Besançon. Radio Campus: a live podcast to discuss mental health

During his 90 days as Prime Minister, several of Michel Barnier's measures survived the arrival of François Bayrou at the helm of the government. "Mental health problems affect one in five French people, particularly young people. We will make mental health the major national cause of 2025," promised former Prime Minister Michel Barnier in his general policy statement. Last Thursday, April 24, the knife attack at a high school in Nantes reignited discussions on this crucial social issue. Élisabeth Borne, now Minister of Education, was outraged: "This tragedy highlights the challenges of mental health."

Touched by this subject, Emma Campy and Barbara Toscano, two student interns at Radio Campus Besançon, launched a podcast dedicated to mental health.

As future cultural journalists interning at Radio Campus Besançon , launching a podcast on mental health was a no-brainer for Barbara Toscano and Emma Campy. "All the interns have a global project. We thought a podcast would be a good way to address this important topic," explains Emma.

Barbara and Emma approach the topic of mental health from different perspectives: students, feminist demands, literature as a lever for awareness, and citizen psychiatry. The podcast is recorded live over four episodes of approximately half an hour each.

"Student precarity can lead to social isolation and mental health problems. In addition to precarity, stress related to exams, family pressure, fatigue, and trauma mean that students' mental health is more fragile than ever, even if it's not always visible," adds Barbara.

With the testimonies of three students, but also an interview with the former head of precariousness at the Marie and Louis Pasteur University , the themes of precariousness, integration and reorientation were addressed.

Stella Vaté and Lili Rabier are both communications students who had to change direction due to the complete restructuring of the information and communications degree program at Marie and Louis Pasteur University. "When you start a program in your second year, it's difficult to settle in; friendships have already been formed," admits Stella. "Add in the intense workload, and it's sometimes difficult for your mental health to keep up," continues Lili.

Xavier Mathis, former president of the Bureau des associations franc-comtoises ( BAF) , recalled the actions implemented by student associations to combat precariousness, by developing statistical data on vegetable baskets , but also those of AGORAé , the solidarity grocery store opened by the BAF in 2021.

Emma Campy and Barbara Toscano's podcast is available to listen to on the Radio Campus Besançon website: campusbesancon.fr/podcasts/