The next BRIT Challenge will start on
25th January 2025 & finish on 25th March 2025
THE BRIT
CHALLENGE
The vision of the British Inspiration Trust’s annual BRIT Challenge is to improve the mental health and fitness of young adults and students throughout the UK and raise vital funds for local, regional and national charities, alongside BRIT.
The next BRIT Challenge will take place between 24th January 2024 and 24th March 2024.
The BRIT Challenge is an inclusive feel-good fundraiser to improve mental health and fitness, all whilst raising vital funds for local, regional and national charities, alongside BRIT.
Every UK university, college, specialist college and Students' Union are invited to register to take part, enter teams, and support student and staff participation, both on campus or at home.
The theme of 24 for the BRIT Challenge in 2024
BRIT will share the many innovative ways that institutions are participating in order to inspire other universities and colleges to embrace the BRIT Challenge. For example, in 2024, many institutions are planning to complete 24 Acts of Kindness in Community alongside both fundraising activity and engaging students and staff in a wide range of 24 inclusive wellbeing activities that we delivered over 24 days (1st to 24th March 2024).
Many universities, colleges, and their Students' Unions/Associations, have decided to deliver their BRIT Challenge activities and split them into three separate areas;
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24 Inclusive Wellbeing Activities (split across the institution with, for example, Sport and Active Wellbeing delivering 6 activities, the Students' Union delivering 6 activities, Student Services/Wellbeing delivering 6 activities, and other departments/faculties/campuses delivering the remaining 6 activities.
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24 Acts of Kindness in the Community (Leadership Teams and Students' Unions are asking departments and course representatives to come up with 24 Acts of Kindness in the community and promoting the opportunity to volunteer and participate with their students and staff.
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Setting a fundraising target to raise funds for BRIT and a local, regional, or national, charity (£2400 or for larger institutions, £24,000). Many are asking Leadership Teams to host business leaders or approach contractors on campus, local businesses, and local employers, to match fund or support them by donating around the theme of 24 (£240 or £2400).
Inclusive Wellbeing Activities
Sport Departments and Sports Clubs/Socieites are delivering many physical wellbeing activities including;
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24 hour Sport Challenges (Tennis, Badminton, Rowing, Swimming, Rugby, Football. Netball etc.) to encourage as many students and staff to come together during a 24 hour period and try out different activities.
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Setting team distance targets (2024 will be, for example, 24,000 or 2,024 miles) by either hand-cycling, cycling, wheelchair pushing, swimming, walking, jogging, running, rowing or paddling (canoeing, kayaking or paddle-boarding) with students and staff adding distance to the overall target.
Art, Music, and Creative Media Departments, and Students are planning;
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A 24 hour art competition to create works of art around mind and movement that destigmatise mental health that are then exhibited, auctioned to raise funds, or donated to local hospices, care homes, and community groups.
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Music Concerts and Dance Competitions to attract students and staff to attend, support and have fun.
Universities, Colleges, and Students' Unions, are planning to deliver a wealth wellbeing activities including;
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Meditation, Mindfullness, and Yoga.
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Drawing, Colouring and Sculpting.
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Taking 24 minutes out of the working day to look after everyone's wellbeing and to try a wellbeing activity.
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Lunchtime Staff and Student Group walks and wheelchair push activities.
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Universities and Colleges uniting in their cities and towns to embrace the BRIT Challenge and support/challenge each other.
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Internal Leader Boards to challenge each college, department or campus to see who can involve the most student and staff (an inclusive engagement challenge).
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Natspec Colleges encouraging their learners and students to take part in activities that are part of the Natspec Games and also through E-Sports.
Our aspiration is for as many students, and staff, as possible to be encouraged to join their university or college team. The bigger the team, the more funds will be raised for charity.
Bringing together a BRIT Challenge Coordination Group was an approach used by many universities and colleges on our previous, UK-wide, BRIT Challenges to ensure that students and staff were integral to organising their event and there was engagement across the whole institution to promote student and staff participation.
As you will see, the BRIT Challenge can embrace any activity that promotes health, fitness and wellbeing.
We are inviting the 5 million students, and staff, at every UK university and college to unite with us in support of young adult and student mental health.
OUR AIMS
By inviting every UK university and college to encourage their students and staff to participate, we aim to support and improve the mental health, fitness, and wellbeing, of young adults, students, and staff;
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Uniting the Higher Education, Colleges in Scotland, Further Education, and Specialist College, Sectors through a UK-wide inclusive annual BRIT Challenge .
