students actually need,” explains project coordinator Luzia Krieg.

What exactly is Student Health Management?

Health management at a university means more than just offering sports classes or organising a health day once a semester. The SGM views the university as a living environment and asks: What do students need to feel at home on campus and to get through their studies in good health?

This encompasses physical, mental and social health. The SGM raises awareness of existing services, connects different organisations, develops new initiatives and programmes, and aims to create health-promoting structures on campus.

In short: they listen, connect and take action.

“Health is incredibly diverse and looks different for everyone,” says Julien Leitel, sports manager and a member of the SGM team. Student Health Management is based at the University Sports Center. “That’s why we also want to create different ways to access support. Exercise can be an important part of this, but mental health, social connections and knowing where to find support are just as much a part of it.”

Behind the SGM are Janina Markgraf, Luzia Krieg and Julien Leitel – each with different roles and perspectives. Whilst Janina is primarily responsible for marketing and communications, Luzia coordinates the project and Julien, as a sports manager, contributes his perspective from the University Sports Center. The SGM is supported by Techniker Krankenkasse, with whom the University of Magdeburg is collaborating as part of the project. In addition, the University’s Occupational Health Management team and the SGM are also working together. Together, they aim to further develop health-promoting initiatives and, in the long term, create structures that reach students and staff in a variety of life situations.

Programmes tailored to everyday student life

For the coming winter term, the SGM is offering various courses, workshops and webinars – both online and in person.

One example is health coaching. This programme is aimed, amongst others, at students who wish to gradually get back into exercise and sport following an illness or a prolonged break. Rather than going full throttle straight away, the focus is on getting to know one’s own body, setting realistic goals and gradually returning to a more active daily routine.

Resilience courses are also part of the programme. These focus on how students can cope with challenges and stressful periods, which of our own resources can help us do so, and how we can better look after our mental health in the long term.

For Janina Markgraf, who is responsible for marketing and communications at the SGM, visibility plays a particularly important role: “There’s little point in having great programmes if nobody knows about them. I therefore want to ensure that the SGM and our services really make an impact on campus – through social media, events, posters, leaflets and many other communication channels.” After all, good health also starts with knowing where to find support and suitable services.

Health is a shared endeavour

A key principle of the SGM is therefore student involvement. Nobody knows what everyday student life is like better than the people who experience it first-hand. What issues are students concerned about? Where are there gaps in the services on offer? What would actually make everyday life easier?

The team doesn’t want to answer these questions on its own, but together with the students. “We’re a small team, but that’s precisely what makes us strong,” says Luzia Krieg. “We can listen, try things out and get new ideas off the ground relatively quickly. It’s important to us to stay close to the students and not make decisions over their heads.”

Learning to swim and finding your feet

The ‘Schwimm Kultur’ project, based at the SGM, also demonstrates just how diverse student health promotion can be.

The initiative is aimed at international students in Magdeburg and combines swimming lessons with socialising and a sense of community. The aim is not only to teach swimming as an important survival skill, but also to help students settle into life in Magdeburg.
Through a bespoke training programme and complementary group activities, a space is created where international students can make contacts, share experiences and feel a little more at home.

“For me, ‘Schwimm Kultur’ beautifully illustrates that health promotion can be so much more than just sport,” says Julien Leitel. “Of course, the participants learn to swim and are thereby doing something for their physical health. At the same time, connections are formed, friendships are forged and a sense of belonging is fostered. It is precisely this connection that makes the project so special.” 

Studying with a tailwind

Ultimately, Student Health Management is based on a simple idea: students should not feel left to their own devices during their studies. The SGM aims to make services more accessible, bring different stakeholders together and, in collaboration with the students, shape a campus where health is an integral part of the experience.

“We look after your balance” is therefore more than just a slogan. It is a commitment to understanding health as an integral part of everyday student life – whilst taking into account a wide range of needs and life circumstances.

Or, to put it simply: studying with a tailwind.