One of the most important parts of the SUNMENTORS project is Work Package 3 (WP3). This stage is all about creating a practical curriculum that will help university lecturers and teaching staff feel more confident and capable when supporting students who struggle with their mental health.

Why this matters

University life can be stressful, and issues such as anxiety and depression are becoming more common among students. Teaching staff are often the first people to notice when a student is struggling, but many feel unprepared to respond in the right way. WP3 aims to change that.

What we’re creating

Together, all project partners are designing a handbook and training curriculum that will:

• Explain how to recognize the early signs of mental distress.
• Provide guidance on how to respond in crisis situations such as panic attacks.
• Offer tips on how to start sensitive conversations about mental health.
• Clarify the role of teaching staff—what they can do themselves and when to connect students with specialist services.

The curriculum is being built collaboratively. Each partner university is contributing content based on their expertise, while CIAPE in Italy is leading the process of shaping everything into a clear and accessible handbook. The University of Wuppertal is helping adapt proven methods from earlier projects, and Innovation Hive is making sure the material will be ready for the next step: turning it into engaging online learning modules.

The end result

By the end of this work package, we will have:

1. A curriculum and handbook that any university in Europe can use to train their staff.
2. A foundation for digital training—the material will directly feed into the e-learning platform developed in the next work package.
3. A long-term resource that helps universities embed mental health support into their everyday teaching culture, not just as an extra service.

The bigger picture

WP3 isn’t just about producing a textbook. It’s about changing the way universities think about mental health support. By giving staff the tools they need, we are taking a big step toward inclusive and supportive learning environments where all students have the chance to succeed—no matter what challenges they face.