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Delivering inspiration through our BRIT Ambassador Family.
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Offering the BRIT Challenge as a UK-wide inclusive feel-good fundraiser and inviting teams to choose a second charity to raise funds for, alongside BRIT, to support local, regional and national charities.
We aim to achieve this through the three aims;
1
Uniting the HE and FE Sector through a UK-wide inclusive BRIT Challenge
The annual inclusive BRIT Challenge is flexible to enable universities, colleges, specialist colleges, and Students' Unions, to participate in ways that suit them best and for students and staff of all abilities to take part. The BRIT Challenge encourages the delivery of wide range of inclusive wellbeing activities, volunteering and Acts of Kindness in the Community, and fundraising for charitable causes, alongside BRIT.
2
Delivering inspiration through our BRIT Ambassadors
Olympians, Paralympians, sports personalities, elite athletes, adventurers, and explorers, will be invited to join us as BRIT Ambassadors and choose a university, college, or specialist college, to visit during the annual BRIT Challenge. They will be asked to encourage, enthuse and inspire students and staff to take on the annual BRIT Challenge, champion inclusion and resilience, and help
3
Raising funds
for a second charity of your choice, alongside BRIT
BRIT is a collaborative charity and we are inviting every UK university, college, specialist college, and Students' Union, to unite and use the annual BRIT Challenge as a platform and opportunity to choose a second charity to raise funds for, alongside BRIT, to support local, regional and national charities. We encourage a whole university or college approach to fundraising; inviting communities, businesses and alumna networks to donate.
HOW TO EMBRACE
THE BRIT CHALLENGE
Our aspiration is that every UK university, college, specialist college and Students' Union are aware of the opportunity to take part in the annual BRIT Challenge, enter teams and encourage student and staff participation.
We continue to forge partnerships and special relationships with Education Governing Bodies who help us to raise awareness by promoting the BRIT Challenge to their members and using their internal communications, networks and social media. They encourage Vice-Chancellors, College Principals and Students' Union Presidents to embrace the opportunity to enter teams and encourage students and staff of all abilities to take part.
To increase team involvement, destigmatise mental health and champion equality, diversity and disability inclusion, BRIT has implemented Regional Steering Groups. Representatives from every university and college in each region will be invited to join their respective BRIT Steering Group, Chaired by a university and Co-Chaired by a college, to grow a network to share best practice and use the BRIT Challenge as a catalyst to champion positive mental health and wellbeing throughout the year.
By listening to students and staff, we have designed the annual BRIT Challenge to be inclusive, and flexible, so that organisations and teams can participate in their own unique way and unite in support of young adult mental health.
To help Team Coordinators pre-BRIT Challenge, our Founder, Phil, will tour the UK and visit as many universities and colleges as possible in 2023 and pre-BRIT Challenge in 2024 (24th January to 24th March). He is also offering to join students and staff on Teams/Zoom to share some of the great ideas that universities and colleges have used to make their BRIT Challenges a success. These ideas include; entering one team for the whole organisation and sharing the 24,000 or 2,024 miles between campuses, departments or Students' Union sports teams, clubs and societies; entering multiple teams; challenging another university or college; teaming up with a local college/specialist college; using social media to engage the whole student body; inviting sporting alumna/local sports teams to help with the miles and awareness raising.
We know this has been an extraordinarily challenging time for everyone and therefore hope that as students and staff return to campus, they will embrace our feel good fundraiser to support to support and improve mental health and fitness across the whole university or college and support local, regional and national charities, alongside BRIT, to help raise vital funds.
UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE AND SPECIALIST COLLEGE ENGAGEMENT
DONORS AND SPONSORS
Donating to or sponsoring the British Inspiration Trust will help enable us to improve young adult mental health and fitness in the UK through the delivery of our annual BRIT Challenge.
With funding, we can; strengthen the engagement with our Charity, Education and Sport Partners; implement BRIT Regional Steering Groups and strengthen relationships with universities, colleges, specialist colleges and Student Unions; grow and coordinate our BRIT Ambassador family; provide opportunities for students and staff to be involved with, and integral, to our charity; grow our Social Media reach and encourage the millions of students and staff in the UK to take part in our annual inclusive BRIT Challenge.
We hope that donors, philanthropists, businesses and corporations see the potential UK-wide impact we are having on raising funds for local, regional and national charities and improving young adult mental health and fitness; both of which are vitally important in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Together, we have the ability to be collectively powerful.
