Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Offload support programme launched for students
Offload is a men’s mental fitness and wellbeing project which aims to challenge how the sporting world tackles issues such as depression and anxiety, and has received widespread acclaim for its work with thousands of men.
Peter Mackreth, Dean of the Carnegie School of Sport said: “We continue to explore new ways to support our students and their well-being. We’re pleased to be able to work with our partners Leeds Rhinos Foundation and Rugby League Cares to support our students with their mental health in this way.”
Offload is open to all men aged 16 and over. Participants meet and talk with current and former professional players to learn techniques they use to manage their own mental and physical fitness.
Sam Horner from Leeds Rhinos Foundation said: “We are so pleased to be able to deliver the Offload programme to Leeds Beckett University students. After all we have come through with Covid-19 and the isolation we suffered, the Offload sessions are more important than ever.
“Creating positive mindsets, building resilience, dealing with negative thinking and coping with stress are areas we can help with. All this delivered by former professional rugby league players, talking also about their own adversity, mental health problems and how they cope, resonates throughout the sessions.
“I look forward to engaging with you all and watching the groups grow into a self-supporting team of people.”
Over the course of the 10-week ‘season of fixtures’, men build their own mental fitness, while having fun in a relaxed atmosphere, developing coping strategies to challenge difficult situations, and learning how to recognise when people close to them may need their support.
Participants don’t need to be a sports fan to benefit from Offload. Even though presenters are mainly rugby league players, they share stories from their personal lives as well as sporting careers to bring real experiences to important topics. They give men genuine real-life examples that they can relate to and learn from.
Wendy Barr, Health Project Manager for Rugby League Cares, said: “Offload equips participants with the skills and techniques needed to build and maintain healthy levels of mental fitness and we’re delighted to be able to offer this fantastic programme to Leeds Beckett students.
“In the last four years Offload has had an amazing impact on the lives of men of all ages and from all backgrounds and we’re sure the students who engage with Offload at Leeds Beckett will enjoy the experience and gain great benefits from taking part."
The Offload sessions start on Tuesday 1 February at 18:00 and will run for 10 weeks in the Carnegie School of Sport building room CSS 119. For more information please contact Sam Horner on 07780 676132 or sam.horner@leedsrhinosfoundation.org.