Contributes to well-being in student housing
The welfare hosts in SSN's student accommodation will help make settling in a new place a little easier.
Welfare hosts in all SSN's student accommodation
Miriam Oland (23) is in her fourth year at USN Campus Vestfold to become a primary school teacher for grades 5-10. level and is a driven student.
In the academic year 22/23, she has also taken on responsibility as a welfare host for the residents of the student accommodation she lives in at Bakkenteigen in Horten. A job that is particularly important at the start of the academic year, with many new students and new residents to get to know.
The welfare host system:
The welfare host system has been established to ensure a good living environment in SSN's student housing and to provide better service to the residents.
The welfare hosts shall contribute to creating mastery and well-being in the student accommodation and will be SSN's partner in the housing area.
All SSN's residential areas have one or more welfare hosts.
The welfare hosts are followed up by SSN's department for Health Promotion and Preventive Work.
Focus off alcohol
- I am at the very beginning at my job as a welfare host, but together with the other welfare hosts in the campus housing here on Campus Vestfold (Campus Vestfold Student housing and Fagerlund Student housing), we invited all new residents to gather in one of the outdoor areas, to get to know each other right before student week ("Fadderuka"), Miriam says.
Miriam Oland is a welfare host at Campus Vestfold Student Housing at Bakkenteigen in Horten.
- There was no focus on alcohol, which was important to us, but many residents, both old and new, came, so it turned out to be a good party with some alcohol involved. Still, there were several people there who were not so interested in alcohol, but who came and had a great time. It was a success we must repeat!
Recent figures from the Student Health and Well-Being Survey (SHoT) 2022 show that as many as 61% of students want alcohol-free events. 49% feel that there is too much drinking in the student environment.
The well-being hosts' tasks include setting up social events and ensuring that everyone is invited.
- On the Facebook groups for the student housing, the welfare hosts share events that take place at Studenthuset, in student sports (VSIL) and other things that happen. The student house is very good at coming up with different things and there is a lot that does not involve drinking, says Miriam.
In total 18% of students are living in student accommodation...
...but the results from SHoT 2022 show that fully 28% of the youngest students live in student accommodation (18-20 years).
In general, 69% are happy with their living situation in the student accommodation, 20% have answered neither/or and 11% are unhappy.
It is important to get off to a good start
The SHoT results show that there are fewer students who are lonely now in 2022 than during the pandemic (figures from the SHoT supplementary survey 2021), but there are still many who state that they have few (34%) or no (7%) friends.
- I think it's sad that as many as 40% feel lonely, but I can probably recognize it a little. I don't have any personal experience of being lonely, since I quickly got into an environment and settled in quickly when I started studying three years ago, but I know that there are students who haven't found their " space", says Miriam.
Miriam believes that it is important to stand up for each other in order to include those who, for one reason or another, have not "found their people" yet:
- If you don't find friends or someone to be with quite quickly, it can probably be difficult to get in. Although there is a lot going on on campus and there are many events and things to join in, I think it is hard to show up all alone and not have anyone to go with, she says and continues:
- Those of us who know many people and have a network must be good at inviting people to meet before events start, so that those who come alone have someone to go with. I think more people will join in on events if they have someone to go with.
Studentenes Helse og Trivselsundersøkelse (SHoT) 2022
The SHoT survey 2022 was carried out between 8 February - 13 March 2022. The purpose is to survey the students' health and well-being situation. This is Norway's largest student survey on the topic. Close to 60,000 students participated in 2022 (35% of students in Norway and Norwegian students abroad).
The survey is carried out by the Institute of Public Health on behalf of the student welfare associations SiO, Sammen and Sit.
The report was published on 8 September 2022.
Read more about SHoT at studenthelse.no (here you can read the full report).
Trouble in the student housing or is there anything else you want to talk about? Contact the counsellor/student relations coordinator at your campus - we are here for you!