The Veterans Resilience Programme

The Veteran’s Resilience through Physical Activity programme is a comprehensive programme of activities that will include tailored workshops on how to build resilience and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

The aim of the Veterans’ Resilience Programme is to improve veterans’ positive social identities and reduce the impact of the cost of living crisis by developing a sustained peer support network via an evidence-based bespoke and tailored programme of physical, psychological and wellbeing activities. The programme includes, an online pre-programme meeting, a weekend residential at Loughborough University (including social resilience workshop, wellbeing workshops, inspirational talks and physical activity sessions), and online post-programme support.

At the end of the course participants should have a plan of action to help sustain the improvements they have made, including an opportunity to attend a follow-up meeting with other programme beneficiaries. 

The programme will be delivered six times over two years to 72 veterans (maximum 12 veterans per course, plus carers). Survey and interview data will be collected before and after each course to enable evaluation and future refinement.
The world-leading evidence-based programme was successfully piloted in 2022 (thanks to Positive Pathways funding), with veterans consistently reporting that the programme was ‘life-changing’. Veterans rated the programme as very effective (6.7/7) and a positive influence (6.7/7). Consequently, the programme plans are very mature.

This programme consists of six activity blocks that are all run during a two-day weekend programme: 

1. Sleep 
2. Mindfulness
3. Finding it Tough (FiT)
4. Social Resilience
5. Healthy eating
6. Wheelchair basketball

Each of the courses will begin with an introduction, contract setting and pre-evaluation measures.

• Introduction:  The introduction will provide veterans with the opportunity to get to know other participants and the programme leads, by sharing as much as they are comfortable with about their motivations for attending the programme.
• Contract setting: Through contract setting veterans will set their individual and collective aims for the programme helping to establish a positive and inclusive learning environment.
• Pre-evaluation measures: Veterans will be invited to complete a health and well-being questionnaire, which will be used to track your progress through the course

How are veterans' positive social identities reinforced through this programme?

How does this new peer support network reduce the impact of the cost of living crisis for veterans?

Military veterans. There will be in total 72 veterans for this two-year programme (maximum 12 veterans per course, plus carers).