“Liverpool John Moores University were delighted to host the BRIT Founder, Phil Packer, and introduce him to our Board of Governors, Student Union President, students and staff as part of the BRIT 2020 Row Britannia 5-month tour of the UK. We entered a team and championed the challenge in the City of Liverpool and North West to encourage other universities and colleges to take part. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our students were unable to complete the challenge and reach their fundraising target.
We are thrilled that BRIT have spent lockdown and the summer speaking to universities, colleges, education and sport governing bodies and their charity partners to come back with another fully inclusive, flexible feelgood fundraiser that will take place in 2021. Our university will encourage all of our students to take part in the BRIT 2021 Challenge, be that on campus or at home, to both improve their mental health and raise vital funds for BRIT’s partner mental health charities.”
Professor Ian G Campbell
Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive
Liverpool John Moores University
"As a University community we are committed to supporting our students' and staff wellbeing, as well as promoting good mental health.
The last year has shown us that now, more than ever, we need to be together in supporting everyone within our community.
The BRIT Row Britannia Challenge was successful last year in bringing us together, creating awareness of mental health and the support that is available, and we hoped that this year will be no different. All our students and staff were encouraged to take up the BRIT 2021 Challenge, where possible, and unite behind this deserving cause.
Throughout February and March, we took part in the BRIT 2021 Challenge - an incredible collaboration, bringing together universities, colleges, and sporting icons to raise both vital funds and mental health awareness.
The impact that the annual BRIT Challenges have had on our University community have been extraordinary. Last year, over 1000 students, staff and alumni took part; this year, despite COVID-19 restrictions, over 600 students, staff and alumni took part and the challenge undoubtedly improved and supported the mental health and fitness of our students and staff.
We are thrilled that BRIT will be delivering an annual inclusive BRIT Challenge as a February feel-good fundraiser. I am delighted that our University are continuing a special relationship with BRIT and exploring many different ways for our students and staff to be part of the charity’s vision and aims."
Professor Rama Thirunamachandran
Vice-Chancellor and Principal
Canterbury Christ Church University
“The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the mental health challenges that young adults and students face. It has also had a disproportionate impact on particular groups in society, particularly those on a low income, people with an existing mental health condition; children and young adults and people from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities. We must do more now to support all young adults and students who need help to avoid long-term consequences on their mental health, fitness and wellbeing.
BRIT’s Vision is to support young adult mental health and fitness through the delivery of their annual BRIT Challenge. Every UK university, college, specialist college and Students’ Union are invited to enter teams in this feelgood February fundraiser and encourage their students and staff to take part.
BRIT is calling for Olympians, Paralympians, sports personalities, adventurers and explorers to join the BRIT Ambassador family, promote the BRIT Challenge at universities and colleges of their choice, help destigmatise mental health and champion equality, diversity and inclusion.
I am fully behind this inspiring initiative and urge every current and former Olympic and Paralympic athlete to join our BRIT Ambassador family. I look forward to supporting students and staff at the University of Leicester.”
Danielle Brown MBE
Double Paralympic Gold Medallist
TEAM SUCCESSES
Our Founder has visited over 750 universities, colleges, specialist colleges, schools, communities and institutions. This has enabled BRIT to gain valuable knowledge and experience from students and staff of the many ways that universities, colleges and Students' Unions support charities and embrace our BRIT Challenges.
We know that every university, college and Students' Union has a wealth of energy and determination when fundraising for charities and their alumni, philanthropic networks and professional resources often compliment the great ideas, activities, enthusiasm and team-spirit of their student bodies. Our annual BRIT Challenge is designed to unite the goodwill of every UK university, college, specialist college and Students' Union and invite them to have a collectively powerful impact.
Advice from universities and colleges has enabled us to design the annual BRIT Challenge and ensure it is flexible for every university, college, specialist college and Student' Union so they can make their unique contribution as successful as possible in supporting young adult mental health. Over the past four years, over 400 university and college teams have taken part in our BRIT Challenges.
A whole university or college approach to mental health has been the most successful way to increase participation and raise funds.
Below are a few examples of BRIT Challenge successes;
Here are some examples of universities and colleges who took on previous BRIT Challenges;
Our thanks to Professor Rama Thirunamachandran (Vice Chancellor and Principal),
Paul Carney (Director of Sport and Active Health),
James Cook (Marketing and Communications Manager - Sport and Active Health),
Harrison Wood (Digital Content Officer - Sport and Active Health),
and the Students and Staff at Canterbury Christ Church University for this short film.