RMIT BOUNCE, Refereed Paper, Bardsley et al. 1 Create, Contribute and Connect. BOUNCE, the story of how RMIT students are building a wellbeing community. Lara Bardsley 1 , Andrea Chester 2 , Kitty Vivekananda 1 , Tim Outhred 2 , & David Towl 1 1 Student Services Group, RMIT University 2 School of Health Sciences, RMIT University Abstract Recent research suggests cause for concern, with the wellbeing of university students lower than for adults within the general population (Cummins, 2003; Stewart & Podbury, 2003). Promoting wellbeing of tertiary students has been recognised as an important aim for universities (Tsouros, Dowding, Thompson, & Dooris, 1998). The most effective way to promote wellbeing among young people is through peer-to-peer communication (Oliver, Collin, Burns, & Nicholas, 2006). With these findings in mind, BOUNCE was conceived. BOUNCE is a Web 2.0 resource developed by, and for, students at RMIT. It was based on positive psychology principles and involved more than 1000 students in the creation, design, development, and evaluation of the resource. BOUNCE used multidisciplinary work-integrated learning student groups in order to build the student-centred online resource to enhance the wellbeing of RMIT students. The development of key partnerships across the university between academics and Student Wellbeing services, as well as students from different disciplines, was one of the key outcomes of the project. Wellbeing and peer-to-peer communication The wellbeing of university students is lower than that of adults in the general population (Cummins, 2003; Stewart & Podbury, 2003). The reasons for this are unclear; however, it is recognised that the role of the student and university environment influences student wellbeing in tertiary contexts (Weckwerth & Flynn, 2006). Therefore, it seems likely that universities have the potential to positively impact the wellbeing of their students. The WHO Health Promoting Universities framework (Tsouros, Dowding, Thompson, & Dooris, 1998) has documented that the promotion of wellbeing among tertiary students should be a priority for institutions. The promotion of student wellbeing is compatible with the framework of positive psychology. Rather than taking a deficit approach, which focuses on mental health problems and dysfunction, positive psychology emphasises human potential and may be applied to all students, regardless of mental health status or the requirement of support. The positive psychology movement has gained increasing recognition worldwide since the introduction of the term in the late 1990s. Research has demonstrated the positive impact of wellbeing on multiple aspects of life including physical health and longevity, mental health, relationship satisfaction, and professional success (Lyubomirsky, King, & Diener, 2005). Furthermore, recent evidence suggests that enhancing the wellbeing of individuals consequently enhances the wellbeing of communities, as wellbeing spreads through social networks (Cutler, 2009).