Kirklees College recently welcomed The Burnt Chef Project to speak to our Hospitality students about mental health within the industry. They understand the struggles people go through when working in hospitality and have created a space where they can discuss the state of their mental health, because even though it cannot be ‘seen’, it can still be debilitating.
Kris Hall, Founder of The Burnt Chef Project said:
“Together we can burn away mental health stigma within hospitality one and for all.”
They gave students a presentation with some statistics from hospitality professionals. These statistics included that 84% of the people asked have experienced mental health issues within their careers and 46% of them would feel uncomfortable talking about their concerns.
With a focus on stress, they offered students tips and tricks which will help the students whether they are struggling at college or while working. The Burnt Chef Project uses ‘CAN DO’ as a tool to create some self-care:
Connect – finding a sympathetic ear to listen to you and talk about your problems can lighten the burden.
Active – playing a sport weekly or even just going on a walk can help relax your mind and clear some stress out.
Notice – take notice of the things and people around you, you never know what will help you destress.
Discover – take time to see what you can learn to help with your mental health
Offer – you never know who around you may be struggling, if you are able, offer yourself to people who may be looking for help.
Speaking about the experience, Paul Bentley, Hospitality Lecturer at Kirklees College said:
“Fostering an open and honest dialogue about the profound effects of mental illness on individuals’ wellbeing within a hospitality setting is so important.”
As well as visiting the college to pass their knowledge on to the younger hospitality generation, The Burnt Chef Project has created a programme called The Burnt Chef Academy. The academy is full of free tools to help workplaces be more mental health friendly so their staff have somewhere to turn to if they feel like they need it.
Visit their website for more information here: https://www.theburntchefproject.com/.
