Program

14:00 CET - Welcome and introduction, Dr. Katrien Hertog, Thomas Wehler - SKY Campus Europe

14:05 CET - Address by Representative of the European Student Union
Nora Angelova, Member of the Executive Committee, European Student Union

14:10 CET - Current Status of Student Mental Health in Europe and Statistics,
Eve Carcas, Co-President, Nightline Europe

14:15 CET - Experiences with Mental Health and Pedagogical Innovation -
Prof. Dr Cristina Albuquerque, Vice-Rector, Coimbra University

14:22 CET - Elements of a Comprehensive Positive Mental Health Program for Universities - Emma Seppälä, Ph.D, Yale Lecturer and international keynote speaker

14:30 CET - Bio-hacking Happiness: the Science of Breathing and Emotion Regulation -
Dr. Dara Ghahremani, University of California, LA (UCLA)

14:37 CET - Impact of SKY on Burnout: Evidence from a randomized controlled trial -
Prof. Dr. Fahri Saatcioglu (Oslo University)

14:45 CET - Practice Session - Annelies Richmond, Global Director, SKY Campus

14:50 CET - Panel Discussion 1 - University faculty and staff: Current Challenges and Best Practices in implementing positive mental health practices in Universities

Panelists: Prof. Dr. Francesca Biagini, Vice-President, Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU),
Ms. Nensi Manusheva, Psychiatrist, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University
Ms. Annelies Richmond, Global Director, SKY Campus Happiness
Ms. Ditte Hoffmann Kærslund, International Business Academy, Denmark

15:15 CET - Video on SKY Research at Yale University

15:20 CET - Break

15:25 CET - Panel Discussion 2 - University Students: Experiences, Sensitization, Challenges and Recommendations

Panelists: Ms. Nicole Joop, WHU, Valendar, Germany
Mr. Thomas Wehler, RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Ms. Sofia Mattias, Coimbra University
Ms. Ségolène Marti, Psychotherapists for Young Adults

15:50 CET - Time for Q&A

16:05 CET - Post-Symposium SKY Campus Retreat for Students and Staff

16:10 CET - Main Conclusions, Take-Aways and Way Forward

16:15 CET - Closing

Conference Moderators: Dr. Katrien Hertog, Prof. Mrinalini Kochupillai

November 25th, 2025
14.00 - 16.15

ONLINE

SKY Happiness Retreat for University Faculty & Staff

Experience the live training in Sofia with Annelies Richmond, Global Director, SKY Campus

December 2–4, 2025 6 to 9 PM GMT+2

УАСГ University, University of Architecture, Civil Eng. and Geodesy

Address: g.k. Lozenets, bul. "Hristo Smirnenski" 1

1046 Sofia, Bulgaria

Downtown Sofia center, 1 minute from Metro Station

Contact for registration: croatia@skycampus.com

What is the SKY Happiness Retreat?

Our minds remain constantly engaged in deep rational and analytical thinking, which goes beyond office hours. Taking time away from work is not a luxury, but rather a necessity to reset our brains. The meditation and breathing techniques taught in the SKY Happiness Retreat gives that calm and clear state of mind.

Techniques imparted in the retreat increases self-awareness and enhance work-life integration that contributes to physical and mental wellbeing. The SKY Happiness Retreat offer tools and techniques which can help gain a calm and relaxed state of mind, even in stressful moments for handling complex scientific information at work.

The SKY Happiness Retreat offers an in-depth experience of effortless breathwork, meditation, yoga, and more.

SKY Breath Meditation, which is taught in the retreat, uses cyclical, rhythmic patterns of breath to easily bring the mind and body into a state of meditation. Research has shown that SKY may reduce depression, anxiety, PTSD, stress, and addictive behaviors. It significantly increases feelings of well-being, optimism, and mental focus and improves emotional regulation.